Autoblog

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...

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 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