james dean and some AC

["Rob Peery" <rpeery@domain.elided>]

As is the case with the death of anyone larger than life,  truth and rumor
will blend and soon it is difficult to separate the two.  What I have heard
recently, and what is outlined,  (to the best of my memory), in the book The
Death or James Dean by Warren Newton Beath is that, based on photos and skid
measurements of the crash site, it is unlikely that Dean was speeding at
all.  The driver of the other car pulled out in front of the 550 due to his
inability to spot the silver Spyder in the setting sun.  More interesting is
the theory that Dean's German Porsche employed mechanic, Rolf Wutherich, was
probably driving at this point, based on descriptions of the Porsche driver
given by cars it passed shortly before the accident.  It has been suggested
that this was covered up by the the dealer or Wutherich himself in an effort
to gain distance from responsibility for Deans death.  (The mechanic later
was killed in a drunk driving accident in Europe.) Dean was alive shortly
after the accident and according  to witnesses, was still partially in the
car, though thrown out across the hood and suffering from a broken neck
among other injuries.  Photos of the crash show the mechanic laying
conscious beside the car even as Dean is being loaded into the ambulance.
Lastly, just to add to the legend, several of the cars that benefited from
the parts scavenging that occurred in the months following the accident
where also involved in fatal accidents on the track and the shell of the
550, carted around and displayed as part of a  anti-speeding campaign,
slipped from it perch broke the leg or ankle of a spectator, leading to a
"death car" story in tabloids of the time.  The car was finally purchased by
George Bariss (again my memory, not gospel) but disappeared in transit
across the country and supposedly was never recovered. Spooky.  For Alfa
content, try reading And No Birds Sang by Farley Mowat.  A true story of the
British invasion of Italy during WWII including the commandeering of an Alfa
and the authors impressions of what a magnificent car it was.

Have a great day,

Rob
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