Dean died one mile (1.6 km) to the northeast, at the junction of State Highways 41 and 46, when college student Donald Turnupseed made a left turn without seeing Dean's Porsche 550 Spyder approaching in the oncoming lane.
Purportedly, James Dean had been given the nickname "Little Bastard" by Bill Hickman, a Warner Bros. stunt driver who became friendly with Dean.
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Another version of the "Little Bastard" origin has been corroborated by two of Dean's close friends, Lew Bracker, and photographer, Phil Stern.
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He took part in many 24 Hours of Le Mans in the 1950s, as well as in races at Mille Miglia, Montlhery, Monza and Nürburgring, often with a Porsche 550, the type of car he became famous for, when crashing over the banking of the AVUS in Berlin.