When we think of haunted objects, what usually comes to mind are possessed dolls, the famous “dybbuk box,” and even haunted houses. Haunted vehicles, however, don’t usually come to mind, but there are definitely some cursed and possessed cars, trains, and other modes of transportation.
Airplanes can even be cursed too. In 1972, Eastern Air Lines flight 401 was on a routine run from New York City to Miami when it crashed into the Everglades, killing around 100 passenger. People have reported witnessing the spirits of deceased members of the crew – especially the flight engineer – on other flights from Eastern Air Lines.
While haunted cars are certainly not as common as dolls or houses, there are several reports of spirits attached to automobiles. Some of these ghosts have even allegedly murdered the occupants of the vehicle. Listed below are 10 of the world’s most haunted vehicles.
10. Abraham Lincoln’s Phantom Train
To kick things off, Abraham Lincoln’s phantom train is definitely worth mentioning. On April 21, 1865, the bodies of the assassinated President Abraham Lincoln, along with his deceased son Willie were placed on the funeral train to make the long 13-day trip from Washington to Springfield, Illinois. The funeral train, called “The Lincoln Special” had nine cars with the funeral car being located in the eighth one. The train traveled through seven states and past 440 communities between April 21 and May 3.
It is said to travel the same long route every April and many people have seen the phantom train traveling along the tracks each year. It has also been reported that watches and clocks stop working when the train passes by. While some say that the train travels without a sound, others report hearing sad music and even a whistling sound as the ghost train nears. Some people have also witnessed skeletons who are dressed in blue and who are standing at attention beside the president’s flag-draped casket.
9. Dr. Kevorkian’s “Death Mobile”
Zak Bagans, who is a paranormal investigator on the popular television series Ghost Adventures, also owns a haunted museum in Las Vegas. With a price tag of over $30,000, Bagans purchased Dr. Jack Kevorkian’s van, also known as the “death mobile” where he helped end the lives of approximately 130 people. In addition to assisting with suicides in the back of the van, the doctor also helped people die in their homes and in motels.
Bagans revealed that he plans to use the van in a paranormal project. With a history as dark as this one where over a hundred people were assisted in committing suicide in the confined location of a van, it would most certainly hold a lot of residual and sad energy, making it one of the most frightening vehicles around.
8. The Jumping Car Of Cape Town
In 2004 in South Africa, several people witnessed a Renault Megane turn on and begin jumping with absolutely nobody in the car. The witnesses reported seeing the car jump backwards twice up the hill before stopping. What’s even more disturbing is that there were no keys found in the ignition and the parking brake was on.
The company Renault explained that the car’s unexplainable actions were due to a rusty starter cable that caused a short circuit, which then caused it to turn on. However, it still doesn’t explain the revving engine, as if someone’s foot was on the gas pedal. It was also thought to be someone’s attempt at stealing the car; however, the gates of the property were closed and the car was locked, and as we previously mentioned, the handbrake was still engaged.
7. The Phantom Bus Of London
Many people between the 1930s and 1990s reported seeing a phantom bus at exactly 1:15 a.m. every night in London speeding in the middle of the road towards traffic, causing drivers to swerve their cars out of the way, which also caused some of them to crash their vehicles. It was said to be a bright red number 7 double-decker bus with the lights on but with no passengers or driver inside. Police tried to find this phantom bus, but could not locate any buses that were scheduled to be in that area at that time.
What’s eerie is that every time it happened, it was at the exact same time, and at the same location on Cambridge Gardens. And after drivers swerved their cars out of the way, when they turned around to watch the out-of-control bus, it had vanished into thin air.
6. John F. Kennedy’s Limousine SS-100-X
The SS-100-X was President John F. Kennedy’s navy blue 1961 Lincoln 74A convertible. Although the car had $200,000 worth of modifications, it was not bulletproof, and it was in this exact car that the president’s life was taken on November 22, 1963 when he was assassinated in Dallas.
Oddly enough, the car was in service for another eight years. Safety measures and reinforcements were added to the car by the company Hess & Eisenhardt, such as bullet-resistant glass, titanium armor plating, and a bulletproof roof. In addition to added security measures, it was also painted black by newly-appointed President Lyndon Johnson.
