Supplemental Restraint System: James Dean Imprint – Frontal Passenger.

Supplemental Restraint System: James Dean Imprint – Frontal Passenger. [Reclaimed Deployed Airbag]
850 Dernier Nylon, waterbased printing ink, thread.

Bethany Shorb, 2010

Actor JAMES DEAN was a race car aficionado killed in a September 30, 1955 highway crash in his new car, a Porsche 550 Spyder. While traveling to a race in Salinas, California Dean and a passenger crashed head-on into a second car; the passenger was thrown clear and survived, but Dean died almost immediately. Dean was just 24 years old, and his untimely death helped make him into a pop-culture legend. Along with his tragic death at such a young age, he is often considered an icon due to his "experimental" take on life, which included his ambivalent sexuality.

When Dean introduced himself to fellow Actor Alec Guinness outside a restaurant, he asked him to take a look at the Spyder. Guinness thought the car appeared ‘sinister’ and told Dean: ‘If you get in that car, you will be found dead in it by this time next week.’ This encounter took place on September 23, 1955, seven days before Dean’s death.

Since Dean’s death, a legend has arisen that his Porsche 550 Spyder was "cursed" and supposedly injured or killed several others in the years following his death.

Posted by Cyberoptix™ on 2010-01-12 00:55:54

Tagged: , James Dean , crash , NAIAS , Detroit , gallery , airbag , car , Nylon