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Wed Oct 29, 2008 10:26 am

Ok, i was speaking to a guy near the San Francisco Airport getting some work done on my bike and struck up some conversation about james dean 550 and he told me that a collector has the speedster on the peninsula near Redwood City area. Wikipedia reports the vin number of the speedster as (Chassis number: 82621) So if you know someone at dmv or a police officer can check the vehicle history etc. You could narrow down the owner pretty fast i assume. Good luck and let me know if the car is around. This car could fetch 500k to 1m easily!!!!! BTW i have ton of pictures of the 550 crash and racing photos.

carl
porsche 912 1966

Fri Oct 31, 2008 12:13 am

Likely the car isn't even registered. Cars like that don't get tags for daily driving, they just sit in collections. If you aren't driving them, why bother with tags?

Fri Oct 31, 2008 6:31 am

The sister "Vin" Porsche of James Deans car (one number off) was found here in SLC several years ago.

The guy that has it bought it cheep!

Fri Oct 31, 2008 8:19 am

I am sure if someone wanted the Speedster it can be found, unlike the 550 where it was just plain stolen. I would love to have the wagon Sanford was driving with the wood sides day of crash. The ford had the trailer for the 550. Cool surf wagon to hit the beach.

carl

Fri Oct 31, 2008 2:12 pm

Last time that one was seen it was being driven by Elvis...

Sun Nov 02, 2008 11:26 am

That is NOT the VIN of his Speedster. His car was a 1954

Mon Nov 03, 2008 10:32 pm

more:

also:
http://cache.gettyimages.com/xc/3227289.jpg?v=1&am...4F32AD3138

Tue Nov 04, 2008 8:42 pm

James Deans Speedster is VIN# is 80126 with a 1500 Super engine

Wed Nov 12, 2008 8:25 am

strange bit of history with the cars remains after the accident...I have heard there is a current "no questions asked" offer of one million dollars leading to the recovery of what is left of the car.....I wonder if it actually made it out of the garage fire where it was stored here in Fresno back in 1959 or if it just melted into a blob of aluminum??......I asked Mr. Barris about the car when I met him here in Fresno and he told me it simply dissapeared??

Wed Nov 12, 2008 6:18 pm

porsche550rs wrote: James Deans Speedster is VIN# is 80126 with a 1500 Super engine

Do you know the motor numbers?

Thu Nov 13, 2008 1:51 am

Mango Juice wrote: strange bit of history with the cars remains after the accident...I have heard there is a current "no questions asked" offer of one million dollars leading to the recovery of what is left of the car.....I wonder if it actually made it out of the garage fire where it was stored here in Fresno back in 1959 or if it just melted into a blob of aluminum??......

A MORON would turn it in for only a million. It is worth FAR more even in wrecked state.

The common lore is that the car was on tour around the country as part of a highway safety display. On it's return from FL to CA inside a semi, the car just disappeared along the way. Weigh scale records are inconclusive as to where it happened.

My guess is that the remains of the car (sans engine and trans) didn't weigh enough to register on a the DOT scales.

Thu Nov 13, 2008 9:00 am

You are right Bruce....people from all over the world would come to view it....interesting piece of history for sure.

I too was curious to know what actually happened to the left over hulk after it was parted out shortly after the accident.

After hearing the car was stored in a garage here in Fresno after the accident to which caught fire and destroyed everything but the car inside made me wonder if it actually melted into a pool of aluminum.

One thing for sure, it would be more interesting to know what really happened to it.

If it was ever found I would surely pay to see it, Would you?

Sat Nov 15, 2008 8:56 am

Its just a crashed car, I would think the real story is far more unexciting than the exciting one people make up in there head.

Sun Nov 16, 2008 7:32 am

James Dean's engine number for his speedster is 41014. It was the first speedster to be fitted with a 3-piece 1500 Super engine.

Sun Nov 16, 2008 9:35 am

porsche550rs wrote: James Dean's engine number for his speedster is 41014. It was the first speedster to be fitted with a 3-piece 1500 Super engine.

Thanks........I was looking for the number on the Spyder's case.

Sun Nov 16, 2008 11:06 am

53 0val wrote: porsche550rs wrote: James Deans Speedster is VIN# is 80126 with a 1500 Super engine

Do you know the motor numbers?

I read the engine was sold and used in another car that crashed also. Ditto the almost new tires. Seems like any Dean parts make the car crash.

The engine may be around still.

My dad says it may have been in our shop on PCH in the 60's. When Chick Iverson was still on island. Many many engines and German cars went through us. We were about the only shop that worked on them. We were not big fans of those engines. Many Carreras got push rod engines.

I am sure one of the registries has the engine number.

Sorry, I can not answer your question though.

Sun Nov 16, 2008 12:49 pm

JD's 550 Spyder details:

Chassis#: 550-0055
Engine#: 90059
Trans axle#: 10046

Sun Nov 16, 2008 1:10 pm

Thanks........ 8)

Sun Nov 16, 2008 1:24 pm

r39o wrote: I read the engine was sold and used in another car that crashed also. Ditto the almost new tires. Seems like any Dean parts make the car crash.

That's the legend, but like all Dean legends I'd take it with a large grain of salt.

Except for the dying part Dean made a great career move with that accident. His estate still pulls down about $5 million a year in licensing fees. Not bad for a flash-in-the-pan bad boy actor.

Tue Dec 02, 2008 8:49 pm

A lot of speculation here:

Check out this book:

James Dean at Speed
by Lee Raskin
copyright 2005
www.bullpublishing.com
(the publisher name is not too encouraging, eh?!!) :roll:

All you want to know and then some. Photos, diagrams of crash, etc.

cheers to old JD...and the Porsches he made famous!