In 1978, the Lincoln was sent to the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. In addition to the car’s tragic history, it is also said to be haunted with several witnesses seeing an apparition dressed in grey standing near the car (who many believe is the late President Kennedy), especially during the late days of November.
5. Surrey, England’s Ghost Crash
One day, officers received a call from motorists saying that they had witnessed a car veering off the road in Surrey, England. When the police got there, they couldn’t find the mysterious vehicle. But after further investigation of the area, around 20 yards from the reported crash site they were called to investigate, they uncovered a wrecked car with the skeleton of a man who was reported missing five months earlier. It was apparent that this accident happened several months ago because of the bad shape that the body was in.
It is believed that the witnesses who saw the accident saw, in fact, a “ghost crash” of the original crash. If it wasn’t for the people calling in this ghost crash, the car may never have been found since it was discovered nose-down in a ditch, buried in undergrowth, which made it nearly impossible to see from the road.
4. The Black Volga
The legend of the Black Volga has been around since the 1960s and originated in Poland. It was a high-end black limousine with white curtains. Some of the terrifying claims include seeing tire rims appear out of nowhere, and seeing actual ram’s horns where the side mirrors would normally be. Witnesses who saw the car could never see a driver, although legend has it that it was a priest or nuns who would drive the vehicle, while others claimed it was Satan himself who occupied the driver’s seat.
Whenever people would see the car, children would reportedly go missing and if anyone dared to challenge the automobile, they would die within 24 hours. This sinister car was also thought to have evil drivers who would abduct innocent people for either sacrifices or for their organs.
3. James Dean’s Porsche 550 Spyder
James Dean owned a Porsche 550 Spyder which was nicknamed “Little Bastard.” Dean passed away tragically in the car at only 24 years of age, and it was said that he was even warned about the vehicle. Star Wars actor Alec Guinness had a really bad feeling in his gut and warned Dean not to get into the car. He told him that if he did, he would be dead within a week. James Dean died exactly seven days later on September 30, 1955.
There have been several more reports of bad luck finding people who have made contact with the cursed vehicle, such as a mechanic’s leg being broken, and two men who bought parts from the car ended up getting in wrecks, with one of them dying. This incredibly cursed car also survived a fire, fell off of a transport truck, crushed the truck driver, and then mysteriously vanished.
2. Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s Graf & Stift Death Limo
In 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie visited Sarajevo in a new Graf & Stift automobile – an open-topped limousine. However, they were both murdered while in the car but surprisingly the vehicle wasn’t damaged. This started a chain of events where every owner after would have exceptionally bad luck.
In the following 12 years after Ferdinand’s death, the vehicle was owned by 15 different people. It was involved in six accidents, and was said to have caused 13 deaths. One owner ended up dying in an insane asylum, while another died in a car crash just nine days after buying the automobile. In addition to causing many car accidents, this extremely cursed vehicle has also been known to fall on people, crushing them to death, and it is said to have caused suicides.
The vehicle is now in the War History Museum of Vienna, which is definitely a good thing because nobody can drive it there.
1. The Golden Eagle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2nY5gcBwFQ
Stephen King wrote a horror novel titled Christine and there was also a movie that was made based on that book. What’s surprising is that there’s an actual haunted car that people claim to be the real-life Christine.
The “Golden Eagle” is a 1964 Dodge Limited Edition and is said to be “the most evil car in America.” It was originally a police car used in Maine, where three of the officers who drove the vehicle all ended up killing their families and then committing suicide.
After its time as a police car, the Dodge was sold to the Allen family, who reported that when they drove the automobile on the highway, the doors would mysteriously swing open. Several children have also died mysteriously around this car. Two children who were hit by cars flew across the street and landed underneath the Dodge. Another child, who was dared to touch the car, ended up dying with his entire family two weeks later in a house fire. When members of local churches heard about the demonic vehicle, they vandalized it and several of them ended up dying shortly after. This is definitely a car you do not want to mess with.