Gordon Lightfoot Forums - If You Could Read His Mind ~gl~ (Paperback Hero '73)

http://www.mygenerallee.com/gary%20s...eral%20lee.jpg

The General Lee was a souped-up 1969 Dodge Charger. It was orange with a Confederate battle flag painted on the roof, and the words "GENERAL LEE" over each door and the number "01" on each door. In the first episode ("One-Armed Bandits"), a confederate flag along with a checkered racing flag in a criss-cross pattern could be seen behind the rear window. The name refers to the American Civil War Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Since it was built as a race car, the windows were always open, a rollbar was installed, and officially the doors were welded shut, although of course in reality they were not (the doors have actually opened for stuntmen, but also have opened, as Wopat and Schneider have proven in driving their cars when inviting guests). Through the history of the show, an estimated 309 General Lees were used. Twenty three are still known to exist in various states of repair, including one owned by John Schneider (Bo), which has "Bo's General Lee" on the roof; Schneider has also restored several other examples. The show also used 1968 Chargers since the start (which shared mostly the same sheet metal) by changing the grill and taillights to the 1969 model year style, and smoothing over the round '68 side marker lights, which were rectangular on the '69 model year. These Chargers performed many record-breaking jumps throughout the show, almost all of which resulted in a completely destroyed car. The Duke boys had added a custom horn to The General which played the tune of the song "Dixie." The show itself purchased hundreds of Chargers for stunts, as they generally destroyed at least one or two cars per episode. (Real Chargers reduced being used for jumps at the end of the show's sixth season, and were mostly replaced with miniatures or recycled stock jump footage.) The third episode, "Mary Kaye's Baby", is the only episode of the entire run that (bar the opening and closing credits) the General Lee does not appear in. In that episode Bo and Luke drove around in a blue car they borrowed from Cooter (which unbenownst to them he'd loaded with moonshine to deliver for Boss Hogg, a slip-up that could've wrecked their probation) that Luke later blew up with a stick of dynamite during a duel with some mobsters