I like this replica better for some reason ..... :)

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploads/UT0084543.jpg


Also, I picked up the James Dean 'Champion Sparkplug' poster at a hotrod show a couple of weeks ago for $15!! These things sell for $90+ in most of the catalogs??? -- Curt

Stunning, The car is sweet too. :D

what car?

Nice headlights.

Little Bastard...what a name for a car!

These cars just seemed to attract "strange, but true" occurrences.
Mine had a tree fall on the rear section, after being pulled out of a garage during a fire.

This is the replica George Barris displays from time to time. You can see his logo on the front fender just below "Spyder", not sure who the model is though.

"After Dean's wreck master car customizer George Barris bought the wreck for $2,500. When the wreck arrived at this garage the Porsche slipped and fell on the mechanics leg unloading it. Both legs were broken. "

Barris not only bought the wreck - he was the guy who painted "Little Bastard" and "130" on the car to start with - before the crash.

Imagine paying $2500 for a nearly completely demolished car... in 1955. Pretty crazy...

turnipseed was the kid who turned infront of the spyder

I saw this one this weekend right here in Cary NChttp://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1064966813.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1064966894.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1064966971.jpg

An interesting bit o' trivia, following behind them was a 1953 Ford station wagon (race support care) driven by another of Dean's team mechanics... none other than (then 24-year-old) Dan Gurney himself.

My territoy now includes Chalome/Paso Robles... next time Im up there Im gonna take a cruise down old 46, see if there are any ghosts hanging around out there.

Hey...that turnip dudes Ford was pretty cool too. For a Ford anyway.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1065076534.jpg

Very interesting picture. Check out the tire tracks, and how desolate the scene was back then.

According to the obituary that Dr. Mark Wilson posted, Turnipseed was a racing and car fan. How ironic. His wifes name is Mollie Turnipseed....and that is about as all-American name as there ever was.
After the accident, the local sheriff instructed Turnipseed to hitchhike home to Tulare. That shows how times have changed... Tulare is quite a drive from the accident scene.

Are the tire tracks below the ambulance from Deans car or Turnipseeds?

Yes, how times have changed. (For the better???).

Like, it was never established who was responsible for the accident... correct me if I'm wrong, but that ...really... sounds incredible! (However, I'm not saying it would be BETTER to determine that...maybe it is, sometime, better to leave things as they are)... but it sure sounds ... incredible! And, given what seems to have been established since, who then is responsible: the speeding driver with the small silver-bullet car with the sun glaring in his back? Or the other guy who never saw it coming?

I remember I once helped push a 550 of that type (don't hold me to details!) at the 2002 Le Mans classic, the car is miniscule, especially low to the ground. I can perfectly well envisage such a car having been highly unusual in the 1955 California "sticks" near Salinas (no depreciatory remark intended!). I can perfectly understand... this stupid accident... poor boy (for all the star he was...) and poor Mr. Turnipseed.

Drive carefully and Have luck be.

A recent accident analysis by a respected investigative firm determined that Dean was not speeding and that Turnipseed crossed over Dean's right of way to make a turn.

By driving a small grey/silver car in the days when most cars were beheamoths its very likely that Turnipseed did not see Dean's car when he made his turn.

Thats manslaughter but Turnipseed was lucky that he made his mistake back when getting away with such actions were a lot easier.

It look's like the point of impact was right in front of the ambulance and if so the Spyder knocked that 50 Ford quite a distance and did a LOT of damage to it.
I think Turnipseed wasn't watching the road plain and simple and Dean might not have been either to avoid him. I'm sure the roadway planning (or no planning) was a big part of why this happened. The Spyder is small but still a pretty big object on the road, I avoid Squirrels all the time.
Turnipseed probably wasn't even checked for Drinking.

Quote:

I avoid Squirrels all the time

I have to agree with that one Bob. That was bothering me the whole time this thread has been going on but I didn't realize it till I read your post. What a ridiculous excuse! It was a small car? Wasn't Volkswagen making little cars back then too? Regardless... I'm not confused at all about why Turnipseed didn't wasn't willing to talk about it...
Me...call him guilty of vehicular homicide.
Its a shame, I was always under the illusion that Jimmy Dean crashed in some sort of a suicidal fashion. Like Marilynn Monroe or Jimmy Hendrix.
Sorry about that Mr. Dean!
And Mr. Dean? While I have your attention? I didn't like "Giant" very much. You were OK but the movie was to long and not very interesting. But thanks anyway


:cool:

At that speed, chances are the 50 Ford would have been spun around at least 90 degrees, upon impact.... especially at that point of impact on the front end like that. If so...then it had to be a complete 360 degree spin-around, in order for the car to end up like it is in the picture.

However, the tire tracks do not support a 360 degree spin by the 50 Ford, and its unlikely that the Spyder caused enough force to spin the Ford all the way around...

So according to what we see in that picture, the Spyder hit the Ford dead on in that front quarter panel area, the 50 Ford slid backwards but maintained its relationship to the road...and just got pushed backwards but not spun around.

Where did the Spyder end up?

Turnip seed is lucky he wasnt injured or killed in the crash, judging by that picture.

anyone have any opinions on this picture?

Had this happened today, Turnip Seed would have had to move to another country because the media attention on him would have made him go crazy unless he disappeared.