Interesting...
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Little James Dean, up on the screen
Wond'rin' who he might be
Along came a Spyder and picked up a rider
And took him down the road to eternity
WOW 60 years ago today!
The 'James Dean Spyder' is often rumored to still be around...Seems every few years it pops up as 'being found' in some magazine or internet site but nothing ever comes up of it.
My understanding is the wreck was picked up and then sold to a local wrecking yard for transport costs, where it served as a 'parts only' car for a few years and then was finally crushed when the yard closed and site cleanup was begun.
Jaloponik though is a pretty accurate site with their research...But why now does it pop up again on the 60th anniversary of James Deans death???
This article was based on the Mysteries at the Museum series. The Museum offered a reward on a program about the car. The person that has come forward was 7 years old and a witness the hiding of the car. Apparently he has information that would only be available to someone that had seen the car. Of course this could all be bullshit.
Originally Posted by majorkahuna:
This article was based on the Mysteries at the Museum series. The Museum offered a reward on a program about the car. The person that has come forward was 7 years old and a witness the hiding of the car. Apparently he has information that would only be available to someone that had seen the car. Of course this could all be bullshit.
This the same type of thing that happened for 40 years about the "missing Shelby Daytona coupe"...6 were built, 5 were accounted for either in museums or private collectors hands. Rumors raged that it was destroyed, that Shelby had it hidden on his ranch, that it was secretly sold to an overseas buyer in Japan, that it was languishing on the Salt flats where it had been left, that Shelby gave the car to Peter Brock it's designer and he had it hidden in western Washington and wasn't talking, and on and on.
It was finally located in the garage of the daughter of the man, George Brand who was the caretaker/bodyguard of Phil Spectors property. Spector sold him the car several years before his murder charges for get this... $1500. George drove it for a couple years then parked it in his garage when his daughter Donna whom he gave it to had no interest in it. When he got Alzheimers the daughter inherited his estate, she knew the car was in the garage but had no interest in it or selling it, thus it sat until '07 when it was finally located in a storage unit that Donna had rented to store it and 3 other collector cars her father had owned. Donna committed suicide in '00 and her mother inherited her estate including the coupe. She turned down all offers. At the last posting I read on it it was still in legal mitigation as to who really owned the car estimated to be worth $4-5 million...
The Phil Spector car is now owned by the Simeone Automobile Foundation in Philadelphia.
All six Shelby Daytona Coupes were at Goodwood this year.
Video from Goodwood:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qlhru1eh3cg
Article at Hemmings: http://blog.hemmings.com/index...at-goodwood-revival/
And here is an article about the car from the museum's web site:
Thanks, Paul...haven't followed it in a couple of years. I know it was tied up in legal crap for years. I wonder who won the litigation as to ownership?
The Simeone Foundation owns the car now.
It's interesting that 'other participants' involved in the Dean's spyder wreck swear that it was the passenger "in the white T-shirt" who was killed and that the injured driver kept asking ..."How's Jimmy?"...as the officer's on the scene so wrote in their official report... which was available to the media
But the media totally ignored this fact because it wasn't as dramatic and romantic as having Dean behind the wheel with his ultimate fate in his own hands.
Originally Posted by G.R.:
Originally Posted by majorkahuna:
This article was based on the Mysteries at the Museum series. The Museum offered a reward on a program about the car. The person that has come forward was 7 years old and a witness the hiding of the car. Apparently he has information that would only be available to someone that had seen the car. Of course this could all be bullshit.
This the same type of thing that happened for 40 years about the "missing Shelby Daytona coupe"...6 were built, 5 were accounted for either in museums or private collectors hands. Rumors raged that it was destroyed, that Shelby had it hidden on his ranch, that it was secretly sold to an overseas buyer in Japan, that it was languishing on the Salt flats where it had been left, that Shelby gave the car to Peter Brock it's designer and he had it hidden in western Washington and wasn't talking, and on and on.
It was finally located in the garage of the daughter of the man, George Brand who was the caretaker/bodyguard of Phil Spectors property. Spector sold him the car several years before his murder charges for get this... $1500. George drove it for a couple years then parked it in his garage when his daughter Donna whom he gave it to had no interest in it. When he got Alzheimers the daughter inherited his estate, she knew the car was in the garage but had no interest in it or selling it, thus it sat until '07 when it was finally located in a storage unit that Donna had rented to store it and 3 other collector cars her father had owned. Donna committed suicide in '00 and her mother inherited her estate including the coupe. She turned down all offers. At the last posting I read on it it was still in legal mitigation as to who really owned the car estimated to be worth $4-5 million...
I remember when this car was found. It was found near where I live in Fullerton.
Even stranger about this story is that the lady actual walked out onto a local trail and poured gas over herself and lit herself on fire.
wtf?
Here is Car & Driver's summary of the final disposition of the "missing" Cobra Daytona Coupe
http://www.caranddriver.com/ne...uit-settled-car-news
The "east coast surgeon" mentioned as the final buyer is Dr. Frederick Simeone.
Dr. Simeone donated his entire collection to his foundation. The museum is definitely worth a road trip.