Autoblog

SEMA 2008: Charger Coupe shows up in General Lee trim

Frank Filipponio — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 19:06:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, Concept Cars, SEMA Show, Classics, Coupe, Dodge, Celebrities

Click above for high-res gallery of the Charger Coupe

We had heard rumors that there was going to be a Dodge Charger Coupe at SEMA this year. We had hoped it would be something like the Charger show car from several years ago, the black one that looked a lot like the bad guy's car in Bullitt. In fact, that car was supposed to be made and shown at SEMA, but we never tracked it down. What we did find was probably just as good. If it wasn't going to be black, it might as well have been orange, and orange it was. Orange with a black confederate flag on the roof and a big "01" on the doors. Yep, it was the General Lee. In a year when we saw a Fast and Furious real Charger, a Bullitt movie Mustang, the Ecto-1 from Ghostbusters, and a smart fortwo that had made a trip to the Batcave, it was probably inevitable that we would find the General amidst all of the Challengers and other MOPARS on display. Not that we're complaining or anything.

Gallery: SEMA 2008: General Lee Charger Coupe

SEMA 2008: Charger Coupe shows up in General Lee trim originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 08 Nov 2008 19:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jeep CJ-7 turned General Lee violates natural order of things

Dan Roth — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 12:59:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Auctions, Etc., Jeep, Celebrities

There are fantastic combinations, like bacon and, well, just about anything, and then there are things that should never be combined. Jeep CJ-7s are super iconic, and they represent the pinnacle of AMC's stewardship of the brand. Though the Dukes of Hazzard itself was no Citizen Kane, every kid of that era has indelible images of an orange Charger flying through the air etched in their memories. Again, General Lee: cool. Put them together; ignoring the fact that a proper "Dukes"-themed CJ would mirror the Golden Eagle edition that appeared in the show; and you have created that which should never be. The "01" treatment has been applied to some very odd vehicles the world over, though, so we suppose that a General Lee-themed CJ isn't so bad in the long run. At least both elements appeared in the original show...

Gallery: General Lee CJ7

[Source: Hemmings]

Jeep CJ-7 turned General Lee violates natural order of things originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 05 Oct 2008 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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General Lee No. 1 to appear in April's DuPont Registry

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 18:34:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Dodge, Celebrities

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]

General Lee No. 1 to appear in April's DuPont Registry originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 07 Mar 2008 18:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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General Lee goes unsold on eBay again, off to Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale

John Neff — Thu, 31 May 2007 13:52:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Auctions, Etc., Dodge

click here to view more pics of John Schneider's General Lee

Actor John Schneider's second attempt to sell the one-of-a-kind 1969 Dodge Charger "General Lee" from his Dukes of Hazzard TV show and other acting roles has failed... again. The first attempt to sell the General Lee on eBay resulted in a winning bid of nearly $10 million, which later fell through. The winning bidder, William Fisher, claimed to CNN in an email that his eBay account had been hacked and the exhoribitant bid was placed without his knowledge, though eBay claims there is no evidence his account was illegally accessed.The second auction on eBay required that bidders be heavily screened before making a bid, which resulted in only one legitimate bid of $100,000 that failed meet Schneider's reserve price.

Perhaps realizing that eBay Motors isn't the most appropriate place to sell his iconic car, CNN is reporting that Schneider will now put the car up for auction on the biggest block in the world at the 2008 Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona next January. We'll be in Scottsdale like we were this year, though we're starting to wonder if the General Lee will ever find a new home.

Thanks for the tip, Peter!

[Source: CNN]

Gallery: General Lee Charger

General Lee goes unsold on eBay again, off to Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 May 2007 13:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Model cars made entirely out of paper

John Neff — Thu, 24 May 2007 20:03:00 EST

Filed under: Etc.

While perusing Autoblog Latino and brushing up on my Spanglish, I noticed this post that led me to a site called Paper Inside. Its simple tagline - Paper Models are Paper Inside - hints at what you'll find below the fold. The site offers numerous free downloads of paper models that arrive in your printer tray as 2D sheets awaiting entry into the third dimension. We chose the Ecto 1 model to highlight above because it's pretty intricate, but you'll also find the DeLorean from Back to the Future, the General Lee, Speed Racer's Mach-5, the Tumbler from Batman Begins, Mad Max's Interceptor and a McLaren MP4-22 race car. That's not to mention the numerous crafts from Star Wars and Start Trek that are also available. If you poke around, you'll also find links out to other paper model sites where even more vehicles are available.

