The Curse of James Dean's Porsche 550 Spider

George Barris, the famous car restorer and owner of the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, was always known for his charismatic personality and marketing skills. However, when it comes to the legendary 1955 Porsche 550 Spider, also known as "Little Bastard," he kept a secret that would make even the most seasoned car enthusiast's eyes widen with excitement.

In 1959, James Dean, the iconic American actor who tragically died in a car accident at just 24 years old, was involved in a fatal crash while driving his Porsche 550 Spider on Mulholland Highway. The incident sparked rumors that the car had a haunted past, and Barris ever so subtly played along with these claims.

But what really happened to the Little Bastard after Dean's death? Barris never revealed the truth, opting instead for the safer route of perpetuating the mystery surrounding the car. However, in 1960, while being transported from Miami to Los Angeles in a sealed box car, the 550 Spider mysteriously disappeared. Some say that Barris himself orchestrated this disappearance, sending off the fabled car in a way that fit its mystique.

The truth is far more interesting than fiction. The car was actually purchased by Dr. William Eschrich, an SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) racer who had previously owned it. Eschrich pulled out the salvageable components from the 550 Spider, including the engine and gearbox, which eventually ended up in the hands of a man named Jim Barrington.

In the late 1970s, early 1980s, I had personal conversations with Jim Barrington, who revealed that he had James Dean's transmission under his front porch. This is not a barn find; this is a piece of history that has changed hands through SCCA racers multiple times.

It turns out that the gearbox from the Little Bastard Porsche 550 Spider was sold at auction recently, with a price tag of nearly $400,000. Yes, you read that right – almost four hundred thousand dollars for a transmission that may hold a violent and dangerous curse. The legend of James Dean's curse is still very much alive today.

James Dean was not the stuffy, brooding actor we remember from old black-and-white photos. He was a kid who loved cars, a young man who would stop at nothing to balance his passion for driving with his work life. Many say that the world lost a great future actor that day, but I think we lost a great future racer.

As someone who has met friends who share similar passions and values as James Dean, I believe that many of us can relate to his love of cars and his desire to push boundaries. Safety standards have changed significantly since Dean's time, but it's astonishing to think how similar he was to some of my own friends – people I've met on the road and in life.

Take it easy, driving life's your might save might be mine. These were James Dean's final words recorded before his tragic death. The legacy of this iconic actor lives on, not just through his films but also through the passion and dedication of those who share his love for cars.

I'd like to thank Lee Raskin, a longtime car enthusiast and friend of George Barris', for sharing his insights into the story behind James Dean's Porsche 550 Spider. His book, "James Dean on the Road to Salinas," offers a more in-depth look at this fascinating tale.

If you're interested in learning more about this cursed car and its place in history, be sure to check out Lee's book. And if you'd like to help us out, follow Donut Media on all social media channels @donutmedia. We appreciate your support and can't wait to share more stories with you.

And finally, a word of advice: be kind, wear your seatbelt, and see you the next time on Donut Media.

