Car Collector Favorite, General Lee 1969 Charger

The 1969 American muscle car General Lee 1969 Charger was used in the TV show “The Dukes of Hazzard” originally aired between 1979 -1985. The car was owned by Bo Duke and Luke Duke as depicted in the show. The Dodge Charger R/T (Road and Track) bore the name “General Lee” after Confederate general Robert E. Lee.

As the story goes, the Duke Cousins discovered the Dodge Charger with a broken front end and originally black in color. A local mechanic took on the classic car and what came out was an orange racecar with the doors welded shut for safety, a confederate flag on the roof, a big “01” painted on the door and the car’s name written on each door. The Duke Cousins had to get into / out of the car through the windows. The car had a horn, which sounded like the anthem Dixie (Confederate States).

Various modifications had to be made upon the original version to testify to the rigors of shooting and many collectors have purchased this particular year of the charger and restored the car to match. The initial version used in the TV show was primarily the original model. As the series progressed, numerous acrobatic car stunts like jumps, two-wheel driving and sudden 180 degree turns were performed. These stunts necessitated certain modifications to the parent model. The breath taking sharp turns were done with overinflated tires and a rigged handbrake. The jumps were done with cars of reinforced bodies and additional weight at the rear end. Moreover, to prevent fuel leakage, the cars had NASCAR style fuel cells.

The Dodge Charger R/T had a 440 cubic-powered Magnum V-8 rated engine although 225cc, 383cc and 426cc were also used. The car has power features of 375HP at 5000 RPM and 490 lbs. of torque at 2400 RPM. It runs on Shelby 10 spoke rims and B.F.Goodrich T/a radial tires and further features Chrysler “Torqueflite” A-727 Heavy Duty Automatic Transmission. The car has a top speed of 135MPH and accelerates from 0-60 mph in about 13.6 seconds.

The modified Dodge Charger originally manufactured by Chrysler Corporation was well used in the famous American TV series. The 2-door coupe classic hot rod named as The General Lee 1969 Charger is still remembered for all the stunts performed in the show.