Skip to main content

The Death Car

The Death Car
Haunted Vehicles- James Dean was in his prime before his untimely death. It all started when he was eager to get back on the race track and race in Salinas California. Since he didn’t wait for his Lotus MK X to be ready, he went for the Porsche 550 Spyder instead. It was one of 90 made and customized by George Barris who went on to design the Bat Mobile. Bill Hickman named the car "Little Bastard,” numbered it 130, and Dean asked Dean Jefferies to paint it on the car. Several people had an eery feeling from the car. Alec Guinness to look at the car and told Dean that if he didn’t get rid of it, he would be dead in a week. Ursula Andress, Dean's current girlfriend refused to even get into the car. Eartha Kitt and Nick Adams expressed feelings of unease around the Spyder. There were several other that tried to warn Dean of the unsettling feeling they got from “Little Bastard,” which included his uncle, Charlie Nolan.
Right before the car was to be trailered to Salinas, Dean decided to take it for a drive along with a mechanic. At 3:30 p.m. Dean was pulled over and given a speeding ticket for doing 65 in a 45MPH zone.Just before 6 p.m., Donald Turnupspeed was driving home, in the opposite direction, from school for the weekend in a 1950 Ford Tudor Coupe when he and Dean collided head on, at the intersection of RTS 41 and 466.
James Dean was pinned in the Porsche with a broken neck among other injuries and died in transport to the hospital. The mechanic, Wiretherick, was thrown clear of the Spyder, he suffered a broken leg, broken jaw and a few internal injuries. Turnupspeed suffered only minor injuries and refused medical attention. Little Bastard was mangled and crumpled like a pack of cigarettes. Parts of the vehicle were sold and it seemed that the “cures” followed them. George Barris purchased remains of the Spyder and sold the engine to Troy McHenry and the chassis to William Eschrid. McHenry died after his Porsche Spyder spun out of control hitting a tree and Eschrid was seriously injured when his car rolled going around a curve in the race. There have several other incidents that involved parts of the cursed Spyder. The remaining mechanical parts are reported to be with one of Dean's relatives but nobody knows or is saying who. A few years back it is reported that a piece was sold at auction on eBay.

Reliable Vehicles

It’s such a tragedy that an American icon died so suddenly. We will never truly know if his cause of death was from a cured car that everyone around him warned him about. We at Williams Group Auto appreciate what James Dean has brought to the big screen. We also take pride in providing reliable vehicles at our dealership. With three locations, you’re sure to find what you are looking for. You can also check us out at www.wiliamsgroupauto.com if you’re in the market for a used car in Abilene.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Interesting and Random Facts About Cars

Interesting and Random Facts About Cars We can all agree that the world is a big place. It’s not surprising that there would be unexpected facts about everything from pencils, to history, to science, and everything in between. Some fun facts to know would be about cars. These facts might not make you a millionaire, but they might help you win an argument or make you look good in front of that one girl at the bar. GearHeads have come up with a list of random facts about cars that will possibly educate you and amuse guest at a party. Here Are a Few to Get You Started The most stolen car in the United States is the Honda Accord. One of the ugliest vehicles ever made, the AMC Gremlin, pioneered the style that is now commonly seen in SUV’s – sloped side-window and high hood. The car was only manufactured for eight years (1970-1978) and numbered 671,475 units. The RRP was $1,879.00USD when it was first released, which these days would be over $11,000 USD. In the past 50 ye...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Few Facts About the Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company The Ford Motor Company has seen it all since Henry Ford opened the Ford Motor Company in 1902. From producing vehicles for the public to helping with military equipment, going through some rough times in the past, and to some financial problems. The company has proven to be a brand that plans on sticking around for a long time. Here are a few interesting facts that many have not worked out and some that we still see today. Ford Facts Ford was the first company to manufacture and sell cars. Their first model, the Model A, sold for $850 and only hit a max speed of 30 mph.  The Ford assembly line was devised after Henry Ford got the idea from a pig-slaughtering plant.  They offered better pay to their employees offering double the market average pay at $5 a day.  While the first Ford was sold in 1903 to Dr. Pfennig (Ford’s current CEO, Jim Hackett, owns it today), the iconic Ford logo was first introduced in 1907.  Many may not know that H...
Post a Comment
Read more

How Movies Portrayed Car Salesmen

How Movies Portrayed Car Salesmen Since the 80s and through the 90s, movies involving car dealerships shined a negative light on car salesmen and painted a stereotypical picture. These comedic characters came off as shady, sleazy, pushy, and willing to do anything to make the sale. The News Wheel has listed the Top 5 Worst Car Salesmen from Movies and they're some pretty bad ones. Here are my three favorites from the list. Rudy Russo from the 1980 film Used Cars . A young Kurt Russell portrays Rudy Russo, a state Senate hopeful. In order to get a $10,000 campaign investment from used car lot owner Luke Fuchs, Rudy must help him sell some cars to keep his business up and running. While doing so, Rudy uses standard stereotypical used car salesmen techniques like cheesy commercials, fast-talking, and pressure selling. He even baits a customer from a competing lot by using a $10 bill on a fishing line to get the man to cross the street. Joey O’Brien from Cadillac Man . The ...
Post a Comment
Read more