The sportscar is the same one that American actor James Dean died in. Only 90 of the 1200-pound aluminum-bodied cars were ever built, making it an extremely rare car. About three years ago, only of these cars sold for $4.5 million at Pebble Beach.
In what usually turns out to be a barn find, Old Crow Speed Shop posted a lengthy Facebook post on uncovering the rare Porsche from a shipping container:
The find of the century!.... At least for me anyway. And to think it all started by chasing old motorcycles.
A fellow named Les Gunnerson passed away and left a large British motorcycle collection at the top of a remote hill in Orange California which @large_hands_grant and @mikedavis70 got wind of and thankfully called me to come take a look. As it turns out, Les was big into Porsche's back in the 60's/70's and acquired a 550 Spyder in '63 from Loretta Turnbull who raced it in Hawaii for a mere 2k. Les restored the 550 in the early 80's but soon got into motorcycles and just put the Porsche in a shipping container where it's lived for 35 years. .......Until now.
Success comes to those who never give up.
ReplyDeleteHelp me out with something. The first sentence: The sportscar is the same one that American actor James Dean died in.
ReplyDeleteDoes that mean this is the car he died in or the model of car he died in?
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DeleteDeleted my first reply because of no edit capability, I had the same thought. Should be "same make and model as the one..."
DeleteI wanted to add that the third photograph in the set, "Inside looking out" (a nod to Grand Funk Railroad)is outstanding, well done.
hint: he did not die of a broken heart. he died of whole body trauma
ReplyDeletewife worked with a gal whose husband worked for the local electric coop. Out inspecting rural power lines he happened on an old farm building. Curiosity prompted him to look inside. Found an old Model T. Tracked down the owner, bought it, restored it and drove it in parades & shows for years. All on a working man's budget.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Spyder; I'm more a 356C roadster type but "Be still My Heart".
James Deans Spyder was pretty much mangled in the head-on crash. Legend has it that some parts were reused on the limited number of Porsches that existed. Whether real or imagined hoo-doo, those parts didn't contribute any racing success.
ReplyDeletehit by a big buick, no doubt. having a nifty car and never even looking at it, let alone driving it is just a waste of machinery. wait till he finds out St. Peter is a ford fan; he'll get sent to Purgatory for decades of lifetimes.
ReplyDeleteThat blue CA plate looks to have a '94 sticker.
ReplyDeleteJames Dean died in the same model, not the same car. Rumor has it that car customizer George Barris had the chassis (the engine having been removed and the rest sold to Barris).
ReplyDeleteTires should be dry rotted to dust. 94 plate sticker. Way to clean and shiny. I suspect a planted story to boost the price of this “find”.
ReplyDeleteAgree with the others. 94' plate. Car hasn't been sitting in the container since the 60's. A great car, but they're just trying to snag a sucker into overpaying for it.
ReplyDeleteI had 3 Porsches: an A Cabriolet with a removable hard top and a rusted out body pan, a '65 SC Coupe, and a 924. (Autocorrect does NOT understand what the "s" indicates.) Lo, those many years ago!
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