The Porsche that cost
James Dean his life
The history of a sports car once owned by a Hollywood movie legend certainly lends weight to the idea
James Dean, moody, good looking 1950's cultural icon loved to live up to his screen image of living life in the fast lane. And it was for this reason he found powerful vehicles capable of very high speeds attractive and purchased a silver Porsche Spyder sports car. It was this vehicle that would lead to his untimely death at the age of 24 and thus became the part of a urban myth.
Right from the moment he bought the vehicle people around him began to feel ill at ease and tried to warn him to take care. His girlfriend, Ursula Andress refused to get in it, film producer, Nick Adams said it made him uncomfortable and the famous actor, Sir Alex Guinness told him to get rid of it or he'd be dead in a week - he was!
Whilst driving the vehicle on September 30th 1955 Dean was in a high speed collision with another vehicle and met his fate. And, this is when things begin to turn really sinister.
The smashed up vehicle was taken to a garage, where it fell on a mechanic, breaking his leg. The engine was sold on to a doctor who put it in his racing car, he crashed it and died. In the same race a car using the drive shaft from Dean's car crashed, and yes, you guessed right that driver was killed too!
It was exhibited again at a later date in Sacramento and fell off its stand onto a spectator, breaking his hip. The car was then transported to Oregon, where it broke its mountings, and smashed into a shop window. In 1959 it is said to have broken into nine pieces while sitting on steel supports.
Mathematicians may make some convincing arguments about coincidences and the Laws of Probability but it makes you wonder doesn't it?
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