What cars come to mind when you think of the most iconic automobiles in Television history? The Batmobile (1966-1968) might have made an impression depending on which era you grew. For the fun-loving kids of the 90s, Mr. Bean’s (1990-1995) Mini might have caught your attention. Still, one of the most impressionable cars (after the Bond cars) for most car enthusiasts to date has to be The Dukes of Hazzard (1979-1985) General Lee Charger.
Among American car enthusiasts and collectors, an orange 1969 Dodge Charger donning ‘01’ decal on the sides is a sight to behold. However, like all things nice, the real ‘General Lee’ cars aren’t as available as we’d all love them to be. Over the years, their numbers have been falling. The very few that exist are in small numbers and various states of disrepair.
On Sunday, another replica ‘General Lee’ car was crossed off the list of survivor cars after it was involved in a crash on the highway in Missouri. According to Western Taney County Fire, along with Taney County Ambulance District and Hollister PD in Missouri, the famed car crashed on the 165 Highway Sunday afternoon. Two casualties were rushed to hospital.
Pardon me for being callous, but it looks like a fitting end for the Charger (those who’ve watched the show understand why). As someone put it on Reddit, you can almost hear Waylon Jennings say, “them Duke boys got themselves in a real predicament this time.”
The Dukes of Hazzard Show aired on CBS in the late 70s and early 80s and followed the escapades of two cousins ‘Bo’ (John Schneider) and ‘Luke’ (Tom Wopat). Their run-ins with the local Police Department of the fictional county of Hazzard jolted them into stardom legends.
An estimated 309 units of General Lee cars were built for The Dukes of Hazzard (1979-1985) action comedy television show. Actor John Schneider argues they were 329. Another 26 units were developed for the 2005 remake series.
In September 2021, another General Lee car owned by The Dukes of Hazzard actor John Schneider, in the show, was destroyed by Hurricane Ida after a tree fell on a store and crashed the famous vehicle parked nearby.
On Sunday, Western Taney County Fire posted photographs of General Lee’s crashed car on Facebook. The images show extensive damage on the front end of the famous classic car. According to authorities, the incident was a single-vehicle crash, and the vehicle had two occupants.
Updates on the condition of the occupants in the crash are yet to be provided.