Haunted Heirlooms: Little Bastard

James Dean. Hollywood’s rebel icon. A rising star with a need for speed. And a silver Porsche 550 Spyder that became one of the most infamous cars in American history.In this episode, we dive into the legend of “Little Bastard” — the sleek sports car Dean bought just days before the crash that killed him at only 24 years old. But the story didn’t end on that California highway. After the wreck, whispers of a curse began to spread as the car’s twisted remains were linked to a string of bizarre accidents, injuries, fires, and deaths.Was it coincidence fueled by Hollywood mythology? Or did James Dean’s final ride leave something darker behind?Join us as we separate fact from folklore, explore Dean’s obsession with racing, and unravel the eerie legacy of the cursed car that refuses to die...Holley, Val. James Dean: The Biography. St. Martin’s Press, 1995.Escobar, Janice Jorgensen. Little Bastard: A History of James Dean’s Porsche and the Legend It Left Behind. Lyons Press, 2020.Berg, Nik. “The Curse of James Dean’s Porsche 550 Spyder.” Hagerty, 3 Nov. 2020, www.hagerty.com/media/automotive-history/the-curse-of-james-deans-porsche-550-spyder/.The Curse of James Dean’s Little Bastard.” Astonishing Legends, hosted by Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess, 15 Oct. 2021, www.astonishinglegends.com.