Crazy History Behind ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ Car General Lee’s Jump
Every week when The Dukes of Hazzard revved up a new episode, you saw the famous 1969 Dodge Charger named General Lee make that impressive jump in the show’s opening credits. On November 11, 1978, the stuntman who drove the car made history with the impressive jump of 16 feet high and 82 feet long, eventually totaling the car.
This was the only version to be featured in every episode of the series. During its run, over 300 General Lee cars were used since so many of the stunts wrecked the cars. In the series, which ran from 1979 to 1985, General Lee belonged to cousins Bo (played by actor John Schneider) and Luke Duke (actor Tom Wopat) who often used the car to get out of trouble.
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The Charger was painted neon orange with “01” on the doors, a Confederate flag on the roof (now a big source of controversy) and a horn that played notes from the song “Dixie,” making it as country as they come. It wasn’t just the outside of the cars that had to be replicated, but safety measures were added to the inside including a roll cage and protective push bar.
While many of the stars from the show have become beloved, some fans truly feel that General Lee is a main character of the show as well. Reportedly, some fans even changed their Dodge Chargers to look just like the one in the show. For a while, there were remote-controlled and toy versions of the car but merchandise stopped being sold about a decade ago due to the controversy surrounding the flag.
Watch The Dukes of Hazzard and see all of the stunts on Amazon Prime Video.
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Stars & Cars
April 2018
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