The legendary actor James Dean died on September 30, 1955, at the wheel of his Porsche 550 Spyder, which he had nicknamed "Little Bastard." While Dean died instantly, "Little Bastard" lived on—as if the car were possessed.

Dr. William Eschrich bought the wreckage of the Porsche and installed the engine in his Lotus IX race car. He then lent the gearbox and suspension parts to a fellow racer, the doctor Troy McHenry. During sports car races in Pomona in 1956, Eschrich crashed but narrowly survived. McHenry was less fortunate: he was killed in the same race. Thus began the infamous curse of "Little Bastard."

The next owner of the Porsche was the famous "King of Kustoms", George Barris, builder of the original Batmobile. Barris, who was not one to shy away from a good story, would soon discover that this was no ordinary car.

During a burglary, thieves tried to steal the steering wheel of "Little Bastard." One of them cut himself badly on the wreckage and fled in panic. The car seemed thirsty for blood. Barris lent the wreckage for a traffic safety project, but the curse persisted. In March 1959, while the car was in storage in Fresno, it suddenly burst into flames. Remarkably, the damage was limited to two melted tires and some scorched paint.

Meanwhile, Barris sold a couple of tires from the Porsche. Both tires blew out at the same time, causing the new owner to swerve off the road. Miraculously, he was unharmed.

During an exhibition at a school in Sacramento, the Porsche fell off its display, breaking a student's hip. The tragedy did not end there. George Barkus, the driver who transported "Little Bastard" to various expos, lost control of his truck. He survived the accident but was crushed when the Porsche slid off the truck.

In 1960, the story reached its climax: "Little Bastard" disappeared without a trace from a sealed railway car between Miami and Los Angeles. Despite a million-dollar reward in 2005, the whereabouts of the Porsche remain unknown and the legend lives on.

And could the "Little Bastard" we have on display at Autoworld perhaps...?