Music: 1944 Stella by Starlight | Chet Baker 1954
Video: 1955 James Dean's Porsche 356 & 550 | East of Eden |Giant
1950s playlist: [ Ссылка ]
The Porsche 356:
"The 356 was created by Ferdinand "Ferry" Porsche (son of Ferdinand Porsche, founder of the German company), who founded the Austrian company with his sister, Louise. Like its cousin, the Volkswagen Beetle (which Ferdinand Porsche Sr. had designed), the 356 is a four-cylinder, air-cooled, rear-engine, rear-wheel drive car with unitized pan and body construction. Ferry Porsche described the thinking behind the development of the 356 . . . in 1972: '. . .I saw that if you had enough power in a small car it is nicer to drive than if you have a big car which is also overpowered. And it is more fun. On this basic idea we started the first Porsche prototype. To make the car lighter, to have an engine with more horsepower…that was the first two-seater that we built in Carinthia (Gmünd)'.
The first 356 was road certified in Austria on June 8, 1948, and was entered in a race in Innsbruck, where it won its class. . . . Little noticed at its inception, mostly by a small number of auto racing enthusiasts, the first 356s sold primarily in Austria and Germany. It took Porsche two years, starting with the first prototype in 1948, to manufacture the first 50 automobiles. By the early 1950s the 356 had gained some renown among enthusiasts on both sides of the Atlantic for its aerodynamics, handling, and excellent build quality. The class win at Le Mans in 1951 was a factor. It was common for owners to race the car as well as drive them on the streets." (Wikipedia)
The Porsche 550:
"Unlike the ‘People’s Car’-based 356, the 550 Spyder’s motor was slotted into a ladder frame ahead of the rear axle, itself attached via trailing arms and swing axles. Advanced only in a pre-war sense, its lower centre of gravity at least ensured it handled way better than a 356.
The marque’s early reputation for reliability was maintained via the complex four-cylinder, four-cam boxer motor and a sublime four-speed transmission featuring Porsche’s patented synchromesh. With 111PS in a tightly wrapped alloy body, its power-to-weight-ratio touched upon the then magical 200PS/tonne for a 1.5-litre racer. It wasn’t terribly fast and it didn’t handle flawlessly, but it was sufficiently fast and agile enough. Most importantly it rarely broke down.
Launched in 1953, it won its first ever race – suitably held at the challenging Nürburgring – and went on to record class victories at Le Mans and what is often described as the world’s most arduous race, Mexico’s La Carrera Panamericana." ([ Ссылка ])
James Dean:
"In 1954, Dean became interested in developing an auto racing career. He purchased various vehicles after filming for East of Eden had concluded, including a Triumph Tiger T110 and a Porsche 356. Just before filming began on Rebel Without a Cause, he competed in his first professional event at the Palm Springs Road Races, which was held in Palm Springs, California on March 26–27, 1955. Dean achieved first place in the novice class, and second place at the main event. His racing continued in Bakersfield a month later, where he finished first in his class and third overall. . . Dean's final race occurred in Santa Barbara on Memorial Day, May 30, 1955. He was unable to finish the competition due to a blown piston.
His brief career was put on hold when Warner Brothers barred him from all racing during the production of Giant. Dean had finished shooting his scenes and the movie was in post-production when he decided to race again.
Longing to return to the 'liberating prospects' of motor racing, Dean traded in his Speedster for a new, more powerful and faster 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder and entered the upcoming Salinas Road Race event scheduled for October 1–2, 1955. Accompanying the actor on his way to the track on September 30 was stunt coordinator Bill Hickman, Collier's photographer Sanford Roth, and Rolf Wütherich, the German mechanic from the Porsche factory who maintained Dean's Spyder, 'Little Bastard' car.
As the group traveled to the event via U.S. Route 466 (currently SR 46), at approximately 5:45 p.m. a 1950 Ford Tudor was passing through an intersection while turning left, ahead of the oncoming Porsche. Dean, unable to stop in time, slammed into the passenger's side of the Ford, resulting in Dean's car bouncing across the pavement onto the side of the highway. Dean's passenger, Wütherich, was thrown from the Porsche, while Dean was trapped in the car and sustained numerous fatal injuries, including a broken neck. . . . Dean was pronounced dead on arrival shortly after he arrived by ambulance at the Paso Robles War Memorial Hospital at 6:20 p.m." (Wikipedia)