We downloaded a few models in PDF, and were immediately stumped. The assembly instructions for most consist of dozens of pictures, each lacking any verbiage save for the name of a particular paper piece and an arrow showing where it goes. We'll sit down soon with a pair of child-proof scissors and see if we can't crank one out, but we expect this project will quickly turn into a contest of whose paper airplane can fly the farthest.

[Source: Paper Inside via Autoblog Latino]

Model cars made entirely out of paper originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 24 May 2007 20:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Take two: John Schneider's General Lee returns to eBay

John Neff — Mon, 21 May 2007 14:57:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Auctions, Dodge

This is one summer sequel we saw coming from a mile away. After it was revealed that the incredible winning bid of $9,900,500 for John Schneider's original 1969 Dodge Charger "General Lee" was a dud, "Bo Duke" himself has relisted the car on eBay with a ~~$1,000,000~~ $100,000 starting bid. This time, bidders have to preregister with Auction Wire, an online auction agency, before they can make a play for the car.

Amidst the media buzz surrounding Schneider's first failed auction for his General Lee, we learned that auctionistas actually valued the car somewhere around $200,000 to $300,000. Aside from being a completely kick-ass car with many aftermarket mods, the Charger's association with Schneider and the TV show certainly make it more valuable than a normal 1969 Charger.

Thanks for the tip, Keith!

[Source: eBay Motors]

Related posts:
eBay Find of the Day: John Schneider's General Lee going for $2.3...
VIDEO: John Schneider watching the waning moments of his General ...
VIDEO: "General Lee" Audi Quattro drift car!
Holy $#!@ - John Schneider's General Lee sold for nearly $10 mill...
Big Surprise! Winner of General Lee auction backs out on $10 mill...

Take two: John Schneider's General Lee returns to eBay originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 May 2007 14:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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eBay Find of the Day: General Zee Camaro not even John Schneider could love

Dan Roth — Sat, 19 May 2007 13:42:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Performance, Auctions, Chevrolet

Look away, look away, look away, Dixie Land!

Some things are just unnatural, and should never be attempted. Does the paint job give this car any pop-culture cred via osmosis? Yes, yes, calling it the "General Zee" displays a modicum of wit, but we can't condone trying to splice in cool with a paint job. Us Gen-Xers will always have a soft spot for the orange Charger with pushbars out front and "01" emblazoned on its welded-shut doors. Giving that treatment to a 2002 Z-28 does not make it a collector car, even if the abomination has under 40,000 miles on it. There's a "Dixie" horn setup, and enough amateur-grade extra wiring is present in the underhood shots to make us cringe visibly. Our favorite modification has to be the muffler, which "has holes added to enhance the sound quality of the V-8 engine." The dead newspaper tycoon operating the T5-6 is a nice touch, too. Must be a one-off, 'cause that's the first we've heard of a "Hearst" shifter. Reserve is not yet met at a current bid of $7,100. Us, we'd use that cash as a downpayment on a General Lee replica that's at least a Mopar, though an Omni GLH dressed up in this type of drag would be equally repugnant.

Thanks for the tip, Aaron!

[Source: eBay]

Gallery: General Zee - Z28 with Dukes paint

eBay Find of the Day: General Zee Camaro not even John Schneider could love originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 19 May 2007 13:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: Autoblog Podcast #65 (enhanced)

Chris Shunk — Sun, 13 May 2007 14:37:00 EST

Filed under: Podcasts, Videos

Autoblog Podcast #65 part 1

The enhanced version of Autoblog Podcast #65 is off the burner and onto your plate. In part one, we talk about the possibility of a car-based, RWD pickup from Hyundai's BH platform. In the podcast's second section we talk about the ridiculous auction for the General Lee, and the proliferation of Dodge advertising in the new Fantastic Four movie. In the last part of the podcast, we discuss Zeta (it's on again) and the Chevy Volt.

