The Legendary General Lee

In 1979, a bright orange car with a Confederate flag painted on the roof jumped off of a dirt pile and into the hearts of millions of people around the world - the car was a 1969 Dodge Charger affectionately called the "General Lee" and the show was the Dukes of Hazzard.

Every week fans watched the crazy escapades of the cousins Bo and Luke Duke, their Uncle Jesse, and Daisy Duke, their long-legged firecracker of a cousin. While the characters are very entertaining to watch, especially Daisy with her short, cut-off jeans, flowing golden locks... oh where was I? Oh yes, the show... the General Lee has been the object of desire of every young boy in the era, next to Daisy of course.

How the 1969 Charger got the name General Lee is quite a long story, but here's the short version of it. The show Dukes of Hazzard was loosely based on the movie "Monnrunners", and in the movie there was a car that was named "Traveller", which was the name of the horse that General Robert E. Lee rode in the Civil War. In the show, the name of the car was changed into "The General Lee" which is by far, much catchier.

What made the General Lee such an automotive icon is the scene that is shown at the start of the opening credits of the Dukes of Hazzard. The iconic jump over a dirt pile over a police cruiser solidified the claim of the General Lee as the most sought after car in the days when the show was still being aired. As you may already know, the Charger is a very sturdy car, but if you drive like the Duke boys no car can last long; that is why over 300 Chargers were used and totalled during the filming of the show until it ended.

The Dukes of Hazzard made the General Lee one the most recognizable cars in the world, and even today some Dodge Chargers are painted orange and are called General Lee's, in honor of the high-flying car that was driven by two crazy cousins from Hazzard County.However, the most impressive aspect of the Charger is the fact that this model can sell for well over $65,000 or more today at a classic car auction, making it one of the more valuable muscle cars in the world. In fact, the value of this car has only risen each and every year.


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