All I want for Xmas: The (original) General Lee
This clip shows how the original 1969 Dodge Charger used for the famous car jump opening of "The Dukes of Hazzard" was brought back to life.
OK, I know this next comment is going totally show my age, but when I was a child, I wanted to slip through the window of the General Lee and make the big jump like they did during the opening of that '70s TV show "The Dukes of Hazzard." As we all know, the 01 car was (at least at first) a 1969 Dodge Charger, a well known and revered classic American muscle car. But to paraphrase car restoration expert Travis Bowe: Dodge made cars, not airplanes. The first General Lee used on "Dukes" didn't survive the big stunt that kicked off the show. Of course, over the years that "Dukes" was on the air, there were many General Lee's (read: Dodge Chargers) used on the show, but the whereabouts of the inaugural General has been a mystery to most people--until now.
This clip comes from a show that aired on Spike TV called "Powerblock," a show all about cars hosted by Courtney Hansen. Hansen interviewed Bowe about his quest to find the original 01 car and how he brought this wrecked and abandoned Dodge Charger back to its former glory. Even John Schneider shows the first General Lee some love, and he can still jump in through the window too. Oh Santa, if you're reading this, I'd love to have the original General Lee for Xmas. But, hey, any well kept replica would do just fine as well.