The Death of James Dean and the ”Curse” of Little Bastard

On September 30th, 1955 the life of film icon James Dean was tragically cut short while he was driving his brand new Porsche 550 Spyder, which he named “Little Bastard,” to its first race in Salinas when he was involved in a near head on collision. 

After the wreck, Little Bastard was declared a total loss and sent to a salvage yard. Some of its parts were used in other race cars and the body was toured around the US until 1960 when it disappeared. Over the years rumors of a “curse” began to circulate due to the tragedies and strange events, including one verified death, that seemed to follow the wreckage of Little Bastard, though most claims continue to be unverified.

Come explore what Alec Guinness (Obi-Wan Kenobi from the Star Wars original trilogy), the death of racing enthusiast Troy Lee McHenry, the 1966 Batmobile designer George Barris, NASCAR statistics, and an innocuous fire in Fresno have to do with the history surrounding the death of James Dean and the alleged “curse” of Little Bastard.