Check it out. Per your suggestions, we cut the podcast into three sections for smaller downloads, and we've also embedded sections two and three of the podcast after the jump. If you have any more suggestions on how to improve the enhanced version of the Podcast, let us know in the comments. We're working on a better distribution system than shoving all three in our current RSS feed of the audio-only version, so soon you'll be able to subscribe just to the enhanced version's RSS feed.

DOWNLOAD Part One to your desktop (Car-based RWD Hyundai Pickup)
DOWNLOAD Part Two to your desktop (General Lee, Fantastic Four)
DOWNLOAD Part Three to your desktop (Zeta is on, Chevy Volt)

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Continue reading VIDEO: Autoblog Podcast #65 (enhanced)

VIDEO: Autoblog Podcast #65 (enhanced) originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 13 May 2007 14:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autoblog Podcast #65

Dan Roth — Wed, 09 May 2007 16:06:00 EST

Filed under: Podcasts, Trends, Sedan, Truck, Auctions, Etc., Dodge, GM, Hyundai

We're punchy for this one (just check out our outtakes at the end, even better than last time!). We start off with a lively debate over Hyundai's rumored full-size RWD truck on the BH platform and whether it will be good or bad. No consenus was reached, but it will be exciting to see if Hyundai can morph the concept of the Honda Ridgeline into something a little more haul-friendly.

We segue from unibody pick 'em ups into the exciting story of the 2nd most expensive car ever auctioned. That is, if the buyer doesn't fink out (Too late, already did! - Ed.) when it comes time to hit the old PayPal. John Schneider's personal "General Lee" Charger with history (if you can call 80's TV camp real history) was sold on eBay for 9.95 million dollars. The cash isn't going to fund some humanitarian effort, rather, it will be used to finance a sequel to Mr. Scheider/Duke/Kent's Collier & Co. - Hot Pursuit movie. We're sure it's the next Citizen Kane. Speaking of movies, we also touch on the despicably obvious product placement in the Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, which is essentially a popcorn-bucket-length Dodge spot.

Wrapping it all up, we ring the bell on the "duh" category a couple times for the Lutz. The Zeta is back on, not that we really thought it was dead. B.L. has decided that it's likely wiser to tweak powerplants than to toss away an entire product renaissance worth of engineering. Whew, and we thought he might actually do it. Speaking of questions, we had no question about GM's committment to developing the Volt's battery technology. It will require an infusion of hundreds of millions of dollars, which seems like a good deal to us. Someone somewhere will have to put some time, money and effort into working out the batteries, so why not GM? It beats just sitting around and waiting. We just hope that when Chevy drops the series hybrid on us, it's wrapped in a prettier shell than the Prius. That's it for this week, enjoy!

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Autoblog Podcast #65 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 09 May 2007 16:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Big Surprise! Winner of General Lee auction backs out on $10 million bid

John Neff — Wed, 09 May 2007 12:46:00 EST

Filed under: Auctions, Etc.

click above image to see more views of John and his General Lee

We all knew this was coming. As many expected, the person who entered the winning bid of $9,900,500 for John Schneider's personal 1969 Dodge "General Lee" Charger on eBay Motors last week has withdrawn it. Or at least, that's what we're led to believe by negative feedback left by Schneider, who on eBay goes by johnsebiz, on the profile of fellow eBay user fishbashr1.

Schneider left the comment, "This is the guy that for fun, decided to bid on the General Lee. Thanks...." The comment was left at 2:57PM on Sunday, May 7th.

On the auction page for item #250108256198, fishbashr1 is listed as the winning bidder, which is pretty damning evidence that this transaction is not going to take place and that the General will remain in Schneider's possession.

We know what you're really worried about, though. What will become of the sequel to Schneider's self-financed film Collier & Co., Hot Pursuit! that was reportedly going to be financed by the sale of John's General Lee? It's in fate's hands now.

Thanks for the tip, WiZZla!

[Source: Digg]

Gallery: General Lee Charger

Big Surprise! Winner of General Lee auction backs out on $10 million bid originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 09 May 2007 12:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: John Schneider watching the waning moments of his General Lee's record auction

John Neff — Mon, 07 May 2007 19:56:00 EST

Filed under: Auctions, Etc.

