The Very First General Lee Was Painted Green Before Being Found In A Scrap Yard And Restored

If we were to talk about the holy grail of all movie cars, what would it be? We would be inclined to think that the General Lee from the Dukes of Hazzard might just be that car. Naturally, with a car that has been involved in so many stunts, there were way more than one of them. However, the first-ever General Lee would probably be the find of all finds. Furthermore, we learn that there are only 17 originals existing.

As a result of wild stunt sequences, the original turned out to be a bit of a wreck. As we learn in this VINWiki video, the series had eventually called for a wrecked race car, though. Therefore, the original Lee was desecrated by slapping a coat of green paint on the highly destroyed ride. It’s not too difficult to see how it might be lost forever once the car hit a junkyard. Very few folks probably knew of the fate of the original.

However, Travis Bell, the owner of Celebrity Machines has more Dukes knowledge than most. Therefore, when he spotted the car rotting away in a junkyard, he knew exactly what he found. Unfortunately, for Travis, the owner also knew exactly what the car was. Because the yard owner’s grandson was in love with the Dukes, he was determined to keep the car. Even though he had no plans other than letting it sit there, the car would be left to rot.

By following along below, we get to hear more about the story that had the original General Lee sold for just $500. Let’s just say that the sale wouldn’t come without a bit of planning out convincing. From there, the sale included three of the original police cars from the show as well for $1200. The story of General Lee would only evolve until the machine would be fully restored.

It certainly was easier said than done.

Let’s just say that things were rather rough. The car was a complete disaster, to put it lightly. However, we find that where there’s a will, there’s a way. This is one wild anecdote that you’re not going to want to miss.