Over time, there have been various stories of ghosts haunting buildings or lurking around lonely highways. Well, it turns out that cars have, at one time or the other, also been the object of certain eerie ghost stories or believed to be cursed.
It is hard to separate fact from fiction with some of these events especially as some of them occurred a long time ago and the stories have been handed down from generation to generation. However, one thing is sure, they all carry an element of mystery that will have you scratching your head.
10 John F. Kennedy's Limousine SS-100-X
The Limousine in which JFK was slain currently resides at the Henry Ford museum in Michigan. There have been creepy reports of shadowy figures hovering around and just observing people take pictures of the car. The presidential limousine cost less than $10,000 in the 1960s but had over $200,000 in numerous upgrades that included a bulletproof cover. On the day JFK was assassinated, he had ordered the cover to be removed so he could be closer to the people – a decision that ultimately proved fatal.
9 The Jumping Renault
On one fine day in December 2004, some residents of a Cape Town neighborhood were startled when a Renault Megane suddenly came to life and ‘leapt’ backwards. It repeated the strange phenomenon a couple of times before it crashed into a hibiscus tree. The people were understandably alarmed and there were talks of the car being possessed by an evil spirit. An exorcist even offered to travel down to South Africa from America so he could drive the ‘demon’ out of the car. Luckily, Renault soon released an official explanation for the unusual incident.
8 Archduke Franz Ferdinand's Graf & Stift Double Phaeton
A lot of people know that this was the car the Archduke was riding in when he was shot and killed, together with his wife. It was an incident that sparked off the First World War. What many people may not realize was that the car had a darker history that followed on from the Archduke's assassination. After the Archduke’s death, it is reported that the car was owned by fifteen different owners, most of whom met with one unfortunate accident or the other. In total, the car was involved in six accidents and thirteen deaths – now, that’s creepy.
7 1964 Dodge 330
This infamous Dodge was known as the Golden Eagle and was connected to no less than 14 deaths if the stories are to be believed. The car started out life as a cop car and 3 of the officers who drove the cars all died in ghastly murder-suicide incidents. The car was thereafter sold to a particular family who seemed unaffected by whatever curse was upon the car. As the story goes, people in the community who tried to vandalize the car all met their ends in mysterious ways. The car was then chopped up and sent to the junkyard but the owner was able to retrieve enough parts to get the car moving again. Today, it’s probably holed up in some obscure barn.
6 The Mysterious Vauxhall Astra
On December 11, 2002, members of the Surrey Police department received calls that a set of headlights had veered off the highway and into the bush. Officers arrived on the scene but did not find any sign of a crash. A more detailed search soon turned up a wrecked Vauxhall in a ditch. The only problem was that the car has been in that location for over 5 months and even more mysterious was the body of a missing wanted person that lay nearby. It is unclear if it was his ghost that was trying to call attention to his unfortunate circumstance and help the police close a file on at least one missing person's case.
5 Bonnie and Clyde’s 1934 Ford Deluxe
Here’s another car that has been reported to have ghosts lurking around and keeping permanent vigil. The 1934 Ford Deluxe was the car in which Bonnie and Clyde, America’s most popular criminal duo, met their fateful ends in a police ambush. The couple was known to always carry firearms in the car and so the police took no chances. Over 100 shots were fired at the car, killing both criminals instantly. The car is currently on display at a hotel in Nevada, complete with all the bullet holes and bloodstains.
4 1937 Cord 810 Worcester
This particular car was tucked away in storage for 75 years before it saw the light of day again in 2017. The car was specially built for a Louisiana Senator who wanted a car that was sufficiently armored to protect him. Unfortunately, he was shot and killed before he ever got to use the car, and ownership was passed on to a naval officer who died in the Second World War before he got his chance behind the wheel. Given the car’s dark history, one wonders if it should have just been left locked up in storage.
3 The Infamous 1968 Volkswagen Van
This white Volkswagen belonged to the late Dr. Jack Kervokian, the medical professional who publicly supported assisted suicides. During his lifetime, he reportedly helped end the lives of dozens of terminally ill patients. Some of the suicides actually took place inside the van and it is believed that those ghosts never really went away but instead took up permanent residence within the dark confines of the car. In 2015, a certain Zak Bagans bought the car and declared that it would be used for a ‘paranormal’ project.
2 James Dean’s Porsche 500 Spyder
James Dean was a popular race car driver who was no stranger to road rockets. There was no reason to suspect anything was amiss on that fateful day in September 1955 as he got behind the wheel of his new car, a Porsche 500 Spyder. Not long after he drove off, he was involved in a ghastly crash that snuffed out his life. A week before his death, he had met with a popular actor, Alec Guinness, who warned him not to get into the ‘Little Bastard’ as the car was known.
1 Daniel Riccardo’s 2018 F1 Car
During the 2018 F1 season, a frustrated Daniel Riccardo blurted out during a press conference that he believed his Formula One car was under a curse. There is some interesting context behind his claim. His Red Bull F1 car had performed strongly in pre-season trials and Riccardo had even managed to score two wins early on in the season. It was shortly after his Monaco win that his fortunes turned; and dramatically too. His F1 car subsequently developed issues causing him to retire prematurely not in 1, 2 but 8 races! Maybe this was what influenced his decision to quit Red Bull for Renault.