What’s “the most famous television car in the world”? We suppose that depends on who you ask, but to many, nothing but the General Lee could possibly hold the title. Of course, there wasn’t just one General Lee. In fact, scores of orange Dodge Chargers were filmed for “The Dukes of Hazzard,” and most of them never survived their first televised escapade.

Not so Lee 1, so named because it was the car that famously jumped over a Hazzard County police cruiser in the very first episode of the hit series. If you’ve ever seen the opening credits, you know the car we’re talking about… it flew 16 feet in the air over a distance of 82 feet. And, as you may have guessed, it didn’t exactly stick the landing.

No matter. Because of its notoriety, Lee 1 was saved from destruction and restored over a period of 16 months. And, due to that same famous history, we thought it might draw plenty of attention from the crowds at the 2012 Barrett-Jackson auction. In reality, bidding ended at just 0,000. That makes the final sale price a seemingly paltry 1,000.

Read more about Lee 1 and watch a video of it’s auction after the break, and check out our live image gallery above.

Continue reading Barrett-Jackson 2012: Dukes of Hazzard 1969 Dodge Charger General Lee falls flat [UPDATE: w/video]

Barrett-Jackson 2012: Dukes of Hazzard 1969 Dodge Charger General Lee falls flat [UPDATE: w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 21 Jan 2012 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The very first 1969 Dodge Charger General Lee from “The Dukes of Hazzard” is headed under the gavel at Barret-Jackson. The vehicle was created specifically for the show’s intro and made just one jump before being retired.

Why the short life span? That first leap was an impressive feat, vaulting the Charger 16 feet in the air over a distance of 82 feet as it sailed over Rosco’s Monaco patrol car before crashing back down to Earth. While the vehicle made a few additional appearances as a beat-up hulk through the show’s filming, it was eventually left to rot in a Georgia junk yard.

Travis Bell bought the hulk in 2001, and the Charger swapped a few owners before winding up in the hands of Marvin Murphy. Murphy then had the vehicle restored to its former glory. Now the Lee 1 is headed to Arizona with no reserve. No one’s saying exactly how much the very first General Lee could be worth, but a Hemi-powered replica took home a lofty 0,000 in 2008. This particular vehicle gets its grunt from a 383.

If you’d like to see this car’s fateful lone jump – or if you’re just feeling the need for some Duke Boys-style nostalgia – hit the jump to see the vehicle in the show’s intro.

Continue reading Duke Boys’ first General Lee goes to Barrett-Jackson [w/video]

Duke Boys’ first General Lee goes to Barrett-Jackson [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Dec 2011 17:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It just wouldn’t be SEMA without a whole slew of Chevrolet Camaro coupes and convertibles staring us in the face, and this week’s Vegas show doesn’t disappoint. General Motors’ own booth features four rather interesting specimens, which you can see in the image gallery we’ve compiled here.

First comes the Camaro ZL1 Carbon Concept, which boasts a sinister Ashen Gray look with a smattering of carbon fiber bits and pieces. Power comes from the same 580 horsepower and 556 pound-feet of torque supercharged V8 that’s set to debut in 2012 in the ZL1.

Up next is the Camaro Red Zone Concept. Based on the convertible version of the Chevrolet pony car, this machine wears a coat of Crystal Claret that’s newly available for 2012 along with Chevrolet Accessories silver Ice interior pieces. The exterior features Accessory wheels and a full body kit, all available straight from the dealer. Finally, that stripe package you see will soon be available to Camaro owners.

The silver convertible you see in our gallery is the Camaro Synergy Series Concept, and it’s wearing a coat of Silver Ice plus black Synergy decals with red line inserts. Chevrolet Accessory black-painted wheels join a body kit and body-color grille.

Finally, there’s the Camaro 1LE Concept. As with other 1LE packages, this one has a suspension kit that is intended for road race circuits. It’s Victory Red exterior is set off by a flat black hood and hash mark extensions. Most of the underpinnings will be available on the ZL1 for 2012, including the magnetic ride suspension.

Read all about each of these concepts in the press release after the break.

Continue reading Chevrolet Camaro concepts storm the General Motors booth

Chevrolet Camaro concepts storm the General Motors booth originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Nov 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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