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The Haunting Story Of James Dean's Cursed Car · Mystery Archives Episodes

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When you think of the paranormal realm, what is the first thing
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that comes to your mind? Is it a haunted place?
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A person who's being tormented by unseen forces?
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Or an object like a doll that is seemingly taken on a life of its
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own? Or perhaps a little of all three
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and more. But if you consider that a
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vehicle could be haunted, considering if objects could be
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haunted. It seems possible to me that
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this story may just convince you that something inhabits this
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vehicle, in particular something malevolent.
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This strange tale over the decades has seemed to take on a
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life of its own, and not only has it been requested, but
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deserves its very own rendition. Here on mystery Archives, this
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is the haunting story of James Dean's cursed car and whether or
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not it continues to plague the lives.
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Of those who possess its parts, James Dean, both in the 50s at
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the height of his fame and even today, is widely considered a
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Hollywood icon. Born James Byron Dean in 1931,
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he was born into a humble background in Marion IN the only
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child of Mildred Wilson and Wynton Dean.
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Growing up, he excelled in school both academically and
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athletically. Playing varsity baseball and
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basketball as well as becoming an avid student of drama, His
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efforts would eventually land him at UCLA in 1949 after his
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high school graduation where he began to truly pursue his
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passion for acting. He had first started out as a
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pre law major, but would soon switches major to drama, his
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first role in college that truly made him consider becoming an
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actor. Was when he was selected out of
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a group of 350 other actors to portray Malcolm and the play
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Macbeth. Shortly after this, he also
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began acting in James Whitmore's workshop.
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Although he loved acting, his father didn't, and his choice of
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major would soon alienate the two from each other.
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But refusing to give up on his dreams, James would drop out of
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UCLA in January of 1951. To pursue a fulltime career as
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an actor. It was during this time that he
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began to pay his dues, so to speak, first starring in a Pepsi
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commercial, then landing a series of walk on roles in
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various movies such as Fixed Bayonets, Sailor Beware and Has
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Anybody Seen My Gal? While struggling to pay the
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bills whilst chasing his dreams. James also worked as a parking
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lot attendant at CBS Studios. Where he would eventually meet
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Rogers Bracket, a radio director and agent who offered him
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professional advice and guidance to assist him in furthering his
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career, Bracket would open a major door for James, a starring
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role in the Broadway play See the Jaguar, which would indeed
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continue to open many other opportunities for the aspiring
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actor. Moving from walk on roles and
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movies to several television appearances and soon a major
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role in a major film, he would finally receive his big break in
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1953 where he starred in the movie East of Eden.
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It was here that his complexity as an actor and improv skills
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were finally able to shine. Almost immediately after East of
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Eden premiered, Dean would quickly pick up another and an
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even bigger role in Rebel Without a Cause.
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As well as another film called Giant Following soon after,
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Rebel Without a Cause is what seemed to make Dean a cultural
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icon, becoming not only an admired actor to many, but a
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heartthrob as well to thousands. In 1954, shortly after East of
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Eden had concluded being filmed, James began to take an interest
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in auto racing. He purchased several vehicles
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for the hobby, including a Triumph Tiger T110.
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In a Porsche 356, James competed in his first professional event
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at Palm Springs Rd. Races, held in Palm Springs, CA
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where he achieved first place in the Novice class and 2nd place
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for the main event. He continued to race and would
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race at Bakersfield a month later where he would take first
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in his class and 3rd overall, really taking to the motorsport
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he hoped to compete in the Indianapolis 500.
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But his busy filming schedule unfortunately made this
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impossible. His final race would occur in
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Santa Barbara on May 30th, 1955. During this race, he was
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unfortunately unable to finish due to a blown piston.
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His racing career was then placed on hold by Warner
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Brothers, the studio in charge of the film Giant, until filming
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was finished. Dean would finish his scenes and
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while Giant was in post production.
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But the ban lifted. He decided that he would race
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again. However, this time he wanted
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something stronger and faster. On September 23rd, 1955, James
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purchased a new 1955 Porsche 550 Spider and brought it to the
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legendary flimflammer George Barris to have it personalized
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before his next race. During the customization
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process, he chose tartan seeds. The number 130 emblazoned upon
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the hood and the name Little Bastard painted on the back just
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underneath the Porsche emblem on the engine cover.
