There's only one thing worse than a haunted house - and that's a haunted car
because at least a house won't crash into you
it's been 130 years since the car was invented
and since then, many cars have come to be rumored as haunted or cursed
often they were connected to real life tragic events,
and said to have been transformed by them forever
but not all rumours are equal
and certain cars are so notorious almost no one dares to even go near them
In a museum in Austria can be found a very mysterious car
for over a century its ownership has passed through numerous hands,
each of which seem to have suffered misfortune
its story began with an Austrian royal called Franz Ferdinand
He was heir to the Austrian empire, one of the largest in Europe at the time
this made Franz a very powerful man
but in 1914, he visited the city of Sarajevo, and while there was murdered
driving through the city in an open top car, an assassin jumped onto the vehicle,
shooting Franz and his wife
their deaths were just the beginning as the incident triggered world war 1
overshadowed by the war was the car itself, soon gaining notoriety
its first owner was onboard during the assassination
in time he would lose his mind, dying in a mental asylum
also on board was the chauffer Leopald Lojika, who died in mysterious circumstances years later
according to legend, the car's next owner was a military officer - who died when he crashed it
later the car was bought by a politician
It was a mistake as four accidents later his right arm was amputated
selling it, the next owner would be less lucky
somehow overturning it and being crushed to death
I am surprised so many of them wanted to own
the car - especially since by then it was known to be cursed
but to be honest I feel that way about a lot of cars
I mean look at this one
Most deaths associated with the car are unproven but many believe the legend
either way there is something eerie about the car
most eerie of all is the license plate
A11 11 18
corresponding with the date the armistice was signed to end the war
The golden age of Hollywood lasted roughly from the 1920s to the 1950s
it was the first time major stars were made in the film industry
one of the biggest was James Dean
he starred in 3 major films
but only one was released during his lifetime, due to his untimely death in a car crash
nine days before the crash
he purchased a brand new Porsche spyder - a car many now believe is cursed
driving through California with a car mechanic, something happened
And a head on collision crushed the spyder
the mechanic was thrown from the car and survived
but Dean was trapped inside the wreck, dying on site
in death he became a cultural icon, but the car only gained infamy years later
Amazingly, vital parts of the spyder were undamaged
and sold to new owners
the engine went to a doctor, who himself was involved in a bad crash
he survived but lent parts to another doctor who lost control and died behind the wheel
the actual bodywork of the car was also sold, put on display at various car shows
not long after, stories emerged of accidents associated with the wreck
after touching it people would apparently suffer all kinds of misfortune
falling off great heights, catching disease, and losing their jobs
in time people learned to avoid any piece of the car, believing it to be cursed
the most incredible story is that of Rolf Wutherich,
the mechanic who survived the initial crash
many fans of James Dean blamed him for the crash
often sending him threatening letters
after a string of failed marriages he fell into a depression, eventually being sent to an asylum
then strangely, he himself died in a car crash
26 years after James Dean
It's easy to see why so many losers believe the car is cursed
This car is connected to the deaths of 14 people
for decades it was a police service vehicle, assigned to 3 different officers during that time
unbelievably, all 3 of those officers commit suicide
but only after murdering their entire families
after the third family murder, the police force realized the car was creepy
so they did what any responsible owner would
they sold it
in time it was bought by a woman who claimed to be a witch
maybe she was, as no harm came to her
still, word of this cursed car gradually spread
with locals furious it hadn't been destroyed
so local teenagers would look for it trespassing on the witches land to find the car
many would vandalize the car which is always a good idea
but according to legend it backfired
and every single vandal died soon after
one died in a car crash, another was hit by lightning
one was even decapitated
so that's nice