One of the few remaining examples of the ‘General Lee’ Dodge Chargers from the TV show Dukes of Hazard was involved in a serious single-car accident in Missouri last weekend. Two individuals who were in the car suffered moderate injuries and were taken to the hospital.
After investigating the crash, Hollister Police Chief, Preston Schmidt determined that “the driver of the vehicle was traveling too fast for the road conditions and lost control of the vehicle he was operating”. As reported by Springfield News-Leader, the police officers did not issue any citations at the time.
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Photos released by the Western Taney County Fire Protection District show that the muscle car veered off the road and crashed into a tree. As a result, the front end has been seriously deformed including the fender, bonnet, grille, and bumper, most likely affecting the internals as well. The iconic Dodge Charger movie car might be repairable, but this is certainly going to be an expensive visit to the body shop for the owner.
It’s worth noting that this particular ‘General Lee‘ is not a typical replica, but as noted by the Fire Department, one of the original units created for the Dukes of Hazard. The original TV series aired on CBS between 1979 and 1985, with a Hollywood film following in 2005. Although many cars were destroyed during filming, some survived and were later sold to private owners. Estimates for the number of cars built for the original TV show vary from around 250 to 330, while approximately 25 were made for the 2005 movie.
The orange 1969 Dodge Charger with the black 01 graphics on the doors is one of the most recognizable movie cars in history. However, it has also been the subject of controversy and backlash in recent years because of the Confederate flag printed on its roof.