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]

Continue reading VIDEO: John Schneider watching the waning moments of his General Lee's record auction

VIDEO: John Schneider watching the waning moments of his General Lee's record auction originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 07 May 2007 19:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Holy $#!@ - John Schneider's General Lee sold for nearly $10 million on eBay!

John Neff — Fri, 04 May 2007 14:18:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Auctions, Etc., Dodge

click above image for more pics of John "Bo Duke" Schneider and his General Lee

When we first posted that John Schneider, aka Bo Duke, was selling his personal 1969 "General Lee" Dodge Charger used in the cult classic show "The Dukes of Hazzard" and various other productions, the bidding on eBay Motors was at $2.3 million. The Autoblog team immediately started arguing whether or not the car was worth that amount. In the end, we were all wrong, as the eBay Motors just ended at 1:00PM EST with a winning bid of $9,900,500.00! The auction was stopped once to remove fake bids when the price hit the $6 million dollar range, but after that, bidders were required to register before making a play for the car.

According to this CNN article, if the winning bid holds, the "General Lee" will be the second most expensive car ever auctioned behind a rare 1931 Bugatti Type 41 Royal Sports Coupe that was sold by Christie's Auction House in 1987 for $11 million.

Auctionistas inteviewed by CNN are astonished, with one stating bluntly, "There is no basis in my experience in the collector car world to justify that kind value". We're sure Schneider could care less, as his purpose in auctioning the car was to raise money for a sequel to his self-financed movie "Collier & Co., Hot Pursuit".

Whether or not the car is worth nearly $10 million is certainly up for debate, but there's no denying it's one hella cool car. Schneider actually owned the car before it appeared on "The Dukes of Hazzard" and leased it to Warner Bros. for use in the show. It's even scratched! Schneider put a nick near the driver's side window once while performing his trademark through-the-window entrance. He left the scratch figuring it would only increase the car's value. Considering that auction experts claim the car is actually worth about $150,000 to $200,000, we'd say he was right.

Thanks for the tip, Peter!

[Source: eBay Motors via CNN]

Gallery: General Lee Charger

Holy $#!@ - John Schneider's General Lee sold for nearly $10 million on eBay! originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 04 May 2007 14:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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eBay Find of the Day: John Schneider's General Lee going for $2.3 million

Frank Filipponio — Wed, 02 May 2007 14:25:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Auctions, Dodge

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]

Gallery: General Lee Charger

Continue reading eBay Find of the Day: John Schneider's General Lee going for $2.3 million

eBay Find of the Day: John Schneider's General Lee going for $2.3 million originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 May 2007 14:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yes, it plays "Dixie" -- General Lee replica on eBay

Alex Nunez — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 11:37:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Auctions, Dodge

Are General Lee replicas anything new? No. Are they cool-as-all-get-out? Yes. And such is the case with the one you see above. An intrepid tipster forwarded us the link to this eBay baby, and we promptly began digging under the sofa cushions at Autoblog central command to see if we could scratch together the 17 grand or so that we'll need to at least get in on the action.

The car pictured is a '69 Charger R/T with a 440 that looks clean enough to eat off of under its long hood. In addition to the full General Lee paint and graphics, it has the the proper push bar, CB radio, and Dixie horns. Unlike the Duke boys, you don't need to jump in and out of the windows of this General -- the doors actually work. We so want this.

Thanks for the tip, Eric!

[Source: eBay]

Yes, it plays "Dixie" -- General Lee replica on eBay originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 23 Jan 2007 11:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Car covered in 4,342... other cars

Frank Filipponio — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 15:08:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Etc.

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]

Car covered in 4,342... other cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 Oct 2006 15:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: "General Lee" Audi Quattro drift car!

Alex Nunez — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 11:55:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Videos, Audi

What do you get when you mix a "General Lee" paint scheme (always a winner), a turbocharged Audi 80 (a.k.a. 4000) Quattro, and drifting?

Thanks to the speed freaks at Martinsson Racing, one of the best videos ever.

Watch, listen -- oh, the sound of this thing, and be awed.

[Source: Google Video via Hemmings Auto Blogs]

VIDEO: "General Lee" Audi Quattro drift car! originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 26 Sep 2006 11:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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