1. Porsche 550 Spyder — "Little Bastard" (James Dean)
The legend: James Dean's Porsche 550 Spyder — nicknamed "Little Bastard" — was involved in the crash that killed the actor in 1955. Over time the wreck (and objects associated with it) have acquired a reputation for bad luck and strange incidents reported by owners and handlers.
Why it chills us: celebrity death + an allegedly cursed wreck equals instant folklore. Drive this one at night and you'll feel the weight of the legend in the quiet hum of the engine.
2. 1964 Dodge 330 LE — "The Golden Eagle"
The legend: A 1964 Dodge 330 (nicknamed the Golden Eagle) allegedly gained a reputation for a string of tragic, violent incidents and odd deaths tied to people who owned or vandalized it. Over the decades, the story has ballooned into one of the most notorious "cursed car" legends in U.S. folklore.
Why it chills us: the Golden Eagle story mixes real tragedies with sensational retellings, the perfect recipe for an automotive ghost story that never quite dies.
3. The Black Volga — Eastern Europe's Phantom
The legend: From Poland to Russia to Romania, the "Black Volga" (usually a GAZ-21 or GAZ-24) is a Cold War-era urban legend: a dark car that appears at night to abduct people in some tales driven by secret police, in others by the devil.
Why it chills us: the legend taps into Cold War paranoia, and the Volga's once-ubiquitous black paint makes the myth visually memorable.
4. 1932 Ford Model 18 — Bonnie & Clyde's Bullet-Riddled Ride
The legend: The 1932 Ford associated with Bonnie Parker & Clyde Barrow — ambushed and riddled with bullets in 1934 — is kept on display in museum collections and draws macabre fascination for its violent history and the photos that circulated after the ambush.
Why it chills us: the car is literally the scene of a violent death, and human memory attaches strongly to objects tied to notorious crimes. Much like how celebrity cars can become legendary, this infamous ride earned its place in automotive history for all the wrong reasons.
5. Lincoln SS-100-X — The Kennedy Limo (haunted limo lore)
The legend: Presidential vehicles carry heavy symbolism. The Lincoln SS-100-X (the converted limo used around JFK's era) has spawned stories and ghostly conjecture in pop culture about limousines haunted by the trauma of an assassination.
Why it chills us: national trauma + a famous car = eerie cultural residue that fuels ghost stories.
6. Gräf & Stift Double Phaeton — Archduke Franz Ferdinand's Car
The legend: The 1910 Gräf & Stift, in which Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated (28 June 1914) is often cited in haunted-car lists because the event precipitated world-changing violence. Some accounts add further death-related claims around the vehicle in the years after the assassination.
Why it chills us: the car was present at one of history's most infamous political assassinations — objects connected to such events often attract ghost lore. Like other classic cars, this early automobile carries weight far beyond its mechanical specifications.
7. Renault Mégane — The "Jumping Car" (Cape Town incident)
The legend: In 2004 a widely circulated story out of Cape Town describes a Renault Mégane that allegedly started up and "jumped" into a tree while unattended — witnesses and police reportedly involved in the narrative. The incident has been recounted in several spooky-list articles and local roundups.
8. The Ghost Taxi — global urban legends
The legend: Stories about taxis that pick up passengers who disappear, vanish mid-route, or drop off in impossible places exist in many cultures (Japan, UK, U.S.). The "ghost taxi" is a recurring motif in modern folklore — no single chassis is required for the tale to haunt you.
9. Cadillac Hearse — hearses that allegedly carry more than coffins
The legend: Hearses are already spooky. Add reports of phantom passengers, vehicles starting themselves, and seemingly haunted funeral procession sightings — and you have the classic haunted-hearse folklore.
10. The Ghost Camaro of High Point (NC) — lone midnight sightings
The legend: Localized sightings of a black Camaro on deserted roads with bright headlights, no driver visible, and then a sudden vanishing act show how modern nightlife and muscle-car culture spawn their own urban legends.
Speaking of legendary muscle cars, if the Ghost Camaro's got you thinking about American performance icons, check out our deep dive into iconic movie cars that have captured imaginations on the silver screen.
