Cars

Forgotten General Lee Dodge Chargers from ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ lie abandoned in Georgia scrapyard

  • The General Lee was once a celebrity classic
  • Most of these Chargers disappeared over time
  • The icons are now being found abandoned in car graveyards

Published on Nov 05, 2024 at 4:27 PM (UTC+4)
by Siddharth Dudeja

Last updated on Nov 22, 2024 at 8:01 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by Kate Bain

The General Lee is one of the most iconic TV show cars to ever exist — not just because a Dodge Charger looks fancy with makeup, but due to the sheer love it received from Dukes of Hazzard fans.

As cool as the Lee was, most of those show cars had a grim future.

In fact, several of them lie in a car graveyard left abandoned.

So, what exactly happened here?

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What makes the General Lee Dodge Charger special

First things first, it’s important to know the history of these cars and how they became so popular.

General Lee is the ‘automotive protagonist’ of the hit 1970s TV show Dukes of Hazzard.

Most TV shows feature cars, so what was special about this one?

General Lee Dodge Charger Dukes of Hazzard
CBS

Well, the show ran for seven seasons, and this iconic vehicle appeared in all but one episode.

Out of a total of 147 episodes, you could spot the General Lee in 146.

Moreover, it looks pretty attractive because it’s actually a 1969 Dodge Charger painted in orange with the number ’01’ livery on its side.

The ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ models didn’t have a happy ending

General Lee Dodge Charger Dukes of Hazzard
Schmendrick/Wikimedia Commons

The Dukes of Hazzard show featured multiple General Lee units — a total of 18 actually.

The very first car was fortunately rescued and restored, but the others didn’t have the same happy ending.

Nobody knows where the others ended up, but one surfaced in a warehouse full of abandoned vehicles.

According to an Instagram post from Rotting Classics, a few General Lee units were abandoned in a car graveyard.

Car graveyards like this one in New York can certainly be a distressing sight for motorheads.

These Chargers, too, were in pretty bad shape, stripped for parts, and have been lying there for what looks like quite a while now.

In addition, these are not for sale.

It’s indeed a sad ending for the General Lee Dodge Charger units, but more so for fans of the icon.

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Siddharth is a tech nerd with a secret love of all things cars. He has been writing for a few years now, and on his free time you would find him gaming when he's not procrastinating.