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- Back in may,this used somewhat oxidizedgrimy four speed transmission,sold for $382,000.What could possibly make theseemingly mundane transmissioncosts more than afour-bedroom home in Indianaor two Porsche GT3RS andwhat's this about a curse.Today we're gonna find out.Thanks to mine forsponsoring today's video.Did you know that on average 350 websiteshave your personal information right now?- Hey Logan, Long time no see.- Sorry do I know you?- Of course you do buddy, come on it's me,old www.craigslist.com.You still interestedin that 2002 day with.- 2002 deep, that was years ago.- So is your zip code still 20165.- No, thankfully there's mine.Mine helps me discover wheremy personal information isand allows me to keepit only where I want it.Doesn't matter if I deleteit off my phone or computer,companies still keep data,like my name, email address,even my finances.- Boy Oh boy, no bear.Man you sure do you likelooking at long boards?Oh man you remember this long boardfrom when you joined allthe way back in 2011,I still have yours first phone numberand your first credit card.- Okay I've got toreclaim that informationwith the help of mine.- No!- With just a few clicks,Mine gives me the power totake back my personal data.- Who are you? Where am I?- Right now, mine is free,but only for the time being,so sign up today to discover yourdigital footprint @saymine.com.The gearbox in questionis a four speed manualfrom the 1950s.Nothing very special about that.In fact, fifties, GMtransmission is about $300,but this particular onewas a fixed to a 1955,Porsche 550 spider.What makes this gearbox sospecial is the car it came in.A car called little bastard.The little bastard wasowned by SCCA racer, actorand American heartthrob, James Dean.If you don't know who heis, he's worked at Google,but if you do make sureyou spell Dean with an A.James Dean was the 1950s Ryan Gosling,his breakout role in the1954 movie East Of Edentook this unknown actor from Indianaand made him a household name.And I'm not here to talkabout his acting careeras impressive as it is.let's talk about hisreal passion Motorsport.- James Dean had a passion for speed.I think that came outwhen he was a teenagerwith his motorcycles.- That's Lee Raskin,author of James Deanon the road to Salinas.No one knows James Dean speedaddiction better than him.- When he came to LA,LA and Southern California werea hotbed for amateur racing.- After getting hispaycheck from east of Eden,James Dean went outand bought a new 1955Porsche 356 super speedster.And within a month ofowning it, he was enteredinto a race weekend inPalm Springs California.Over that weekend,James Dean came in firstin the novice race, qualifyinghim for the main eventwhere he ultimately finishedsecond beating, many moreexperienced and practice drivers,including the legendary Ken miles.From there, James Dean wenton to race in Bakersfieldcoming first in his class,but having such a dangeroushobby, especially back then,was a huge liabilityfor someone so famous.During the production ofgiant, the Warner brotherslegal team, actually barredJames Dean from racingfor insurance reasons.And when he finally gotback to the racetrackin may of 1955, he started 18thand blew his engine on lap five.- For the rest of the day,he walked around the fenceand met other driversand spending time with aracer named John Porterwho had a Porsche 550 spider.You could just tell Deanwas thinking to himself,this is the car that I want,this is the real race car that can win.- So what do you think, a youngHollywood actor with moneyto burn and a hunger forsports cars would do.If you said buy it, you're right.Dean bought a brand new1959 Porsche 550 spider.This car was designed todominate low budget motor sport.Weighing in at just 1,212pounds, it was poweredby mid mounted one anda half liter flat fourmaking 108 horsepower.Which doesn't soundlike a lot but rememberthis is the 1950s, zip codesweren't even invented yet.The silver speedster wasgiven the racing number 130.James apparently wanted the number 13,but was told it would be too unlucky.But he did get the name paintedon the back little bastard.Dean also had a 1955 Fordcountry Squire station wagonand an open wheel trailerto tow the car to the track,but with a road race inSalinas coming up quickly,Dean's mechanic recommendeddriving the 250 milesto break in the engine.And it was the rodeo showsthat would seal his fate.- James Dean and hisentourage took what is knownas the racers road.That was to eliminategoing through Bakersfield,which had a stoplight on every corner.- James Dean was on this roadabout a hundred milesnorth of Los Angeles,planning to meet with afellow racer for lunchin nearby Paso Robles,but he never made it.At an intersection, just up ahead,a Cal poly student drivinga three ton Ford tutormaking a left turn acrosstraffic and the 550 spidera car that didn't have airbagsor seat belts or a roof,hit the Ford going atestimated 85 miles per hour.Deans mechanic was thrown from the car,but Dean himself took thefull brunt of the side impactas the car slid into the Ford.Dean died at the scene.The crash made national headlines,the hunky bad boy celebrity James Dean,had been taken too soon.Rebel without a cause hadn'teven been released yet.And looking at theevents before the crash,puts a really eerie perspective on it.Two hours before the crash,James Dean was stoppedby a CHP officer for speeding.The ticket, read 10 milesper hour over the limit,but in an interview, theofficer noted that he wrote itthat way to be niceand that Dean was actuallygoing much, much faster.The image of a leading manwith a dangerous streakand a passion for speedwould have made himthe perfect poster boyfor the safety PSA'sthat would follow his death.But the spookiest thing isone was filmed before he died.A week before James Dean left for Salinas,he was asked to film a PSAabout speeding and road safety.- I find myself being verycautious on the highway.I don't have the urgeto speed on the island.