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Who owns the lost James Dean Porsche? By Gary Gastelu Published November 13, 2015 FoxNews.com
Click here for more images of The Little Bastard
The death of Batmobile creator George Barris has thrown a wrench into the search for another famous car connected to him. A few months after actor James Dean died in a highway accident in 1955, Barris, known as the “King of the Kustomizers,” acquired the remains of the star’s wrecked Porsche 550 Spyder, which Dean had nicknamed “Little Bastard.” Barris sent the Porsche on promotional tours around the country until 1960, when, according to him, it disappeared as it was being delivered from an event in Miami back to his shop in Los Angeles, never to be seen again.
Or perhaps it was.
Earlier this year, Shawn Reilly, a 47-year-old Washington State resident, was undergoing psychological counseling when the subject of a scar on his finger came up. Reilly couldn’t remember how he got it, which had always bugged him, but the therapy revealed a memory.
According to his lawyer, Reilly recalled that his father, a carpenter, had brought him along on a job in 1974, when he was 6 years old. At a building that still exists, they met up with several men who wanted a wrecked sports car, which could have been the Porsche, hidden behind a wall. Reilly now remembers that he cut his finger on the car. He also thinks one of the men who were there may have been George Barris.
By Mike Thies
I should say up front that I am not an expert on every car, and I am not the final word on any one marque. There are people who know every casting number on a 1969 Hemi Road Runner , and I am happy to call them when I need to.…
Posted by Michael Thies on October 11, 2026 at 6:45pm
A Bite of History - 1965 Ford Mustang Fastback
Ford already had a runaway hit when the Mustang debuted at the New York World’s Fair on April 17, 1964. Initially offered as a hardtop and convertible, it combined sporty styling with a price everyday buyers could afford. Then came the Fastback in September 1964, bringing a sweeping roofline that gave the little Mustang a whole new attitude. …
ContinuePosted by Michael Thies on October 9, 2026 at 6:37pm
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