10 most famous car deaths
James Dean's status skyrocketed after his untimely death in September 1955, as did that of the car, the Porsche 550 Spyder.
Without trying to be creepy - which we do - here are some of the famous people who are no longer with us because of the car. What is even more pleasant, many people are still with us because of the car, or rather because of the ambulance.
1. James Dean (Porsche 550 Spyder): Dean's status skyrocketed to iconic levels after his untimely death in September 1955. In fact, so did the status of the car he drove, the Porsche 550 Spyder, which was the forerunner of today's Boxster. Dean died at the wheel when an approaching car turned in front of him. His passenger, mechanic Rolf Wuterich, survived the accident but died in a car accident in 1981.
2. Diana, Princess of Wales (Mercedes-Benz S280): On August 31, 1997, the world woke up to the shocking news that Diana, Princess of Wales, had died in a car accident in Paris. Her partner Dodi and the driver were also killed. According to preliminary data, the accident occurred when the Mercedes was evading paparazzi.
3. Princess Grace Kelly (Rover SD1): The former American actress and Princess of Monaco died in 1982 after suffering a mild stroke while driving her car, causing it to roll down a mountain in Monaco. Coincidentally, respected British motorcycle racer Mike Hailwood (1940-1981) had died in a car accident a year earlier while driving a similar car.
4. Marc Bolan (Mini GT): Bolan, the lead singer of the glam rock band T-Rex, died instantly in 1977 when the purple Austin Mini GT he was a passenger in went over a bridge and crashed into a tree. Ironically, Bolan never learned to drive, fearing his untimely death in the car. The driver was his girlfriend Gloria Jones.
5. Peter "Possum" Bourne (Subaru Forester): The amiable New Zealand rally driver Possum Bourne was inspecting the Race to the Sky circuit in Cardron on New Zealand's South Island in 2003 when he collided head-on with a Jeep Cherokee. He never regained consciousness. The statue of the Possum is set on a mountain on an isolated rock overlooking the village of Cardrona.
6. Jackson Pollack (Oldsmobile 88): The reclusive artist crashed his 1950 Oldsmobile convertible while intoxicated, killing himself and his passenger instantly in 1956. Pollock was 44 years old.
7. Jayne Mansfield (Buick Electra): In the early hours of June 29, 1967, Hollywood sex symbol Jayne Mansfield died after a 1966 255 Buick Electra in which she was a passenger crashed into the back of a decelerating semi-trailer. Mansfield, her boyfriend Sam Brody and the driver died instantly. Three of her children, including Mariska, all in the back of the car, survived with minor injuries.
8. Desmond Llewelyn (Renault Megane): in 1999 one of the UK's most recognizable figures; Desmond Llewelyn, better known as Q in the James Bond films, has died in a car accident at the age of 85. He was driving home from an autograph signing when his car collided head-on with a Fiat.
9. Lisa "Left Eye" Lopez (Mitsubishi SUV): In 2002, Lopez, the singer of the popular RnB band TLC, was thrown from her car and died from her injuries. Mitsubishi was run off the road by an oncoming truck that was trying to overtake a car on a Honduras road.
10 George S. Patton (Cadillac Series 75): Famous American general died of complications 12 days after a car accident near Mannheim, Germany. He was 60 years old.
