Porsche 550 RS Spyder 'Little Bastard' (1955) James Dean Figure Edition

• Special Man & Machine Edition with James Dean Driver Figure
• Limited to just 30 pieces

The Figure

• Around 21 cms/8 inches tall
• Digitally sculpted by our artists in Venice
• 3D printed and exquisitely hand-painted in Venice

The Model

• Each model hand-built and assembled by a small team of craftsmen
• Based on chassis 550-0055, more famously known as 'Little Bastard', owned briefly by Hollywood superstar and amateur racing driver, James Dean
• 1:8 scale model, over 45 cms/17 inches long
• Complete with opening doors, engine cover and trunk
• Made using the finest quality materials
• Over 4000 hours to develop the model
• Over 400 hours to build each model
• Thousands of precisely engineered parts: castings, photo-etchings and CNC machined metal components
• Base model built using a digital scan of an original 550 chassis 5500061 and archive imagery and paint codes provided by Porsche

This fine 1:8 scale model represents chassis 550-0055, more famously known as Little Bastard, owned briefly by Hollywood superstar and amateur racing driver James Dean. Having already raced his Porsche 356 Super Speedster with some success, Dean became enamoured with the Porsche 550 after seeing fellow driver John Porter race at Santa Barbara in May 1955. The actor proceeded to trade in his Speedster for one of the new 550 Spyders from Porsche’s US dealer Johnny von Neumann, with 550-0055 arriving on the 21st of September. Delighted with his new acquisition, Dean intended to test it at the upcoming SCCA Regional races at Salinas at the start of October.

Without the experience to handle the car, there were a few incidents over the next week, leaving the Spyder with scars. Dean had at least two minor shunts on the street resulting in a missing driver’s side turn signal lens and a rushed silver paint spray job, that went ahead without masking the black rubber gasket around the oil cooler cover. There was no time to fix the damage before the race weekend at Salinas, but Dean was able to take his car to sign writer Dean Jeffries who put on provisional race number 130 in washable black paint on the doors and bonnets, as Dean did not have his permanent Cal Club license yet. Jeffries also painted ‘Little Bastard’ in script across the real deck lid above the license plate light. ‘Little Bastard’ was a nickname adopted by Dean after Jack Warner once referred to Dean as a little bastard after he refused to vacate his temporary East of Eden trailer on the Warner Bros. lot.

Sadly, Dean never made it to Salinas. Accompanied by mechanic and friend Rolf Wutherich, Dean sped along Route 466 until he fatally collided with a 1950 Ford Tudor Custom. Wutherich was thrown clear of the wreck but survived, whilst the driver of the Ford, suffered relatively minor injuries.

After the accident, Dr William Eschrich purchased the wreck from the insurance company, installing the Porsche’s engine into his Lotus IX race car and loaning the transmission and suspension parts to fellow doctor and racer Troy McHenry. Publicity monger and self-proclaimed “King of Kustoms” George Barris bought the rest of the Spyder, promising to rebuild it. When the frame proved irreparable, Barris instead capitalised on the car’s notoriety, loaning the wreck to the Los Angeles chapter of the National Safety Council, where it toured from 1957 to 1959. Barris created exaggerated stories where fact was liberally mixed with fiction resulting in the ‘curse of James Dean’. It is reported on a number of occasions where people who had either bought or tried to souvenir parts from Little Bastard, or involved in transporting the car, were injured or killed. Many of these stories are unfounded. However, what is known is that the original chassis went missing whilst on tour and, despite a million-dollar reward for information being offered in 2005, the whereabouts of the 550-0055 remain unknown. The infamous connection between James Dean and the Porsche 550 spyder only lasted for nine days, but the legend of both lives on.

To create the 550 Spyder, we used our supremely accurate digital scanning on original chassis 5500061 and, with the cooperation of Porsche’s automotive historians, developed this stunningly detailed and precise replica at scale. This fine scale model has been handcrafted and finished in our workshops with the co-operation and assistance of the manufacturer regarding original finishes, materials, archive imagery and drawings. Furthermore, the prototype model has undergone detailed scrutiny by Porsche’s engineering and design teams to ensure complete accuracy of representation.

The Porsche 550 Spyder James Dean Figure Edition is limited to just 30 pieces.