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James Dean’s Porsche 550 Spyder, chassis 550-0055, was delivered to him on September 21, 1955. Nine days later, on the way to races at Salinas, Dean was fatally injured when the car collided with a Ford near Cholame, California. The car became known as “Little Bastard”; the stories that it was cursed are legend, not an established explanation for what happened to the wreck or its parts.
1. It was a specific car, not just a famous Porsche model
Dean’s car was a 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder, chassis 550-0055. The specialist Type 550 chassis history says it was completed on July 15, 1955, in silver, with a red interior and red darts on the rear fenders. Its engine was identified as P90059. Type 550’s chassis history of 550-0055 provides those identifying details.
![Matchbox Porsche 550 Spyder, Collectors Series 08/20 [Silver]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/519g0lmJ5fS._SL160_.jpg)
2. Dean owned it for only nine days
Type 550 says the Spyder was delivered to Dean on September 21, 1955. The crash occurred on September 30, meaning he had owned it for nine days. The same source places the car’s completion more than two months before delivery; completion and delivery are separate dates, not conflicting accounts.
3. “Little Bastard” has an attributed origin
The nickname was painted on the car alongside a provisional race number, 130, by Dean Jeffries, according to the Type 550 history. That account attributes the name to Warner Bros. studio head Jack Warner, who reportedly called Dean a “little bastard” after a dispute involving Dean’s temporary trailer for East of Eden. Treat that origin as an attribution from the specialist account, rather than a definitively documented exchange. Type 550’s history of “Little Bastard” gives this version.
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4. Dean was traveling to race at Salinas
Dean and his friend and mechanic Rolf Wütherich were headed toward the Salinas races when the Porsche collided with a Ford driven by Donald Turnupseed near Cholame. The Type 550 history says the car had been marked with its provisional race number for the trip. This was a journey to a racing event, but that fact alone does not establish how fast Dean was driving at the moment of impact.
5. The crash happened in the late afternoon near Cholame
HISTORY dates the collision to 5:45 p.m. on September 30, 1955, near Cholame, California. Dean was 24. Wütherich was badly injured and survived; Turnupseed was dazed but mostly uninjured, according to HISTORY’s retrospective account. HISTORY’s account of Dean’s crash was originally published in 2009 and last updated September 16, 2026.
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6. Speed, visibility and fault should not be reduced to a single claim
The retrospective accounts do not settle the precise speed or fault. Type 550 describes Dean as speeding and Turnupseed as turning into the Porsche’s path in twilight. HISTORY reports that witnesses said Dean was not speeding at the collision, while also noting a speeding ticket in Bakersfield earlier that afternoon. It discusses low sun and gathering twilight as factors that may have made the Porsche harder to see.
Those accounts offer different details, not a primary crash-investigation record. Neither supports stating a precise collision speed as established fact or treating the ticket as proof of speed at impact.
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Dean died from injuries sustained in the collision. Wütherich, the Porsche mechanic riding with him, was seriously injured but survived. HISTORY describes Turnupseed as mostly uninjured. These outcomes are part of the documented crash account; they do not resolve the disputed questions about speed, visibility or responsibility.
8. The wreck was broken up and its components went separate ways
After the crash, Dr. William Eschrich bought the wreck from the insurer, according to Type 550. The history says Eschrich installed the engine in his Lotus IX for the 1956 Pebble Beach races and retained the transmission, steering, brakes and other components as spares. The damaged body remains went to George Barris for a road-safety exhibition; Type 550 says the display body was reconstructed from bent aluminum sheets.
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9. The shell’s current whereabouts are unknown
Type 550 says the shell disappeared while on tour, and HISTORY also recounts that the remains vanished during transport to an exhibition. The sources do not verify a complete chain of custody or a present-day location. The best-supported answer to “Where is the Little Bastard Porsche now?” is that the shell’s whereabouts remain unknown—not that it has been found or conclusively destroyed.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.10. The “curse” is a story, not a proven cause
Later tales describe the wreck falling from a truck, accidents involving parts taken from it and the disappearance of the remains. HISTORY presents these as rumors. Type 550 warns that Barris’s accounts mixed fact and fiction and says “many of these stories are unfounded.” There is no established evidence that the car was literally cursed or that its parts caused later accidents. The legend persists because a fatal crash, scattered components and a missing shell left room for dramatic retellings.
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Sources and what they establish
- Type 550’s 550-0055 chassis page covers the car’s specification, completion and delivery dates.
- Type 550’s “Little Bastard” history covers the trip, aftermath and curse stories.
- HISTORY’s crash article supplies a retrospective account of the collision and its participants.
These sources are retrospective accounts, not the original California Highway Patrol crash-investigation report. They do not independently establish the Porsche shell’s present location.
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