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Almost as soon as his car was done being customized and James
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began to drive it around, there was a series of omens that
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should have alerted him that something wasn't quite normal
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with Little Bastard later that day on September 23rd.
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James was driving his new car around Los Angeles, where he met
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up with British actor Alec Guinness to show him his new
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toy. Almost immediately, Alec became
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very wary of the car. In his personal diary he said
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this in regards to seeing it for the first time, and this is also
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a summary of what he told James himself.
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In person that day. The sports car looked sinister
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to me, exhausted, hungry. Feeling a little ill tempered in
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spite of Dean's kindness, I heard myself saying in a voice
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that I could hardly recognize as my own.
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Please never get in it. If you get in that car, you'll
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be found dead in it by this time next week.
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After being told that his car seemed sinister and that he
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would be found dead in it by this time next week, all James
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did was laugh exactly one week later, on September the 30th.
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James Dean and Rolf Vuteraj, a former Luftwaffe pilot and
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factory trained Porsche mechanic, were at Competition
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Motors in Hollywood preparing Little Bastard for racing that
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week at the Salinas Rd. Races in Salinas, CA.
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The intent was for Dean to transport the car via trailer to
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Salinas behind his 1955 Ford Country Squire with his
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photographer Bill Hickman. But before it could be raced,
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the car needed some breakin miles on it to make sure
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everything was in working order. Rolf suggested driving the car
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to Salinas to break in the engine and familiarize himself
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with his new vehicle. He would also ride with him
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after having a cup of coffee across the street from
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Competition Motors at 1:15 PM, the group departed for Salinas
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at 3:30 PM. Patrolman OV Hunter.
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Said he stopped and wrote Dean a ticket just South of
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Bakersfield, CA, for driving 65 mph and a 55.
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Hickman, who was towing the trailer, would receive a ticket
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for 20 miles over the speed limit because he was towing a
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trailer in which the maximum speed allowed would have only
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been 45 mph. The crew would then stop at
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Blackwell's Corner on Route 466 for drinks.
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Here they also met up with Lance Ravendlow.
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And Bruce Kessler, two other racers who would also be
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competing in the Salinas Rd. races once they had departed.
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At about 5:15 PM, Dean and Hickman drove W towards Paso
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Robles. 1/2. An hour later, a black and white
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1950 Ford Tudor coupe was headed E on 466.
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The vehicle was being driven by a 23 year old California
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polytechnical student, a man with a strange name of Donald.
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Turnip seed Donald made a left on Route 41 and as he crossed
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the center line, Dean, who was traveling around 85 mph, tried
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to avoid him. However, despite his best
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efforts, the two vehicles collided head on the Ford Coupe
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upon the collision, slid 39 feet down Route 466 and the westbound
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lane. Dean bore the brunt of the
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collision but stayed within the car.
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Uttaraj, however, was thrown from the spider and was laying
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on the shoulder multiple feet away from the scene.
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Upon the arrival of emergency personnel with little bastard
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completely totaled, they would have to pry James from the
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mangled vehicle using a crowbar. An unconscious and dying James
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Dean was then placed into the ambulance along with a heavily
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injured roof. The closest hospital was 30
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miles away. And as the ambulance rushed
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towards Paso Robles War Memorial Hospital, they too, as if they
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had been stricken with the worst luck imaginable, would also be
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involved in a car accident. Despite the horrible
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circumstances surrounding the initial accident, the ambulance
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did eventually make its way to the hospital roughly 45 minutes
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later, and although it would take months of recovery, Rolf
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would live but despite the emergency crews best efforts.
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Dean, however, would be pronounced dead on arrival at
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6:20 PM His final cause of death upon autopsy, would be
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determined to be a broken neck and internal hemorrhaging as a
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result of the crash. He also had sustained multiple
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broken bones, including his legs, arms, and jaw, as well as
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multiple severe external lacerations.
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Donald Turnipseed, however. Despite his vehicle also being
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totaled, walked away with barely a scratch after his death.
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James Dean would be nominated for two Academy Awards in 1956
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and 1957 for his roles in East of Eden and Giant.
