Little Bastard's Curse

Last night, while flipping through the channels I came across a favorite cult film of mine..."Crash." In the film, there is mention of James Dean and his Porshe Spyder 550, known as "Little Bastard." As most people know, Dean was killed in a head on collision when an oncoming car turned in front of him.

He later died from a broken neck.

Well, after hearing this in the movie, curiosity got the best of me so I had to look this up on the internet. The most interesting aspect, to me, was how many people believed the car was "haunted." Before the wreck, Alec Guinness saw the car and told Dean: "If you get in that car, you will be found dead in it by this time next week." He made those comments due to the "sinister" looks of the car. Exactly one week later, Dean was involved in the tragic accident.

Since Dean's death, the car became infamous for the injuries and deaths that followed. George Barris, a legendary hot rodder, purchased the wrecked car for $2,500. Later, the car fell off the transport trailer and broke the legs of one of Barris' mechanics.

Soon afterwards, Barris sold the engine and transmission, respectively, to racing enthusiasts Troy McHenry and William Eschrid. While racing each other, McHenry would be killed instantly when his car spun out of control and crashed into a tree. Eschrid was injured when his car overturned while going into a curve. Eschrid, who survived the accident despite serious injuries, later said the car simply locked up going into the turn. Barris later sold two tires from the car, which malfunctioned as well. The tires, which were unharmed in Dean's accident, blew up simultaneously causing the buyer's automobile to go off the road.

The car's malevolent influence contined when a young teen was trying to steal the steering wheel. During the attempted theft, his arm was ripped open from a jagged piece of metal. Another youth was injured trying the steal the bloodstained front seat.

This turned out to be the final straw for Barris who decided to put the wrecked car into storage, but was persuaded by the California Highway Patrol to allow them to use the car to illustrate the importance of highway safety. Several day later, a fire gutted the building which housed the Spyder. Every car parked in the garage was destroyed, except for Little Bastard. In fact, it suffered almost no damage whatsoever.

Afterwards, the car was placed on display in Sacramento. It fell from its display and broke a teenager's hip. On the way to Salinas, the truck carrying the vehicle lost control, causing the driver to fall out, only to be crushed to death when the Spyder fell on top of him. The mishaps surrounding this car continued until 1960, when it was loaned to a safety exhibit in Miami, FL. When the exhibit was over, the wreckage, in transport to Los Angeles on truck, mysteriously vanished. The car hasn't been seen since.

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