Here's How Many Dodge Chargers Were Destroyed In The Dukes Of Hazzard

Tom Cruise is renowned in Hollywood for his willingness to perform his own stunts. This is unusual, of course, because making movies and TV shows can require some outlandish, dangerous feats. Risking some of the world's biggest acting talents is one thing, but won't somebody think of the cars?When creating a show like "The Dukes of Hazzard," two things are certain: Some beautiful, speedy vehicles will be involved, and those vehicles are going to take considerable punishment. This lends a production so much excitement and realism, but it also means that expensive losses are all but inevitable.

The most famous vehicle in the stable of "The Dukes of Hazzard" was the General Lee, a Dodge Charger that had its part to play in the rise to fame of the Dodge Charger R/T (as did the model family's prominent role in movies such as "Bullitt"). But they had to suffer for their star turn in the show. Lots of Chargers were destroyed during the making of "The Dukes of Hazzard," at what is believed to be an alarming rate. 

While it's impossible to provide a definitive, exact number of totaled Chargers the show left in its wake, we'll take a look at the estimated numbers. 

When it comes to "Dukes of Hazzard" trivia, acting icon John Schneider is more than qualified to give his opinion. After all, over the show's run from 1979 to 1985, Schneider portrayed Bo Duke himself. And decades after the show ended, he continues to be asked about every aspect of his most famous role. In an interview with Studio 10 in February 2021, talk naturally turned to the General Lee and the  Dodge Charger. 

Schneider gave his view on the heavy toll the show took on the iconic TV car, stating that "my conservative estimate is 329" of the cars were used up over the course of series. It's a very specific number, and the actor went on to explain how he arrived at it: "150 shows, two cars a show, a little room in there for error." Of course, precise numbers are probably impossible to provide decades later, but this gives an excellent ballpark figure from somewhere who was there and saw so many brave stunt cars smash in the line of duty. 

Schneider may have been joking to a certain extent, wanting to highlight just how wild some of the jumps, chases, and other stunts were on "The Dukes of Hazzard," but he's far from the only one to suggest such a high Charger toll.

When you're producing a popular TV show, it's fair to say that you'll have a trick or two up your sleeve. If approximately 300 vehicles played the part of the General Lee over the course of the show, and most of them were consigned to the scrap heap over the course of filming, a steady supply of Chargers was needed. Where did they come from?

Because 1969 Chargers were at least 10 years old, they became harder and harder to source. Not all the cars used on the show were genuine '69 Chargers, though. The show's budget let the "Dukes of Hazzard" team disguise other model years of Charger as the real deal. Depending on camera angles, screen time and so on, even the most eagle-eyed vehicle expert might struggle to tell the difference. At the very least, they might be far too wrapped up in the show's trademark high-speed action to dwell on it.

Purchasing private vehicles and repurposing similar models (such as AMC's formidable Ambassador) helped to keep the show rolling, but you might be wondering just how so many vehicles were destroyed. If you look closely at the strain on the General Lee's body as it lands after taking off from a ramp, you've probably got an idea.

According to the Volo Auto Museum in Lake County, Illinois, over 230 Chargers were not only damaged but destroyed during the filming of the show. The museum is home to a very special General Lee, one of just six made for "The Dukes of Hazzard" while the first episodes were being filmed in Georgia. Three of them were wrecked, and the museum's version is an entirely original model. Why, though, were so many Lees destroyed, and why is it so rare to see an original in original condition?

As any fan will know, nary an episode went by without the Dukes performing a dramatic jump in their iconic Charger. The trouble is, the cars weren't really up to performing the maneuver. As John Schneider put it to Studio 10, "They didn't land well... when you hit the ramp, the damage is already done... the radiator usually gets pushed back, the fan comes through the radiator..." 

Damage to the motor and other components occurred before even landing, the actor noted, with the result that very few of the cars driven on the show survived in healthy enough condition to be reused, with some of the rest salvaged for usable components. Some great models in the Dodge Charger family have been released over the years, but being the General Lee certainly wasn't an easy gig for any of them. 

[Image by Valder137 via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 2.0]