by Sj Daley

Created on: June 16, 2007

A certain Dodge Charger R/T that whistles 12 notes of Dixie comes to mind. I think without a doubt it is one of the most recognizable cars in US history. The hit TV show followed the struggles of good ole' boy cousins Bo and Luke Duke and a gorgeous 1969 orange Dodge Charger. Complete with rebel flag on the roof, General Lee emblazoned beside the flag and 2 very large numerals on each door, 01. I freely admit watching the show as a kid , and it wasn't because of the fine acting. Daisy Duke possibly, but seeing a 2 ton car makes jumps like it did amazed this kid. Some interesting trivia facts about the show and the General Lee:

1.The Dukes of Hazzard ran from 1979 to 1985 for a total of 147 episodes.

2.A total of 300 to 320 "General Lee" Dodge Chargers were used and approximately 200 were destroyed during filming of the TV series. Approximately 23 still exist in various states of repair. ( exact numbers used or destroyed is still cause for debate...)

3.The TV show was loosely based on a 1974 movie called " Moon Runners" with several similar characters included Cooter, Uncle Jesse and Waylon Jennings as the balladeer.

4.The very, very FIRST General Lee ( Lee 1 )started life as a Copper Metallic
Charger with a vinyl top, a 383 motor and a TorqueFlite transmission. It's 9 year history before being bought for the TV pilot show is unremarkable, one of it's owners had been a student at Los Angeles Southwest College however.( known by the partial parking sticker still in window of the car to this day). "Lee 2" was the true stunt mule with a full roll cage for stunt driving. "Lee 3" was the close up camera car for all the close up TV shots.

5.At one time there was a Saturday morning animated cartoon, the regulars provided the voices for all of the animated characters.

6.A young 18 year old kid named John Schneider was cast for the part of Bo Duke.

7.John Schneider, sold his own personal 1969 Dodge Charger on eBay for nearly $10 million, May 13th, 2007. Unfortunately the bid fell through. All of the original crew and cast members from the television show signed their autographs under the hood. It was not from the original Dukes TV show BUT was used in the TV show " Dukes Go to Hollywood"

8.The first episodes of the TV series were shot in Covington, Georgia.

9.Despite rumours and conflicting stories no one truly knows how the confederate flag and numeral 01 ending up being on the car.But damn they look cool don't they?

10.Both 1968 AND 1969 Dodge Chargers were used for the TV series

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