- Dean's passion for racing was well-knownto the Warner brothers and as I mentioned,he was banned fromracing during productionof his final film.James Dean's death was usedas an example for young peopleat the time to drive safelyand for more safety measuresto be put in road cars.At the time, very fewcars came with seat beltsand road safety was the furthest thingfrom automakers minds.But even with the legacy of James Deanand the violence of his death,the story of the little bastardwas just getting started.Because remember, we're nothere to talk about James Dean,we're here to talk about afreaking $400,000 transmission.The man who bought direct 550 spiderfrom Dean's insurancecompany was none otherthan George Barris.You may not know his name,but you've definitely know his cars.Barris was one of thebiggest names in customand collected cars at the time.He built cars like the Adam West Batmobileand the monster koachand the redesign of kitfrom Nightrider.But Barris never actually gotaround to restoring the 550,instead he rented it outand had it tour the countryas a safety warningdemonstration of the accidentsthat could be avoidedby a bank speed limit.After the crash is when thelittle bastard really startedto live up to its name,as mysterious things beganto happen around the car.In fact, someone prefersto call the car curse.In 1955, while being stored in Fresno,the car spontaneously caught fire.This wasn't the week of thecrash or something with fuelsstill in the tank, thiswas four years later.I mean, I kind of get it,if I was stuck in Fresno,I'd let myself on fire too.But the weird stuff didn't stop there.During one of the exhibitions,the Porsche allegedlyfell off its display,breaking a bystander's hipand later while beingtransported to another event,it's supposedly fell onthe transport driver,crushing and killing them.And supposedly at anothershow, a fire broke out,burning everything to the ground,except the little bastard.It was almost like the car wasnot satisfied with the lifeit had taken, it was hungry for more bloodor was just very awkwardto balance on a standand fire safety in the1950s, wasn't stellar,either way, very spooky.Even after the car was partedout, the curse persistent.Barris sold two tiresfrom a little bastardto someone who put them on his own car.While they were driving on the tires,the car suffered a double blow out,sending him careening off the road.Yeah, that's not a curse,that's just bad judgment.One of Dean's fellow SCCracers driving a 550 spiderand supposedly using partssalvage from Dean's car,lost steering control ina race crashed and died.And Barris ever the showmandid absolutely nothingto quell these rumors.I'm sure in his eyes, therumor of a haunted carthat killed a Hollywood star self emulatedand might be coming for younext, if you're brave enoughto come and see it was amarketing cash cow for him.But like any cursed object,the little bastard did not staybeholden to one owner for long.And in 1960, while beingtransported in a sealed box carfrom Miami to LA, the 550spider mysteriously disappeared.Some say that Barris wantedto send off the fabled carin a way that fit its mystiqueand made it disappear himself,but until his death in2015, he stuck to the storythat the car vanished into thin air.who's to say what really happened,but the fact remainsat the whole intact carhasn't been seen in over 60 years.So how does a gearbox froma car that's been missingfor six decades, end up on an auction sitenext to low mileage Miatasand overpriced mannequins.To find out the truth, we needto go back to the beginning.- Everyone assumes that the car was intactafter the accident.- It turns out that GeorgeBarris wasn't the personto buy the 550 spider fromthe insurance company.No matter how much heclaims that to be the case.No, the car was actuallybought by an SCCA racer,Dr. William Eschrich,Eschrich pulled the salvageablecomponents from the car,including the trailingarms, engine and gearbox.Then he got a few racerbuddies to take the carcassto the dump, but instead theytook it to George Barris.The spare parts changehands through SCCA racersand the gearbox eventuallyended up in the handsof a man named Jim Barrington.- In the late seventies, early eighties,I had personal conversationswith Jim Barringtonand then he said, by the way Lee,I have James deans transmissionunder my front porch,P O R C H.- I've heard of barn finds,but this is ridiculous.The gearbox from a famouscar owned by a famous actor,the gearbox that disappeared in the 1960s,that may in fact hold aviolent and dangerous curse.Would you say that's worth nearly 400 K?I don't know, I personallyhave a hard and fast ruleabout buying cursed objects.There's an Oni that stillfollows me around ever sinceI bought those ganoderma mirrors.But the price tag on thisgearbox shows that the legendof James Dean's curse Porscheis still very much alive today.James Dean was a lot more like you and methan the old black and whitephotos would have you believe.He was a kid that liked cars.He grew up 50 miles fromthe home of the Indy 500and the first time that hegets some expendable cashin his life, he goes outand spends it on a car,takes it to the track.His first road race wasless than three monthsafter he bought that 356.And after that, he foughtto balance his love of carswith his work life,which is something I thinkwe can all relate to.Many people say that the world losta great future actor that daybut looking at how muchpassion Dean had for drivingonce he could afford to go to the track,I think we lost a great future racer.Safety standards have changeda lot since James Dean'scrash, but it's crazy tothink how similar Dean wasto some of my friends, people I've met.I'm sure plenty of you.So that sounded like too much of a PSA.I'll leave you with the lastwords James Dean ever recorded.- Take it easy driving life'syou might save might be mine.- Big thank you to Lee Raskinfor all the inside info,we spent nearly two hours interviewing himand that was the short version.So there's a lot more of this story,including the debunking ofsome of the curse rumors,conversations with George Barrisand where the little bastardsintact engine is today.If you wanna find outmore, check out Lee's book,James Dean on the road to Salinas.Thank you very much for watching,do all the regular stufflike the video, subscribeif you haven't already.If you'd like to helps us out,follow donut on allsocial media @donut media.Read a book, actually,it'd be really cool,if you got Lee's book.I'll put a link in the description.Obviously we don't makeany money off of it,but I wanna say, thanks forhelping us out on this episode.Be kind, wear your seatbelt,see you the next time.