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[[File:James Dean Car DMV Certificate.jpg|thumb|right|200px|DMV Certificate for ''Little Bastard''.]]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_James_Dean#%22Curse%22_of_Dean's_car The curse of ''Little Bastard'''' ] originates at the Junction of State Routes 46 and 41, where James Dean and his mechanic Rolf Wütherich got in a car crash on September 30, 1955 with Donald Turnspeed. James Dean died from the crash and his mechanic survived having sustained major injuries. After the Spyder was purchased by George Barris, it was put on display and afterwards a series of accidents occurred between 1956 and 1960. Dr. William F. Eschrich purchased the wreckage, dismantled the Spyder, and salvaged various parts, including the engine from ''Little Bastard''. He installed the engine into the Lotus IX and he ended up getting in a car crash on October 21, 1956. After surviving the crash, Eschrich loaned the car powered by the Spyder's engine to Dr. Tony McHenry, who hit a tree and died. William F. Eschrid also got in a crash in a car that used the Spyder's drivetrain.
George Barris managed to rebuild ''Little Bastard'' and placed it on display once more in Los Angeles in 1956. It was temporarily stored in a garage at 3158 Hamilton Avenue in Fresno, which caught fire on March 11, 1959. The cause of the fire was unknown, no people, cars, or other property were harmed, but the Spyder was damaged, having burned two tires and the paint scorched. The Spyder mysteriously disappeared from a sealed boxcar in 1960, returning from a traffic safety exhibit in Florida. It was believed that Barris opted to misplace ''Little Bastard'' to perpetuate the legend of the Spyder's curse.
