Actor James Dean driving his 1955 Porsche Spyder dubbed “Little Bastard.” Dean was killed in a crash just nine days after buying the car, which since has disappeared. Halloween is high time stories of hauntings. But it’s not just creepy old houses and psych wards that are thought to be inhabited by those lingering behind. Vehicles also can be haunted – and not just in the movies, believers say. Among the real-life rides thought to be haunted or cursed was the sleek, silver 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder that drove iconic actor James Dean to his untimely death. The car was customized by George Barris (famed designer of the Batmobile and the Munster Koach) and by master pinstriper and customizer Dean Jeffries who had a shop next to Barris’. It was Jeffries who...

The super exclusive Pininfarina Ferrari Sergio will go to an elite circle of just six high-dollar clients. As if Ferrari owners weren’t already a relatively exclusive bunch, one group just got a bit more so. The iconic Italian carmaker is gearing up for production of the new Ferrari Sergio and plans to produce a grand total of six of them. Yep. Six, count ‘em, SIX. And even if you could afford to pony up the cash for one of your own, it ain’t happening unless you’re already on the invitation-only list. Unveiled as a concept car at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, the Ferrari Sergio was drawn up in collaboration with the Pininfarina design firm. At the time, it was unclear whether the car would go into production. But as E3 Spark Plugs reported back in June 2013,...

The famed VH1 / Peter Max Corvette collection, hidden away for 25 years, is back on the road and soon, back on the market. It was a classic Corvette buff’s dream – the 1990 VH1 contest awarding one lucky winner the unimaginable prize of 36 Chevrolet Corvettes – one from each manufacture year from 1953 through 1989. It was a marketing ploy to help boost the music television network’s dwindling ratings, particularly among its Baby Boomer target market. And though most of the cars, purchased for a grand total of $610,000, were considered “driver” quality, the promotion was deemed a success. Dennis Amodeo, A Long Island carpenter with a hot wife and a new baby, won the contest with a single $2.00 phone call to the 1-900 contest hotline and went home...

According to the NHTSA, 7.8 million vehicles have faulty air bags being recalled by multiple auto makers. If you happen to live and drive in an area with a hot, humid climate, take note. Toyota, Honda, Mazda, BMW, Nissan and General Motors all are recalling vehicles with air bags manufactured by Japanese parts maker Takata. Some 7.9 million vehicles are affected and thus far, the faulty air bags are known to have been involved in seven incidents, including one that killed an Orlando woman earlier this month. Recalled air bags that deploy in a crash can actually explode, sending shrapnel flying throughout a vehicle’s cabin and causing stab-like wounds in a victim’s face, neck and chest. Evidently, something about hot, humid climates makes the airbags more prone to...

Peter Fonda’s Captain America Harley-Davidson recently fetched a record-breaking $1.35 million at auction. But was the bike legit? Actor and motorcycle enthusiast Peter Fonda has never been one to hold back. Now, he’s unloading on the Los Angeles-based auction house Profiles in History, over the recent sale of the Captain America Harley-Davidson motorcycle featured in the 1969 film Easy Rider – a longtime cinematic favorite of ours here at E3 Spark Plugs. The $1.3 million selling price for the bike purportedly ridden by Fonda in the film is the highest auction price ever realized for a motorcycle to date. But the counterculture icon says something just ain’t right. “There’s a big rat stinking someplace in this,” Fonda says. Unconvinced of the...

Former pro race car driver Randy Lanier. seen here at the 1986 Indianapolis 500 where he was named Rookie of the Year, recently was released from a Florida prison despite a life sentence. If you’ve been a racing fan for the past few decades, you likely remember Randy Lanier, the up-and-coming pro racecar driver whose career came to a spectacular screeching halt when he was jailed for life for drug trafficking. But that life sentence just got overturned and no one is sure why. In the 1980s, young Lanier was building a name for himself in professional racing circles, winning the IMSA GTP title and landing an Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year designation. For a while, it looked as if the Davie, Florida-raised boy who married his high school sweetheart was bound for success both...

Famed motorcycle designer Willie G. Davidson will be honored as the 2014 AMA Hall of Fame Legend this Friday. This Friday, seven inductees will officially join the ranks of motorcycling‘s greatest advocates and champions when they’re honored by the American Motorcyclist Association at the Orlando Convention Center. Hollywood actor and longtime motorcyclist Perry King will serve as the master of ceremonies for the event, part of the annual AMA National Convention. This year’s honorees are: Motocross pioneer Pierre Karsmakers Racer and motorcycling advocate Tom White Museum and racetrack founder George Barber Off-road racing champion Scott Summers National motocross champion Mike LaRocco Tuner and race team manager Rob Muzzy Engine builder and entrepreneur Byron...

John Moir’s 1930 Cadillac V-16 Roadster by Fleetwood goes up for auction this week. By the time one hits high school, one had better have a firm handle on the alphabet. Perhaps it was in that spirit that longtime New Hampshire high school teacher John Moir assembled his impressively abecedarian classic car collection. It all started decades ago with Moir’s very first car purchase. It was a 1950 AC 2-Litre Sports Tourer by Buckland, which today is valued at upward of $200,000. Over the years, Moir sought out and purchased more select classic cars with names that began with letter of the alphabet. Wrapping his collection is a 1910 Zebra Type A Runabout, valued at around $30,000. Moir stored his storied collection in what anyone south of the Mason-Dixon would call a car...

If you’re in a car crash and the other driver shows zero signs of pain until the moment police show up, you might have a scammer on your hands. Make sure you know all the red flags. Each year, the insurance industry takes a $30 billion hit from fraud. And staged car accidents is one of the fastest growing types of insurance fraud, research shows. E3 Spark Plugs wants to make sure you know how to fight back if you believe you’ve been the victim of a staged crash scam. At the accident site, the first thing you want to do is grab the trusty notepad and pen that you keep in your glove compartment and write down the license plate number of the other car. Count the number of passengers in the other involved vehicle and write down their names, phone numbers and driver’s...

Does something about that car crash seem not quite legit? Know the top four staged car crash scams. Getting in to an accident that wonks up your prized ride is bad enough. But finding out that the car crash was staged no doubt will leave you fuming. And the only thing that might make you even more incensed is realizing that bit of info too late – after the scammers have walked away with a fat check courtesy of your insurer. Orchestrated by surprisingly sophisticated criminal networks, staged car crashes are on the rise nationwide, bilking auto insurance companies out of billions of dollars and jacking up insurance premium rates for all of us. Prosecutors recently busted a New York crime ring that nearly succeeded in scoring $400 million in bogus insurance claims....