Don't know if anyone has heard of this yet, but I live in Bellingham, and this seems pretty crazy
http://www.king5.com/story/life/2015/10/01...ngham/73132736/

That is bizarre.

Wasn't it technically "stolen" while in transport? I'd think that would make the transfer and/or potentially really messy


"You know, it is kind of one hand has to wash the other. Whoever is the legal owner of the car, they'll get paid, but not without Shaun. And Shaun is not going to get paid without the owner of the car, so they need to work together and figure something out," said Grams.

Was there not a "CURSE" on any parts from that car. Anyone that bought anything from the car was "DOOMED" or involved in an accident of some kind.

I have been on the ghost tour in Key West and that community is alive with spooks!!

Just sayin!

Vysoc

I live in B'ham as well and the local news radio KGMI is over reporting it without letting up. Today the radio mentioned that they know the guy that has it but they won't go further than that. So, for the little town of subdued excitement they have a big story now.

I don't know about you, but that would be hard to put behind a wall? Even though the motor, trans, hood, rear lid and doors were removed and scattered to who knows where.

Click to view attachment

I did a search on this car a few years ago, and found an interesting thread on the bird board.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911...550-spyder.html

If there is a car behind a false wall in Bellingham, my guess would be that its the car Barris paraded around the country as the Dean car. Looks quite a bit different from the wreckage pictured above. I guess we'll know in due time.

Maybe itll put us on the map!

You're already on the map. Don't get too excited though, so is Omaha Nebraska...

What an interesting read!

So Barris' car is in WA?

Yep, the Pelican board says the Barris car isn't actually Dean's car...but he sure marketed it as such. So maybe this car is that Barris car. Gives it some cache, but it's not the real deal that seems to have some history to show were all the parts went...Dr bought the car for the motor, put it in his race car and scrapped the body (alumn = $)

There is no way that Barris car pictured was in that accident. just look at the scene pictures and you can tell the difference.

James Dean Accident Reconstruction

If you want to read up on it, search for some books by Lee Raskin. He is the upmost expert on this crash and the Dean cars. He has always stated that Barrris is full of s**t

Since Bellingham is a drop off point for the Alaska Tundra and Canadian Wilderness the only thing that put Bellingham on the map is the dislikes of Kenneth Bianchi "Hillside Strangler" and the infamous Ted Bundy. I really don't think the positive location of the real James Dean Porsche 550 Spyder is actually here. If they find the real car I'll eat my 914 seat cushion!

From what I can tell from the Pelican site, the real car was parted out, some may have ended up on the Barris car, but the rest was likely scrapped.

The Barris car is the one that disappeared.

Its the same car. Barris welded on new pieces of aluminum and reworked the body here and there over the span of its national display. It is all documented with lots of photos in Lee Raskins book. The original transaxle actually showed up on ebay about 10 years ago.
http://www.stanceandspeed.com/automotive-b...road-to-salinas

Barris is a Joke and he created the Hoax. He is a Circus Clown that did very little to any car, yet took credit for the Custom Scene and became famous. He is "Old " version of Richard Rollins!

Batmobile? Same guy?

Same Guy! Look up the name Dean Jeffries and you will see that Barris takes credit for his work!

Yup, Dean Jeffries put the 130 and 'little bastard' on the 550 and Barris still to this day claims to have put it on.

Dean Jeffries (he passed last year) built this custom 356 decades ago.
He also had it parked in front of his shop up for sale. His business was customizing cars, mostly for the movies. I'd pass his shop all the time on Cahuenga Pass which is a short cut from Hollywood into Studio City. Dean was also a key player in the invention of metal-flake paint.
He worked in Barris' shop before going into his own business, probably where Barris takes credit for Dean's paint+body skills.
Dean's custom 356, after recent restoration.
Click to view attachment

Anyone driving by Dean's shop in the '80s could have pulled up and bought this (with 4 cam engine) for about $8,500.00. This lucky guy picked it up, restored it and took it to Amelia. The top rear roof line (not seen here) has a vent system grafted in from a '50s Mercedes gull wing. Dean (white shirt) was shown his old car by its new owner/restorer at the concourse event
Click to view attachment

George ?
On September 30, 2005, which was the 50th anniversary of James Dean's passing, I put together a small memorial at the former site of Competition Motors in Hollywood. That's where the shop was where James Dean drove off from in 1955, the corner of Vine St./ La Mirada ave. I also put in a call to Barris and invited him to the gathering. His "Agent" advised me that he gets $5,500.00/ hr. to attend any functions.
Needless to say we had about 20 fans and a dozen Porsches, including a 550 Beck "Little bastard" there... George Barris not in attendance
Marty

Yeah he takes credit for Deans's work. Just as Boyd Coddington took credit for the work that Chip Foose did while he worked for him and Richard Rollins does at A$$ Monkey!

How cool is that! This is what P car ownership is all about.

The motor is currently in a Lotus in a guy's garage in Cali, the gearbox is hanging on a wall in Mass, the rest of the car who knows, but this latest story has been de-bunked already by the experts.

http://forum.porsche356registry.org/viewto...f=1&t=40153

A friend who lives about 20 miles from the Volo Museum sent me this article from the local paper.