JAMES DEAN, LITTLE BASTARD, AND THE LEGEND OF HOLLYWOOD’S MOST CURSED CAR.
We’re closing in on one of the worst Porsche-related anniversaries in history. Although it was more about the person than the brand of car. On 30 September 1955, the world lost one of Hollywood’s brightest young stars in a way that seemed almost scripted. James Dean, just 24 years old, was killed in a crash while driving his Porsche 550 Spyder. In the seven decades since, the car - nicknamed Little Bastard - has become the centrepiece of one of motoring’s strangest legends: a supposed curse that has left a trail of death, injury, and mystery in its wake. Dean’s rise to fame was meteoric. In just a handful of years, he went from unknown actor to leading man in Rebel Without a Cause, East of Eden, and Giant. Unlike many Hollywood stars, Dean didn’t just play the rebel on screen; he lived it. Off-screen, he was obsessed with racing, something he took seriously rather than as a rich man’s hobby. He competed in sports car events around California, driving MGs and Porsches, and earned a reputation as a genuinely talented amateur racer. His growing fame clashed with his need for speed. Warner Bros. had already barred him from racing while filming Giant because of the risk, but once shooting wrapped in September 1955, Dean wasted no time buying himself the hottest machine available: a brand-new Porsche 550 Spyder.
The Porsche 550 Spyder was no ordinary car. Weighing just 550kg and packing a 110hp flat-four engine, it was built to win races. Only 90 were ever made, and each one was essentially a factory race car. Dean picked it up from competition expert Rolf Wütherich and had it customised with red leather seats, racing stripes, and the number 130 painted on the doors. His friend and legendary car customizer George Barris - who later built the Batmobile - painted the cheeky nickname “Little Bastard” on the rear. Dean was instantly smitten. On 23 September 1955, just a week before his death, fellow actor Alec Guinness (yes, Obi-Wan Kenobi himself) warned Dean after seeing the car: “If you get in that car, you will be found dead in it by this time next week.” A chilling premonition that came true almost to the hour.
On 30 September, Dean set out from Los Angeles with Wütherich in the passenger seat. They were heading to Salinas, California, for a race meeting. At around 5:45 pm, on Route 466 near Cholame, a Ford Tudor driven by 23-year-old Donald Turnupseed turned across the highway into Dean’s path. The Spyder slammed into the Ford almost head-on. Dean was killed instantly, suffering a broken neck and massive internal injuries. Wütherich was thrown from the car but survived. Turnupseed walked away with minor injuries. The crash site has since become a grim pilgrimage spot for fans, marked by a memorial stone. The crash alone would have cemented Little Bastard as infamous, but what happened afterwards is where the legend of the curse took hold. George Barris bought the wreck from the insurance company, planning to part it out or display it. That’s when the stories began.
Shortly after taking delivery, Barris’ garage supposedly had the Spyder slip and fall, breaking a mechanic’s legs.
Two physicians, Dr. Troy McHenry and Dr. William Eschrid, bought the engine and suspension components to use in their race cars. In their first race with the parts, McHenry lost control and hit a tree, dying instantly, while Eschrid was severely injured when his car flipped.
The wreck was loaned to a road safety exhibit, but each time it was transported, strange accidents occurred: trucks crashing, one driver being thrown out, and another pinned.
In 1960, the remains of Little Bastard were being shipped from Miami back to Los Angeles. The crate arrived… empty. The Porsche has never been seen in public since.
Whether all of these stories are true or just clever myth-making by Barris, the car’s reputation as cursed stuck. The idea that James Dean’s spirit or fate lingered in the metal became part of Hollywood lore. Over the years, the “curse of Little Bastard” has been retold so many times that fact and fiction have blurred. Barris himself admitted to exaggerating some stories to keep the car’s legend alive - and to cash in on the macabre fascination. Still, the story has shown up everywhere from Stephen King novels to TV documentaries, cementing Dean’s death as one of the great American myths.
Seventy years later, Dean’s death remains frozen in time. Unlike many stars who faded or grew old, Dean never had the chance. He’s forever the young rebel, the cool outsider in a leather jacket, immortalised at 24. The car - exotic, deadly, and vanished without a trace - became the perfect ghost story to go with him.
Take a look at the YouTube video from a few years back that goes through everything related to James Dean and his supposedly cursed Porsche: Was The Porsche That Killed James Dean Cursed? | Strange World | Discovery UK
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