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He would also become the first actor to post humanistly win an
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Academy Award for one in 1956, seemingly being cut down in his
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prime at the young age of 24. Dean's death was an
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unprecedented tragedy, but the story of Little Bastard, despite
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being crumpled in the crash, would be far from over.
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A man by the name of George Bears purchased the wrecked
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Porsche remnants for $2500 later that year, likely with the
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intent to host some sort of an exhibit with it and to sell
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tickets, but after he purchased it while transporting the
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remains upon arriving at his shop.
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The car slipped off the trailer and broke the leg of his
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mechanic once it was secured in one of the shops garages.
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In approximately 1 month's time, while Bears was arranging for
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the first exhibit to open the garage housing, the car
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mysteriously caught fire and burned to the ground.
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Even more mysterious, upon surveying the damage, the
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Porsche had sustained no damage from the fire itself.
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Bears would eventually arrange for a second exhibit, which was
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held at a local high school in conjunction with the California
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Highway Patrol. But this showing, too, was
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unexpectedly cut short. When the car was surrounded by
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onlookers and students, it suddenly fell off of its display
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and broke a young student's hip. Getting an eerie sense that
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something was off with this car, Bears then began to sell its
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parts. He would sell the engine to a
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man named Troy McHenry and the drivetrain to William Eskrid.
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The two used parts to build cars of their own and had even once
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raced one another and both would experience horrendous accidents.
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During a street race, Troy would lose control of his vehicle,
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veer off the street and slammed directly into a tree.
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The impact Troy's tragedy, William, who was casually
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driving his vehicle containing the drivetrain of Little
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Bastard, suddenly had his wheels lock up for no reason, and upon
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turning while experiencing this, the car began to roll, leaving
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him critically injured in the crash.
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He, however, despite his injuries, would live.
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While parting out what was left of the car, bears would also
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sell two of the Porsches tires, which had been untouched since
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the accident that claimed Dean's life.
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After selling the tires, he also installed them on the customer's
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vehicle at his shop. However, upon driving home, both
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of them not one or the other, but both simultaneously
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exploded, causing the driver to lose control.
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Drive off the road, they would fortunately regain control of
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their vehicle and despite being shaken up or unharmed, George
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Barris, after selling what parts he could, will continue trying
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to arrange exhibits for the remnants of the car to be shown.
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The 3rd and final exhibit that was set to happen was going to
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be held by the Los Angeles chapter of the National Safety
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Council as a traveling display. However, the truck driver who
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was hired to transport Little Bastard to the exhibit on a
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flatbed truck, a man named George Barcas, would be involved
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in an accident. While heading there.
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He would be ejected from his vehicle and would land to the
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side of the flatbed, and whether it was a failure of securing the
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remnants or something more sinister, he would be crushed
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and killed when the Porsche rolled off the flatbed and onto
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him. There would be other mishaps as
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the twisted Porsche would be loaned out to various exhibits
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across the country and the years to come.
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But when it was on loan to a safety exhibit Miami, FL in
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1960, following the conclusion of the exhibit as it was being
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hauled back to Los Angeles, the truck that was carrying what was
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left of the vehicle would once again be involved in a fatal
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crash, killing the driver. But remained of the Porsche
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known as Little Bastard, vanished from the scene that day
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and to this day, all these years later, it has never been seen
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again, nor has any of its parts, despite collectors and
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enthusiasts alike willing to put up big money for even a genuine
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scrap of its remains. But before we speculate on what
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could have happened to it, I would first like to give my take
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on the bizarre activity that surrounds this now infamous
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legend to me. If there was ever something that
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could be considered cursed, this onceprized Porsche of James Dean
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very much fits the bill, given all that we've learned.
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But just why would it have been cursed and how?
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These are questions that I've pondered while researching this
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topic. There of course doesn't seem to
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be a proper answer, or even a real speculated one that would
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genuinely make sense that I could find.
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There doesn't seem to be any crazy occult ties to anyone he
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was involved with. The one theory that I did come
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across could possibly explain why, but of course this is just
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a theory. I don't want people getting mad
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at me. James Dean decides being an
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acclaimed actor by the young age of 24 was most definitely a
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heartthrob with the ladies. It's been rumored that among his
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various affairs with rich and powerful women, he also had
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multiple escapades per week. The theory I came across was
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this. Could it have been possible?
