Some say it's the automotive world's version of D.B. Cooper. Is the wreckage of one of the most famous, and tragic, car accidents hidden in a garage in the Pacific Northwest?

Although he's not as well known to the latest generations, James Dean was the prototype for the brooding bad-boy that later went on to influence many actors, musicians and teens.

Dean died in a horrific car crash on September 30th, 1955, when his Porsche Spyder collided with a vehicle at an intersection near Cholame, CA.  Dean had just seen his new movie East of Eden released, a very controversial edgy film. His most famous work, Rebel Without a Cause, and another movie called Giant were huge.  But his death in the crash made him a legend.

james dean wreck
james dean wreck (YouTube still image)
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Now, the owner of a famous Chicago auto museum is prepared to pay $1 million for the wreckage of the car, and he thinks he might know where it is. Brian Grams owns the Volo Auto Museum, and for ten years he's been chasing leads about the wreckage. It was reportedly "lost" in transport in 1960, and never seen since.

Multiple theories abound - it was stolen, it's in Japan, at the bottom of a swamp etc. But now comes news from Bellingham about the wreckage being hidden inside a building. Shaun Reilly, who lives in Vegas, contacted Gram about the building. He offered solid evidence, describing the type of car and how it was damaged, which matched police and accident reports. Reilly even passed a polygraph exam with flying colors, according to Gram.

However, Reilly doesn't own the car, or the building it's reportedly housed in. Gram is trying to sort through the legal process to inspect the area and see if the car is actually inside. If it is, he will try his best to buy it, and include it in his museum.

Many auto experts refer to it as the Holy Grail of famous car wrecks, and some say it's the auto world's version of D.B. Cooper, the hijacker to bailed out of a Northwest Airlines 727 between near Vancouver in the early 1970's.  Despite finding some of his ransom money, his body was never found, and a recent show on the Discovery channel offered solid evidence he survived the jump and lived until his death a few years ago in Mexico.

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