Autoblog

Bummed that you missed out on John Schneider's (aka: Bo Duke) personal General Lee when it sold at Barret Jackson earlier this year for $450,000? Well, we've got good news for you then, as LEE 1 is scheduled to appear in the April issue of DuPont Registry with an as-yet unknown price tag attached. If you're not familiar with LEE 1, this is the car that was used for the police car jump from the Dukes of Hazzard opening credits (.wmv link). This car also appeared in the very first episode of the now iconic television series and in the fourth episode, although not as the General Lee in that instance. After languishing in a scrap yard for 23 years, Travis Bell and the rest of "Team LEE 1", as they call themselves, rescued the car star and restored the General to its "pre-jump" condition.

If you are interested in knowing more about LEE 1, check out the official General Lee Enterprises website and keep your eye out for April's issue of the DuPont Registry if you dream of making the General your own.

[Source: Inside Line, General Lee Enterprises]

Though it hasn't been determined yet whether or not the final bid is an honest one, the eBay Motors auction for John Schneider's 1969 Dodge Charger that was originally used on his hit TV show, The Dukes of Hazzard, was a wild ride that ended last Friday with a winning bid of $9,900,500. As we reported then, if the sale goes through, that would make the General the second most expensive car ever auctioned behind a rare Bugatti that went for over $11 million at Christie's about 20 years ago.

If you've ever auctioned an item on eBay, you know the last few minutes can be exciting, agonizing and, hopefully, profitable. Such was the case for Schneider, and his pals had a handycam trained on him for the last five minutes of the auction. Check out the video after the jump to see a surfer-looking Schneider watching the most bizarre car auction ever in its waning moments. Perhaps the best part is when our man reads the note on his auction that states "Your reserve price of $1,000,000 has been met."

We've also learned that Schneider has likely already driven his General Lee for the last time. Before he had decided to sell the car, Schneider agreed to give a ride to a child with cancer whose wish it was to "hit the road in the General Lee," and the two apparently did just that last Saturday.

[Source: Carscoop, Post Chronicle]

Click image for full gallery of John Schneider's original General Lee

While we might stop just short of calling it "The most famous model of the most famous car in the world!" as the seller does, we wholeheartedly agree that this is one of the most iconic cars in cinematic history. And when the seller happens to be one of the stars of the show that made the car famous, well, this is easily one of the most valuable star cars in recent memory. Bo Duke, aka John Schneider, (aka Jonathan Kent - Ed.) is auctioning off his personal "General Lee" Dodge Charger R/T. According to John, this particular car was one of the cars featured in the last REAL Dukes of Hazzard movie, "Dukes Go To Hollywood". The underside of the the hood is autographed by all of the surviving orginal cast members and crew from the TV show, as well. It was also the prototype for all of the General Lees used in the most recent Jessica Simpson Dukes of Hazzard movie.

Thanks for the tip, Matt!

[Source: eBay]

We always wondered if after a long day of filming "Hazzard", Bo and Luke drove that rattly Charger home every night. Surely they made enough money to buy a brand new K-Car or maybe even one of those awesome 1985 Shelby Chargers. That's sarcasm, by the way.

But then, after a long day of jumping creeks and speeding away from Boss Hogg, the Duke brothers probably wanted to drive as little as possible. Too bad this 1995 General Lee Lincoln Limo came along 10 years too late. Also too bad it's half a world away in Ireland. Yeah, a General Lee Limo in Northern Ireland.

But if you're into that sort of thing, it can be yours for a current eBay bid of £1,200. That's not a bad deal for a bright orange, 8-seat General Lee replica complete with "Dixie" horn and a Confederate flag on the roof.

The description says obvious things like, "possibly the only one in the UK," and "This limo WILL get you noticed!!" but fails to mention whether the doors open, how well it soars over washed out bridges or if it will run on pure-grain alcohol. We recommend you bid at your own risk.

Be sure to check out the gallery for even more photos from the eBay auction.

[Source: eBay via Carscoop]

When we saw this piece on Hemmings Auto Blogs, we couldn't help but hear it being read in the late Waylon Jenning's voice. Waylon was the narrator on the original Dukes of Hazzard TV show as well as the singer of the theme song. "Little do the Duke boys know..." begins the story of this "car-painted" homage to the Dukes. You see, a London artist by the name of James R. Ford has taken his 1981 Mk III Ford Capri and turned it into a General Lee look-alike. Well, if you squint from a block away, maybe.

The "paintjob" on this particular replica is actually a mosaic covering that uses 4,342 scale model cars. James apparently made a global appeal for toy cars for his project, and received donations from as far away as Australia. Although his car received its fair share of attention before, "The General Carbuncle," as James calls it, is now on a whole new level since completion. While nothing can truly replace the original, even the modern Charger version we've discussed before, it's great to see the Duke spirit alive and well.

[Source: Hemmings]

Forbes' automotive listmeister Nate Chapnick has been at it again. This time, he's chronicled the top 10 vehicles in 2005's highest-grossing movies. Automobiles enjoyed a good year in Hollywood, from buxom Jessica Simpson's cavorting around in a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon in the Dukes Of Hazzard redux; to the his-and-hers Cadillac CTS-V and Mercedes-Benz C320 Wagon featured in Mr. and Mrs. Smith. But it wasn't all about more spirited iron... Katie Holmes Tom Cruise helped save the earth with a little help from a workaday Plymouth Voyager in War of the Worlds, and Steve Carell's 40 Year Old Virgin had audiences doubled-over with that drunken PT Cruiser-driving barfly. 

Chapnick and Co. must've popped more than a few bowls of popcorn, as in order to compile the list, it was deemed necessary to screen the 25 top-grossing U.S. films of last year to see which "most effectively integrated the vehicles into the storyline."

[Sources: Forbes and Warner Bros.]

 

In news sure to make Uncle Jesse scowl and Cousin Daisy hang her head in shame, actor Tom “Luke Duke” Wopat of Dukes of Hazzard fame was bagged for drunk driving in New Jersey on Wednesday. According to a statement made Friday by Roscoe P. Coltrane Bill Maer, spokesman for the Passaic County sheriff’s department, Wopat was yanked from behind the wheel of a Ford Bronco after running over a series of traffic cones, nearly striking a police cruiser attending to an accident.

Wopat (never meanin’ no harm), was later released to his girlfriend.

[Source: MSNBC and Warner Bros.]