James was not only an actor but a keen racer and had competed in a few races, he traded in his old car for a new car a rare silver Porsche Spyder, nicknamed 'The Little Bastard'. As soon as many of his friends saw it they told him that it would be trouble.

This turned out to be true as the car crashed and James was fatfully wounded on 23rd September 1955. It happened whilst on way to a race in Salinas California, a car coming the other way attempted to take the fork in the road when he crossed on to Dean's lane, they smashed head on.

After the crash well know mechanic George Barris brought the wreck for $2.500. As the car was being unloaded in the garage it slipped and fell onto one of the other mechanic, breaking both of his legs.

The parts of the cars where put into other cars. Troy McHenry and William Eschrid, were taking part in a race in Pomona Fair Grounds in October 24th 1956. Both cars were involved in crashes, Troy's had the Spyders engine, and he died as a result of his crash when his car hit a tree, William who had the drive-train suffered serious inuries but survived he said that the car just locked up as he tried to go around a corner.

The 'curse' of the car continued when a child who was trying to steal the steering wheel fell and gashed his arm, a man who brought two of the tires survived when his car crashed when both of the tires blew out.

Barris then thought the the car could be put to good use and loaned it out to the Calafornian Highway Patrol, for a display to show the importance of car safety. Within a few days the garage where the car was being kept burnt to the ground every car except for the porsche was destroyed. At a exhibit in Sacramento the car fell from its display and broke a teenagers hip. George Barkius was killed instantly when he lost control of the truck , the porsche was on, he fell from the truck and was crushed when the porsche fell off and landed on him.

The mishaps kept on happening until 1960 when the car was being loaned out to Miami, after the event the car was in a truck being taken to Los Angeles it mysteriously vanished. The porsche as never been found.