James Dean's 550 Spyder

[tmctguer]

sorry for being a non-911 posting, but i thought some folks might be interested in the story.

I was at the DMV today registering a Beck Spyder under the SB100 smog exemption rule and sat next to a man who took an interest in my car. He was about 65 - 75 years old. He was also registering a kit car called a Scarab (www.scarab-motorsports.com) . He seemed to know an awful lot about racing and cars and dropped several names of SoCal racers of the 1950's & 1960's. I brought with me a 550 Spyder "coffee table" book in case I needed to school the DMV on what type of car i was registering.

He relayed a story that he swears was true about his knowledge of James Dean's wrecked 550 Spyder. He said that when he was a young boy in LA, his father raced cars and became friends with several LA area people who also raced. He said that his father knew of a doctor who raced cars and when the doctor heard that Dean had died in a car wreck in his 550 Spyder, the man searched for and later bought the wrecked car.

He said that the man brought it to his large LA area house and kept it under a tarp. This man said that when he was about 10 years old, his father took him to the doctor's house in LA to talk about an upcoming race. While there, the doctor told his father about the wrecked car and the man said that he and his father looked at the wreckage. He said that you could still see blood in the car so his dad didn't let him look too long.

later, he said that the doctor took the engine out and put it into a Lotus race car. He said that one day his dad took him to the track and Dean's mechanic was brought to the track, too. He had been crippled by the wreck but still helped a few of the people who had 550's in the race. Unfortunately a few weeks later, the doctor was killed racing the Lotus with the ex-Dean 550 Spyder motor in it. The man said that it was at this point that a legend began to grow that Dean's car was cursed.

He then said that he heard that the 550 engine was then put into a Cooper frame & body and was called the "Pooper". It was successfully raced in SoCal for a short period.

The funny thing is that as we talked, I pulled out the 550 Spyder book I had and started thumbing through the pages looking at photo's. I'll be damned if the last few pages had photo's of a "Pooper" next to a Spyder at a California race track.

He said that the doctor who bought Dean's wrecked 550 Spyder had a son who was about 7 years old at the time visited the doctor with his dad. He said that he had recently run into him and he asked him whatever became of the Dean wreckage. The doctor's son refused to divulge any information because he feared that word might leak out about the whereabouts of the wreck. Should this happen, Dean fanatics might hunt it down and vandalize it.

The man told me that I may not believe his story, but he swore that it was the God's honest truth.

[sscates]

True or not, it's a good story. Sounds like a good day @ dmv compared to what I have had in the past.

[Paul K]

Cool tale, true or not. There has always been a lot of mystery surrounding the whereabouts of the Dean 550- I seem to remember that a P.I. researched why the truck which was supposed to be carrying it cross-country turned up empty. Seems the car was never loaded up in the first place. There's a thread (or two) about this somewhere- might want to do a search!

Cheers,

Paul.

[Hayabusa]

I believe you! What skin will I lose in that. Great story! Those are lifetime experiences! Fook all who don't believe you!

How did the licensing go? Smooth? Glitches? Pics?

[ljowdy]

http://www.snopes.com/autos/cursed/spyder.asp

Also, go here www.spyderclub.com and do a search

[Danny_Ocean]

Not this again...these stories have been around since...well...since the 50's.

Anyone won the Nigerian lottery lately? LOL.

[boxster03]

I am just shocked that anyone at the dmv spoke English

[Bkrueger]

