James Dean’s Porsche 550 Spyder became famous both for the fatal crash that ended his life and for the curse stories told about the wreck afterward. The documented history is striking enough on its own: Dean received the silver car on September 21, 1955, and died in a collision nine days later while traveling toward races at Salinas. Its parts were dispersed, its body shell disappeared, and the supposed curse remains legend—not an established cause of later accidents.
1. It was a specific car, not just a famous Porsche
The car was a 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder, chassis 550-0055, with engine P90059. The specialist Type 550 chassis history says it was completed on July 15, 1955, with silver bodywork, a red interior and red darts on the rear fenders. Those details help distinguish Dean’s car from other 550 Spyders.
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2. Dean owned it for only nine days
According to the Type 550 chassis history, the Spyder was delivered to Dean on September 21, 1955. He was driving it on September 30, when the fatal crash occurred: an interval of nine days.
3. “Little Bastard” has an attributed origin
The nickname was painted on the car alongside the provisional race number 130. The Type 550 history attributes “Little Bastard” to a remark by Warner Bros. executive Jack Warner after a dispute over Dean’s temporary trailer for East of Eden. That origin is reported by the specialist history; it is not given in HISTORY’s retrospective account.
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4. Dean was headed to a race meeting
On September 30, Dean and his friend and mechanic Rolf Wütherich were traveling toward the Salinas races. The Type 550 history says Dean’s friend Dean Jeffries had painted the provisional number 130 on the car for the trip. The journey ended near Cholame, California.
5. The crash involved a Ford driven by Donald Turnupseed
HISTORY’s account dates the collision to 5:45 p.m. on September 30, 1955, near Cholame. Dean’s Porsche collided with a Ford driven by Donald Turnupseed. Dean was 24. Wütherich was badly injured but survived; Turnupseed was dazed and mostly uninjured, according to HISTORY.
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6. Speed and visibility are not settled by the retrospective accounts
Accounts differ in emphasis. The Type 550 history describes Dean as speeding and says Turnupseed turned into the Porsche’s path in twilight. HISTORY recounts witnesses’ claims that Dean was not speeding at the collision, while also noting he had received a speeding ticket in Bakersfield earlier that afternoon. It also describes low sun and gathering twilight as possible factors in how visible the Porsche was.
These are retrospective narratives, not the original California Highway Patrol investigation record. They do not establish a definitive crash speed or settle fault, so neither should be stated as certain.
7. Dean died in the collision; Wütherich survived
HISTORY reports that Dean died in the crash and that Wütherich survived his serious injuries. The Type 550 history gives a more detailed account of the injuries. The essential distinction is clear: the collision was fatal for Dean, while his passenger lived.
8. The wreck was divided up, and the shell vanished
The Type 550 history says Dr. William Eschrich bought the wreck from the insurer. The engine went into Eschrich’s Lotus IX for the 1956 Pebble Beach races; the transmission, steering, brakes and other mechanical parts were retained as spares. The damaged body remains went to George Barris for a road-safety exhibition, where a display body was reconstructed from bent and beaten aluminum sheets.
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The shell disappeared while on tour, according to the Type 550 history; HISTORY likewise recounts that the remains vanished during transport to an exhibition. The sources do not verify a complete chain of custody or a current location. The shell’s whereabouts remain unknown.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.9. The “curse” is a legend, not a proven explanation
Stories about the wreck falling from a truck, accidents involving parts from the Porsche and the disappearance of the remains helped build the curse narrative. HISTORY recounts these as rumors. The Type 550 history cautions that Barris’s stories mixed fact and fiction and says “many of these stories are unfounded.” Neither source establishes that the car was cursed or that its parts caused later accidents.
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10. The enduring mystery is the missing body shell
The engine and other components are described in the Type 550 history as having been separated from the wreck, but the shell’s present whereabouts are not verified in the available accounts. That distinction matters: there is a reported history of how the car was dismantled and exhibited, but no confirmed answer to where its original body is today.
Quick Recap
Sources and further reading
- Type 550, “#550-0055,” chassis history, accessed October 7, 2026.
- Type 550, “Little bastard,” specialist history, accessed October 7, 2026. The page cites Lee Raskin’s James Dean at Speed as the basis for its account.
- HISTORY.com Editors, “James Dean dies in car accident,” originally published November 13, 2009; last updated September 16, 2026.
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