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That some starcrossed lover or fling of Deans could have placed
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a curse on him. Curses, of course, like anything
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paranormal in nature, are subject to a sense of belief in
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these kinds of things. Or so most think.
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Perhaps Dean broke the heart of the wrong person, with Dean
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hitting the big time and also taking up car racing in between
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films, or the filming of those films, perhaps one of his
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girlfriends rather jealous or heartbroken, or both.
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Placed a curse of sorts on him, either on him or something to do
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with his newfound love for Motorsports.
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How this would have exactly imprinted specifically upon the
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newly purchased Porsche of 1955 goes far beyond my expertise,
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but it is the only explanation I could find that would remotely
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make sense aside from a horrible string of unfortunate
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coincidences. And strangely enough, the man
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who hit Dean, having the name of Donald turn up Seed.
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Turn up Seed, in my opinion, is all too close to turn up speed.
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It's kind of weird, don't you think?
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With all of the darkness surrounding this car, Rolf had a
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very tragic ending as well. Upon his postrec recovery, he
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began to receive horrible letters from James Dean's fans
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blaming him for the actor's death.
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This eventually led to a terrible drinking problem, as he
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felt responsible for what had happened.
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He would eventually move back to Germany, where he experienced
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many lows, including multiple divorces and His final marriage,
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however, seemed to be at the lowest point in his life, having
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been depressed for years, coupled with other psychological
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problems stemming from the guilt of the accident with too much
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alcohol in his system in 1969. Rolf attempted to end his fourth
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wife. He stabbed her 14 times with a
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kitchen knife while she slept. Afterwards, he attempted to take
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his own but failed. He was however arrested and
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would spend a lengthy term in a mental institution instead of
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prison. This would also be his last and
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final divorce. He would, for a short time,
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bounce back as both a Porsche mechanic.
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And would also be a racer himself.
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Once again, but again as well, he succumbed to psychological
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issues, falling back on hard times.
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In July of 1981, he signed a contract for 20,000 Deutsche
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marks for a feature in a TV show discussing the accident and the
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death of James Dean. As he contemplated what he was
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going to discuss, he would become heavily intoxicated and
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later that night. He would crash his Honda Civic
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into the wall of a residence and coupe Fritzel.
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Ironically, like James, he too had to be cut from the wreck.
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It would be pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.
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Now, where exactly could the remains of the Porsche have
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gone? The most likely explanation, in
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my opinion, had to have been bystanders who witnessed the
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crash, and my guess is that perhaps they didn't know exactly
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what they had. But rather saw dollar signs.
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This could perhaps explain why it didn't show back up.
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Perhaps people who owned the parts and or the vehicles with
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the parts didn't know what they indeed possessed.
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But what also makes this strange is that they've never shown back
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up at all. There is one transaxle that was
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rumored to be from James Dean's car that was found in a wooden
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box in rural Massachusetts, but from what I could find.
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It has yet to be confirmed as genuine.
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It was either that people didn't know what they had, or something
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terrible happened to them as well.
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And what remains they did possess or parts that they had
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put in their cars could have ended up scrapped somewhere
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never to be seen again. Although I don't want to
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persuade you one way or another with all the strange, dark and
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terrible events that surround the Porsche 550 Spider known as
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James Dean's Little Bastard. One certainly has to consider
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that there is something otherworldly or cursed
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surrounding this case, but is it a curse?
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Is it something evil? Or is it just a horrible string
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of coincidences? Let me know down in the comments
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below. Either way, this is 1 car I have
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absolutely no desire to see, let alone ride in one that contains
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any piece of it. Thank you guys so much for
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watching. Please do me a huge favor and
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like the video. If you enjoyed it, subscribe if
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supportive compliments the last couple weeks and I'm just beyond
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honored to have all of you guys be part of my community and I
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genuinely appreciate each and every one of you.
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Besides that, I hope that you like the video, although it is a
22:44
little different. I do have many more full links
22:47
in store of haunted places and tons of other stuff, but I'm
22:51
trying to keep things fresh and entertaining for you guys.
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But regardless, I will try to bring my a game each and every
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time. So with this one, I hope you
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liked it. As always, this has been Cody
23:03
here in Mystery Archives. Until next time, remember to
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stay safe out there and take care.