Hello,

I am the old gieser that the guy who started this tread met at the San Clemente DNV while waiting in line for our Specially Constructed Vehicle Sequence numbers. I would like to correct several things that he didn't remember correctly. FIRST I was 62 at the time, not 65 -70!
I wrote a very detailed reply last week but I didn't save it and it hasn't been posted so I will summerize:
I was a young boy (10) in Burbank and my father did not race cars.
My dad met Dr. William F. Eschrich when our family chose his medical practice as our "family doctor" in about 1952. My dad and "Doc" hit it off right away because they were both very mechanically inclined and liked all sorts of vichiles.
Doc had a Simca bodied, Offenhouser powered, sports racing car. My dad became his entire crew for So. Calif. Sports Car Club of America and Cal Club events (today this would be the Engineer, Crew Chief and pit crew all in one)
from 53-56 with the agreement that he could bring his famaly to the races.
Doc was mostly an "also ran" with the Offy and we saw the introduction of the new Porsche Spyder when Johnny Von Newman (Neumann?) brought a prototype to an indurance race at March Field (before Riverside Raceway was built just to the north). We saw the number of Spyders increase and when Doc heard about Dean's wrecked car (he had a newspaper clipping taped to the wall of his shop) the next thing I knew Dean's car was parked under a green canvus tarp situated between Doc's medical building (an old house) and his shop in the back. This was 56. Jay Chamberlaine, the local Lotus dealer, was anxious to sell Doc a Lotus IX rolling chassis and let Doc drive his Mk IX at Palm Springs during Saturday practice to see what Doc throught of it. Doc ordered a rolling chassis and he and my dad began the engine installation.
In June of 56, when school let out, my dad took our family (my mom and older brother and I) on a road trip to see the USA before he was to start his own small aircraft valve and seal company. While in Florida my dad drew up, and mailed, Doc the plans for a tuned extractor exhaust system that was not possible on the Spyder because of the engine being right at the back of the car. Dick Stowe was helping Doc while we were away and when we returned home in September, Doc had completed the exhaust system and he and Dick had taken the "Potus" to it's first race at Paramount Ranch. I don't remember how it did. The next race ws at Santa Barbara and this is where Rolf (Dean's mechanic) came by to help. He had a box of carburetor jets and, because my dad's exhaust system breathed so well, the main jets had to be doubled in area. The car did very well in Saturday practice giving Ken Miles, in Von Newman's Spyder, a run for his money. I don't remember how he did in Sunday's race but there was a problem. Doc had a doctor friend who also raced. Doctor Troy McHenry, who generally raced a Allard, also bought a Porsche Spyder and, while not doing as well as some of the others, he had his car dissassembled to figure out ways to lighten it. I did not know it at the time but evidently Doc Eschrich gave some of Dean's Spyder parts to McHenry because they were specific to a Spyder and Doc E. was essentually running a Lotus.
The next race was at Pamona Fairgrounds and we were pitted right next to Mc Henry. Neither would race again. Doc McHenry would be motioning that something was wrong with his car as he came by the pits and within a couple of laps he lost control and hit a small tree and was killed. It was not the Doctor that bought Dean's car that was killed and this is where the myth that the car and parts were jinxed started. Eschrich was leading the race with Richie Ginther coming up the challenge. They both spun "in some gravel" and were out of the race. The car was hurt badly enough to need serious repairs but his medical practice was directly in the way of the planned "Golden State" freeway and he had to put off his racing plans until he got this practice relocated further down Magnolia Blvd. When Doc was back in bussiness and wanted to pick up his racing where he had ft off my dad told him that the "Potus" would be obsolete if they just rebuilt it as was. My dad drew up a sketch of what he thought should be made. Pete Lovely had already shown a new direction with a Porsche powered (not Dean's engine) Cooper F1 car called the "Pooper" several years earlier. Doc was not ready to start again from scratch and so the "Potus" chassis was raised up to the rafters in the new shop and that was the end of it. Doc's three boys were getting old enough to get involved in outings and they got motorcycles (Triumph Tiger Cubs and "21"). My dad bough a Cub "in a basket" that he re-built for my brother and I. Doc bought a bus that had been used by a guy with a seal act and took out the seal tank to make room for Bikes. We would all go to the dessert outside Palmdale. Doc had been somewhat of a motorcycle champion and liked to ride. Doc had boats, bikes, Jeeps, race cars, trucks, a Munce Jet, a Cadillac powered Wildfire and a 65 Corvette that he took to Bonneville after going with us and my dad's 300SL in 62.
Doc died, of caner I believe, in late 89 and my dad died of a Heart Attact, Stroke and eventually caner in January of 90. At Doc's funeral reception his boys confirmed that the engine was still on it's stand with a plastic cover over it.
Doc's boys are VERY reluctant to talk about the Dean equipment or "Potus" because of the harrasment that they have received over the years but I think that it is a tribute to their father's life of skill, resourcefullness, ambitition and ability that he was able to do all of these things and enjoy his passion for mechanical equipment. He help with my Burbank "Cracker Box Durby" car when my dad was out of town and crewed on my dad's 50 ft. sail boat around the channel islands. There wasn't much he hadn't done.

[Slownomore]

extremely interesting to read...

[jwhcars]

Very interesting... and the story continues...I think you should contact the doc's kids and suggest that they sell what ever is left of Dean's car to someone that will preserve the story.

[Targa4now]

Originally Posted by boxster03

I am just shocked that anyone at the dmv spoke English

+1
Great timing and delivery!!!

As far as the Dean Spyder story goes... it gets my vote for pelican mystery of the month award!

[carolinatrophy]

Originally Posted by jwhcars

Very interesting... and the story continues...I think you should contact the doc's kids and suggest that they sell what ever is left of Dean's car to someone that will preserve the story.

Aw, what fun would THAT be? I mean, we have bloody wrecks under tarps, freeways moving doctors, Poopers, Potuses (Poti?), mixed up curses, and even a bus that used to transport trained seals for crying out loud!

This is the greatest story EVER! Why ruin it by trying to find the sons?

[Formerly Steve Wilkinson]

This is my generation--SCCA racing in the '50s--and Mr. Krueger's story rings very true. I knew of all those guys and all those cars...

[Zeke]

Put Wayne on this. He solved the stolen 917 engine deal. In the end, Wayne will have Dean's motor along with his other "goodies."

[tmctguer]

BKrueger: Thank for correcting my version of your great story. As you recall from our conversation at the DMV, I knew your story would pique the interest of members of Pelican Parts.

did you ever get your SB-100 smog referee certificate from the DMV? I still have not received mine.

[TRE Cup]

bkrueger
Thanks for posting!
interesting stuff and really interesting info on the "new" scarab ! Do you know if Hinkel used the same Mig factory that makes Kirkham's cobras ?

Is your car completed ? you can e mail me off this site at tremotorsports@gmail.com

BTW- if POTUS was resurrected back to its pre-pomona glory, it would be worth a LOT of money !! a LOT of money!

[KevinP73]

bkrueger welcome to PP. Sounds to me like you might have a few interesting and fact filled stories to share.
One question though....Does that mean that Deans Spyder is still in Burbank under a tarp somewhere?

[grudk]

Great story! Would love to hear more

These docs are mentioned in 'The Death of James Dean' By Warren Newton Beath (1994). This states/confirms that Eschrich had purchased the engine and some other parts from the 550 from George Barris

http://books.google.com/books?id=D0oY99ngoCIC&pg=PA85&lpg=PA85&dq=Dr.+William+F.+Eschrich+&source=web&ots=M97DmemAE0&sig=w0fYV6NRJs6reRBsfRiGpuLgedg&hl=en#PPA86,M1

[notch11]

why the f isn't the remains of this car in a museum? the new Le may museum would be the right place...

[Les Paul]

There are barn finds and under the tarp finds. And this has to be the ultimate under a tarp find.