Dean's Last Drive in the 550 Spyder

[speeder]

Whatever. Maybe he's a nutcase. It was sure as hell never ''restored".

[daepp]

Denis - no offense taken. Just a fond memory from my past that I came across yesterday. I will never have a real 550, but I remember lusting after it in the early 80's, wanting to know whatever there was to know about it and this mysterious thing called a 4 cam motor...

[porsche4life]

Originally Posted by speeder

Whatever. Maybe he's a nutcase. It was sure as hell never ''restored".

IIRC the car was little more than a mangled ball after the wreck... Very far past repair....

Edit...

Sure I suppose with a LOT of VOODOO you could make it whole again...

[Alex5]

Years ago the Robb Report had a very interesting article on the car itself and its story after the accident. Weird and strange but very good reading...I need to find it.

[Geronimo '74]

Originally Posted by Steve Carlton

I thought the wreck disappeared and has not been found.

That's what I've read too.


Probably in some rich dude's private collection... or under a cover somewhere in a dusty barn....
Man, that would be a great barn find...

[911Rob]

Hmm, I heard he lost control while getting a BJ from his bosses girlfriend?
I suppose Denis has the right story; he always seems to have the true handle on these events?

[looneybin]

YouTube - Eagles-" James Dean " (LIVE HQ)

one of the best Eagles songs IMHO

[Head416]

Interesting reading:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/385299-james-deans-550-spyder.html

[Crowbob]

Speaking of a dusty barn, a couple summers a go I was in a shop, standing next to a 550 under restoration. Right next to it on a stand was a spare engine! Seemed like the windscreen was level with my kneecaps. Unbelievably tiny car.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by Head416

Interesting reading:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/385299-james-deans-550-spyder.html

Now that, my friends, is a thread.

[stuartj]

Thaks for posting, great stuff.

There is a collector in Melbourne AUS who has a renowned collection of RR, Benz, Ferrari and Porsche. he has an identical silver Spyder and its tub number is sequential to the Dean car, one before or after.

[Head416]

Did a little searching/reading. Am I understanding this right: He got the car the same day he died? His relationship with the Spyder is so well known I always thought he had it for a long time. (Obviously I'm not a Dean buff.)

[speeder]

He bought the car some time previously to the day he died, but very recently. (Same week, I think). He was too busy working to pick it up until the morning of the fateful drive, IIRC. The day started with him and Rolf W. picking up the car @ Competition Motors on north Vine. The building was still there until about 2 years ago when it was demolished to make way for a large addition to the Russian Orthodox(?) church next door.

They were wrapping up the final shots on "Giant" with Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson, rushing to get it in the can. In the film, certain scenes at the end where Jett Rink, (Dean's character), is drunk at the big banquet and slurring his words were actually dubbed by his good friend Martin Landau because of the difficulty in getting a dead guy to work.

I drive by the New Beverly theatre every day, (a great revival house theatre), Giant was on the marquee last night.

[Zeke]

Maybe folks are confusing the 356 Dean owned as to tooling around Hollywood.

[scottmandue]

I have read several articles on Dean and the 550 crash.

IIRC part of the "curse" was that some parts saved from the wreck were installed on other cars that crashed.

In another article the author pointed out that the 550 was for experienced drivers and some people felt at the time that it was "too much car" for Dean.

YMMV