Rudolf Karl Wütherich (German: [ˈvyːtaʁɪç]; August 5, 1927 – July 22, 1981), most commonly known as Rolf Wütherich, was a Luftwaffe mechanic and pilot, and later an automotive engineer and racer. He was the passenger in James Dean's Porsche at the time of Dean's death in a fatal car crash in 1955. He experienced many personal difficulties as a result of the crash and himself died in a car crash 26 years later.