James Dean's Last Drive: The Crash

[@arricammarques1955]

550 Spyder Impact speed much lower, according to crash analysis . The lower riding Spyder makes impacts more fatal vrs heavier higher riding Ford.

[@SanDiegoHotRod]

Of course the Spyder is going to lose in a head on crash (or even opposing sideswipe) but If you know anything about aluminum VS steel you know that you cannot crush the front steel fenders, frame, cross member and rims with an aluminum car that weighs half as much unless it is traveling at incredible speed. Try to smash a large steel coffee can with a small aluminum soda can.

[@pierrevr67]

Great work!

[@SanDiegoHotRod]

Thank you so much! Almost have the whole film done! LOL

[@leejee88]

jimmy was doing just over the speed limit out there which is 65 when he got closer to the car and realized the guy wasnt going to move jimmys racing instinct kicked in he sped up to swerve around him and clipped turnispeeds car and spun outta control .It wouldnt of taken a whole lot to spin that car outta control 1200 lbs compared to the full sized sedan which would of been like a tank compared to the porsche

[@SanDiegoHotRod]

Absolute indisputable fact that James Dean was going way over the speed limit when he crashed. Try reading Lee Raskin's books. Police statements prove that Jimmy was going "over 85 mph" just seconds before the crash when he passed Mr. and Mrs. White in their Pontiac who were going 65 mph. Jimmy went from Blackwell's Corner to Cholame (30 miles) in just 15 minutes. Simple math = 120 mph AVERAGE speed! Jimmy told Bruce Kesslar in Blackwell's he already went OVER 120 mph on the way up. Police reports show the Ford skidded, let off then skidded again before the crash so Jimmy was going way faster than the Ford at impact. How fast? Enough for a 1200 aluminum car to crush the front end of a steel 3400 lb car all the way up to the firewall including bending the frame! Try smashing an old steel coffee can with an aluminum can.

[@leejee88]

dean sped up just before he hit the other driver to get around him he wasn't doing 85 more like 65 its like i said he was in a light weight car and he hit a full sized sedan .it wouldn't take much speed to wind up the way jimmys car winded up .when he was pulled over the cop cited him for doing 65 in a 55 mile zone so its safe to assume that he was doing that speed when he crashed possibly even 70 since he sped up to get around the other driver 85 seems a little to exaggerated .It doesn't make sense because like i said dean sped up to on a split second decision to get around the other driver .if he was already doing 85 why would he need to go faster .the car would of barrel rolled and probably thrown dean and his passenger from the car .but the car spun out of control instead meaning he was going less than 85 .He probably saw the car slowed down a bit at first and then when the guy stopped in the middle of the road he thought ill just speed up to get around .What he should of done was just slow down once he saw the car and layed on the horn to alert the other driver he would of had enough time and the accident could of been avoided

[@SanDiegoHotRod]

That is absolutely wrong. Read "James Dean: On the Road to Salinas" by Lee Raskin. He is the main authority on dean and the crash. He did the personal interviews and has all the police and court paperwork. Dean did not speed up. He told Kessler at Blackwell's he already went over 120mph (top speed for the Spyder is just under 140mph). The spot where he got the ticket was at the bottom of the 15 mile grade coming onto the flat of 99 in Bakersfield. The CHP was going the opposite direction. Jimmy was being followed by his friends in the station wagon with the trailer. Jimmy slowed down to take the exit for hwy 166 aka "The Racer's Road" and he got a ticket. The guys in the wagon also got a ticket for speeding with the trailer. He covered 30 miles in 15 minutes from Blackwell's to Cholame!!!! The only way to do that is at 120 mph!! The car DID barrel roll!! Witnesses say that the Spyder flipped into the air and landed on the side of the road. Rolf the German mechanic WAS thrown out of the car and landed next to it. Jimmy's feet were crushed and pinned under the pedals and they had to pry him out of the car. I don't know where you are getting your facts but I have read the actual police reports and heard from the people who were there!

[@plwinkler]

Your assumption that Dean was going 120mph at the time of the accident is based solely on people's recollections of the both the time when Dean left Blackwell's Corner and the time the accident occured. Noone at Blacwell's corner checked their watch and wrote down the time when thy saw Dean depart. Likewise, no one at the accient scene made an accurate report of the time the accident for later reference. When they testified later, their recollections were best guesses. Without precise calinration of the time he left Blackwell's and the moment of impact, it is impossible to provide a definitive estimate of Dean's speed. Dean had received a ticket earlier that afternoon for going 65 mph, which is well short of 120mph. When he told Bruce Kessler he had gone 120, he may have meant that he momentarily hit 120mph. Keep in mind that eyewitness evidence is notoriously unreliable.

[@SanDiegoHotRod]

You are trying to state facts with no references. Start by reading James Dean: On the Road to Salinas by Lee Raskin. He is the premiere authority on the James Dean crash. He has been studying and interviewing people for over 30 years. I have spoken with him and others and know exactly where their information comes from. When Dean got his speeding ticket the police officer was heading in the opposite direction! Jimmy just reached the bottom of a very long downhill grade and was traveling on straight flat ground. He slowed down to make the left turn onto Hwy 166. He was also waiting for his friends in the station wagon so they would not miss the turn. They also got a ticket for speeding (55mph with a trailer). How can you say "no one checked their watch at Blackwell's?" Jimmy was meeting Kessler for dinner in Paso Robles (another reason to be speeding - trying to catch up to them) so of course someone would be looking at the time! If you know anyone that races time is ALWAYS a factor. When Roth arrived at the crash 10 minutes later (covering 27 miles in 25 minutes to AVERAGE 60 mph in a brand new V8 Ford station wagon with an empty trailer) it is pretty simple to calculate time and speeds. I have actually been to these locations and driven these roads so I can attest first hand to the times, distances and conditions. Read James Dean: On the Road To Salinas. All the information and documents are in there. BTW I have built custom and classic cars for years and I know that you cannot smash a 1950 Ford front wheel and frame up to the firewall with a 1300 pound aluminum car at only 65 mph.