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Union Volkswagen, veteran Volkswagen dealership of over 20 years, are proud to announce that their 鈥淗oliday Special Savings Event鈥?is back as part of Volkswagen's national event, Sign-THEN-Drive event. Union, New Jersey -- Union Volkswagen is proud to take part in the national Volkswagen Sign-THEN-Drive event in addition to offering a Holiday Special Savings Event to all their customers. This offer is exclusive to Union Volkswagen and their customers who purchase a new or used vehicle (any make or model) during the month of December will receive a free flat screen LED HD TV. 219 a month. Union Volkswagen is also running a very special promotion; a free HDTV giveaway to all customers who purchase a new or used vehicle. During the Sign-THEN-Drive event, Union Volkswagen will waive the security deposit and make the first monthly payment for qualified customers. This special offer is valid for some of the most popular Volkswagen 2014 models including the Jetta S 2.0L, Jetta SportWagen 2.5L S, GTI, New Beetle, New Beetle convertible, Eos, Passat, Tiguan, Touareg and select TDI and Hybrid models.
James Dean鈥攖he original Rebel Without a Cause鈥攄efined cool for an entire generation. His passion for living life on the edge was well known, and his breakout success as a movie star allowed him to indulge in his favorite hobby: auto racing. Dean began racing a Porsche Speedster, which he then upgraded to a 550 Spyder, one of only 90 in the world at the time he bought it. He had well-known Hollywood car customizer George Barris (who designed the original Batmobile) give the car a custom interior and a custom paint job, including the racing number 130 on its hood and doors. He had the car鈥檚 name鈥斺€淟ittle Bastard鈥濃€攕tenciled on the back deck. Right from the start, friends close to the star sensed something strange and unsettling about his new racing machine. His girlfriend Ursula Andress (the original Bond Girl) apparently refused to ride in it. Seven days later, Dean was driving the Spyder to Salinas, CA, for a race. Rather than having the car transported by trailer, he was driving it himself to get a better feel for how it handled.
He had only owned 鈥淟ittle Bastard鈥?for nine days. Shortly before six in the evening, September 30th, 1955, the Porsche collided with a Ford coupe belonging to one Donald Turnupseed, who was making a left hand turn across Dean鈥檚 right of way. Dean suffered horrific injuries, including a broken neck, and died en route to the hospital. His mechanic in the passenger seat survived, but was also badly injured. And this is where things get really freaky. While the car was being transported back to Barris鈥檚 shop, it slipped off the truck and broke a mechanic鈥檚 legs. Barris removed the engine and drive train from 鈥淟ittle Bastard鈥?and installed them in two other race cars, belonging to Troy McHenry and William Eschrid, respectively. In 1956, during a race at the Pomona Fairgrounds, both men were involved in car crashes, both while driving the cars that contained pieces of Dean鈥檚 Porsche. McHenry鈥檚 car, which contained 鈥淟ittle Bastard鈥檚鈥?engine, lost control and crashed into a tree. McHenry was killed instantly. Eschrid鈥檚 car, which contained the drive train, rolled over while making a turn. Eschrid survived, but was badly injured. Barris pulled the Spyder鈥檚 two remaining tires off the wreck and sold them.
The man who bought them later suffered a car crash when both tires blew out simultaneously. The remains of the Porsche were eventually sold to the California Highway Patrol, who used it as part of a mobile exhibit about the dangers of reckless driving. While being displayed in Sacramento, the Spyder fell off its display and broke a student鈥檚 hip. While in transit to the next exhibit, 鈥淟ittle Bastard鈥?fell off of another truck, crushing and killing the driver. In 1960, following a display in Florida, the car apparently vanished from a sealed trailer on the way back to California. Its whereabouts remain unknown to this day. If there is anyone who can compete with James Dean for the title of Coolest Man Who Ever Lived, it would probably be Steve McQueen. The XKSS (or 鈥淴K Super Sport鈥? was a modified version of Jaguar鈥檚 D-Type racing model. Left with a surplus of D-type bodies at the end of the 1955 race season, Jaguar decided to complete them to road specifications and sell them in America.
Twenty five cars were created, with plans to make more the following year. However, shortly before shipment, a fire broke out at the factory where they were being housed. Nine of the completed Super-Sports were destroyed, as well as the 300 still under construction. The surviving 16 are some of the most prized and sought-after cars in the world. 鈥淕reen Rat鈥?was known as McQueen鈥檚 favorite car. He was known to take it on midnight races with his friends on the streets of Los Angeles, and it quickly became a well known sight in a city already awash in exotic cars. The rare quality of the XKSS, combined with McQueen鈥檚 legendary love for speed, made this a truly perfect match. Today, 鈥淕reen Rat鈥?lives at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. To keep the car in running shape, museum employees are known to drive it around their rooftop parking lot.
