Paying homage to an ardent Porsche fan

By ALASTAIR SLOANE

Porsche New Zealand is driving down memory lane to the mid-1950s and the brief, tragic love affair movie star James Dean had with the German sports car.

The James Dean Trust in the United States has given its approval to use the star's name on four limited-edition silver Boxsters, the last of the current models. (The facelifted Boxster arrives this year).

Porsche general manager Grant Smith said the four $135,000 Boxsters will be the only legitimate James Dean models available in the world.

"We identified the original concept as being a natural amalgamation of two special identities - Porsche and James Dean.

"But the plan only came to fruition with the full approval of the James Dean Trust.

"We believe the introduction of this special Boxster is a unique opportunity for the New Zealand market - the cars will only ever be available here."

The silver Boxster is a spiritual successor to the Porsche 550 Spyder, Dean's last car.

The actor's love affair with the marque began in March 1955 when he bought a Porsche 356, 1500cc Super Speedster convertible.

He traded in the 356 for the silver 550 Spyder the following September.

He had the number 130 and his nickname "Little Bastard" painted on the car. Dean got the moniker while making the film Giant.

But only weeks after Dean bought the Spyder, he was killed driving it to a race meeting in Salinas, California.

The four James Dean Edition Boxsters are based on the Boxster 2.7 manual model and come with exclusive options, including "polar" silver paintwork with black full-leather interior, special 17-inch wheels, body-coloured rollbars, Bose sound system, and personalised James Dean Edition door sill guards, exterior badging and number plate (JDE 001, 002, 003, 004).

The James Dean Trust says it's okay if any of the buyers want to have "Little Bastard" painted on the car.