Bo's Chargers: John Schneider, aka Bo Duke, Builds General Lee Clones
We are amazed at the frenzy that continues to surround the revival of the Dukes of Hazzard television series now in syndication. The high ratings show no signs of falling and have given birth to a new generation of Dukes fans infatuated with the world's best known '69 Charger - The General Lee.
Warner Brothers used approximately 300 Chargers in making the series - of which around 20 cars are known to have survived. That leaves a lot of people wanting a General Lee of their own. While hundreds of clones have been built, cars actually attached to the show are rare commodities.
John Schneider, better known as "Bo Duke"realized that there just weren't enough Generals to go around. Being a car enthusiast as well, he decided to build a limited number of General Lee clones and call them "Bo's General Lee". That way there's no copyright problems with Warner Brothers and with his direct involvement with the cars, fans of the show would have Bo Duke owned and driven General Lees.
John says, "I was a huge fan of 'Smokey and the Bandit' so I know what it's like to be a nut over a car that I've seen in the movies or on television. So having been a part of what many call the most famous and recognizable car in the world (the General Lee), I wanted to make a couple available to people who are as crazy about the car as I am about Burt Reynold's Trans Am from Smokey and the Bandit. If I could get my hands on Burt's personal '76 black and gold Trans Am, I'd do back flips to get it!"
John's built four "Bo's General Lees". Two have already gone to happy new owners. Cars #3 and #4, which John's posing with at his California home, were recently completed. Car #3 is powered by a 383, while cars #1 and #2 were 318 motivated cars. Car #4, which is serving as John's personal General Lee, will soon have a 426 Hemi transplanted. That should make this the only Hemi powered General Lee in the land.
Car #4 started life as a '68 Charger, but was expertly converted to look like a '69 - as were many of the cars used in the series. This one appeared with John in several commercials for his production company, Faithworks, and starred with him in his film "Behind the Scenes with Bo".
John wanted his "Bo's General Lee" to stand apart from the crowd. Doing some work himself and farming out some to area shops, it's taken about a year to build the four new Generals. John says the cars are more accurate copies of the cars used in the series. They're more detailed than the cars in the show or the remake movie. All have correct roll bar, tan interior, alloy wheels, front bumper/grille guard, and paint. They have custom license plate frames identifying them as part of this special edition.
While car #4 is John's favorite, he's not opposed to selling it. According to John, "The '69 Dodge Charger is, in my opinion, the very best looking Mopar car ever made. It's also the best handling in my experience and it's the most fun to drive, regardless of what engine's up front."
It's doubtful there will be more Bo's General Lees in the future. If you want to own one, we'd advise you call John's office at 818-991-XXXX. No word yet if there will be a "Luke's General Lee", but we'd like to officially go on record as starting that rumor here and now.