moonrunners was actaully based on real people. The real "bo duke" if you will, is named Jerry Rushing(not sure on th spelling).

He's still alive, and I guess goes to the dukes fest events every year. His car he ran moonshine in wasn't a charger, but instead was a big old 1958 Chrysler 300D. His car was named traveller, named after General Lee's horse.

Thus when they changed the car for the show, they changed the name and there you have it.

So, the Dukes, and the car, were based on a real life family and a real life fast car.

Check him out:

[en.wikipedia.org]

Kind of itneresting.

UH60L

TimDuke

SundaySunday

mytdawg

Many years later I caught it again and it was obvious that it was the prototype for the Dukes. It's pretty bad but in a guilty pleasure way, much as the TV show. It's still fun to watch because they trash the cars. If you ever want to see what the Dukes would look like if they didn't have a budget, find a copy of Moonrunners.

mytdawg

mudcar

First, if you paid any attention or bothered to google this car, you'd know it is, in fact, THE very first car painted this way for the T.V. show. So, weather you like the car or not, this particular one is special.

For the guy who talked about pulleing the fenders and straitening the frame, this ojen was not that damaged, as it had been counterweighted with concrete in the trunk, and hit at a better angle than many of the cars did. It was damaged, but not as bad as some of the jump cars were later on.

Also, for the "don't ruin an original car" commenters, none of the 69 dadge chargers used for this t.v. show have ever been claimed as being original.

I am personally building a "general lee" right now. It was a 318 car that had been converted to a 440 16 years before I purchased it.

If you "yaaaaaawn" at the thought of this car, why waist the time to post here at all.

So many people have this double standard of "it doesn't interest or bother me", but somehow feel the need to make sure that everyone knows that by posting some silly comment on a forum.

It's like saying "oh yeah, well, I'm just gonna leave!" and then hanging around to see if anyone notices or tries to stop you.

Very silly indeed.

I doubt any of the negative posters here have the cash to buy this car anyway. I sure don't, and I make over $80,000.00 a year.

I agree with poster who said the story is interesting. It's kind of amazing the car survived so
many years in that junk yard.

UH60L

eywolf

Trembler

[www.edmunds.com]

Its a really cool story, lots of pics/video/etc.

DJFriar

Long ago I read the story of the guy who found a whole mess of second unit cars in Burbank, CA which a Mopar collectors club purchased. The cars were in dreadful shape and a collection of horror stories: Earl Scheib orange paint jobs, seats that were spray painted tan for the cameras. Engines chained back in place or set a couple inches back in the compartment.

Hmm. It's almost like cars weren't meant to go 6 feet in the air...

SundaySunday

When I was a kid my buddies and I used to ride our bikes to Veluzat's shop where they stored all the military equipt they rented to the movie studios. Veluzat's provided the Jeeps and other stuff for the TV show "MASH", among many others.

One day we saw several 68-70 Dodge Chargers on their lot, a couple just painted bright orange. They told us they were building them for a new TV show. They were also installing decals and light bars on plain white Dodge Monaco police cars. Turns out Veluzat's had the vehicle supply contract with Warner Bros for the Dukes TV show. I distinctly recall seeing one Charger that was almost done; the paint job was much nicer than the others, the interior was in excellent condition and they'd dressed up the engine. I was told that was going to be a show car to promote the new show, the others would be used in production. Wonder if it's this car?

Veluzat's had a storage lot a couple miles away with all sorts of vehicles, including car loads of new Dodge police cars and every Charger they could get their hands on. At one time I saw a stack of newspapers they were combing thru, looking for Chargers for sale to be used on the show. Old man Veluzat told me they would buy, then wreck, brand new Monacos quicker than the CHP could get new units for their inventory.

Uncle Bo, ironically aestheticized

That's the story of last year's Hemmings Muscle car of the year. It's a 70 Judge one-of-none convertible that was rebuilt from a VIN and the bulkhead, basically. A complete 30K mile Le Mans hardtop with the same interior was gutted for the parts to do it.

thatguy01

Fixed it for you.

thatguy01

DOH!

And by the way, I agree with you. One more thing to add: Hey dillhole "restoring" that 2-door hardtop/ragtop: The world is not your partscar. Save some sedans and wagons for those of us not hung up on what "desireable" cars are "worth".

Slantsick goes hybrid: Burns Oil and Rubber

Definitely deserves more than to languish in some rich bastard's heated garage. Hell, not even Jay Leno is worthy of keeping it. Put it in the Smithsonian next to the Spirit of St. Louis.

bzr

OneWithNature

I was a huge fan of this TV show, too- when I was five!

P.S. Not every 1957-'58 Plymouth has to be red & white, either.

Slantsick goes hybrid: Burns Oil and Rubber

NOW WITH TYPING CORRECTIONS!!!

Stuff this really makes no sense to me... If you can forge false documents for blood diamonds, you can fake an "original" General Lee... it's all so staked on claims, it's disgusting!

Hey, you bastards fixing up "priceless" cars... stop ruining my ability to buy a stylish old car for cheap and enjoy it as is!! No I dont want to pay $6K for a rusted out convertible 66 Impala... DICKS!

Plus for about $50K I think, there's a dude on eBay that has a constant rotating stock of General Lees and other Chargers he restores...

om nom de plume

Hey, you bastards fixing up "priceless" cars... stop ruining my ability to buy a stylish old car for cheap and enjoy it as is!! No I dont want to pay $6K for a rusted out convertible 66 Impala... DICKS!

Plus for about $50K I think, there's a dude on eBay that has a constant rotating stock fo general Lees and other chargers he creates...

om nom de plume

FЯeeMan is slowly cЯawling out of the new commenting system

Rick Astley