A recent Instagram post revealed a junkyard in Georgia packed to the brim with General Lees in varying states of disrepair.
The renowned television series Dukes of Hazzard featured the “General Lee” Dodge Charger alongside the titular family, who were known for their amusing antics in the South. Though human performers would find it difficult to put up with the day-to-day demands of filming an episodic TV series, the show’s ridiculous number of automobile stunts involving jumps really put the General Lee through its paces. Indeed, estimates put the total number of wrecked Dodge Chargers at about 300, with the remaining 18 retained in sufficient condition for non-destructive appearances.
So many General Lees made it onto the set that some were different model-year examples—and some were even AMC Ambassadors in disguise. Keeping all those cars straight was pretty much impossible, which makes it all the more interesting for Dukes of Hazzard fans that a recent Instagram post revealed a junkyard in Georgia packed to the brim with General Lees in varying states of disrepair.
This car cemetery appears to be associated with the “Northeast Ohio Dukes,” stuntman Raymond Kohn, and a number of reenactment stunt performances that feature antics reminiscent of Dukes of Hazzard. It’s nearly hard to determine which automobiles were assembled, painted orange, and then restored in subsequent years, or if any of them were featured in the initial TV show.
The Instagram description claims that one of the cars is a legit R/T model, though the rest are in such disrepair that it’s almost impossible to even claim that they were ever Chargers and not Ambassadors. With welded-shut doors, roll cages, and stripped interiors, these were purposefully put together to be destroyed, though they make for quite a sight when posed next to other likely replicas like Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane’s cop cruiser.
This discovery serves as a sobering reminder of the destiny that befell many of these beloved cars for lovers and collectors of old cars. The ‘General Lee’ Chargers represent a poignant chapter in the history of both cars and television, but their current state in a Georgia junkyard signifies a different kind of sadness.