One of the most iconic automobiles in TV history, the General Lee 1969 Dodge Charger from the Dukes of Hazzard is a tremendously cool machine. In excess of 300 cars were built for the show, plus 26 for the 2005 movie starring Seann William Scott as Bo, Johnny Knoxville as Luke, Willie Nelson as Uncle Jesse, and Burt Reynolds as Boss Hogg.
How many of those cars are still with us today in working order is nigh-on impossible to determine. On the other hand, the destruction of so many cars in over-the-top ways by Bo and Luke elevated General Lee to bedroom poster material during a time when American automobiles were anything but exciting. Lest we forget, Dukes of Hazzard aired when the Malaise Era was in full swing.
The series ran between 1979 and 1985. During this period, the only Charger available was a front-wheel-drive subcompact with four-cylinder engine choices. Dodge Charger production came to a grinding halt in 1987, only for Chrysler to revive the Charger as a rear-wheel-drive sedan in 2005 for the 2006 model year with the help of Mercedes-Benz (as part of the DaimlerChrysler alliance).
Better late than never, Stellantis pulled the plug on the DaimlerChrysler-era Charger in December 2023. It won't be long until the next generation enters production. Stellantis, namely the colossus resulted from the merger of FCA and PSA, has recently teased the near-production 2025 Dodge Charger in the form of a three-door liftback that looks much closer to the 1969 model from Dukes of Hazzard than the 2006 through 2023 Charger.
Given the visual similarities between these cars, automotive visualist and 3D artist Timothy Adry Emmanuel couldn't resist imagining a 21st century General Lee. His rendering mixes design elements from the Charger Daytona SRT concept and the real thing, along with 01 decals on the doors, a push bumper, and the Confederate flag.
Photo: @adry53customs on Instagram
Pictured with BFGoodrich rubber boots and Hot Wheels-like alloy wheels, Timothy Adry Emmanuel's take on General Lee further sports two Banshee decals on the front fenders. Banshee is Dodge vernacular for an 800-volt setup, although not much is known about said powertrain other than a rough estimate of 800-plus electric horsepower.
Lower down the spectrum, 400-volt choices include the Charger 340 with 455 horsepower and the Charger 440 with 590 horsepower. Both can be upgraded with Direct Connection eStage packages. The Charger 440 eStage2 is rated at 670 horsepower, which is down 37 ponies from the first version of the 6.2-liter Hellcat supercharged V8.
Looking at the glass half full, the 2025 Dodge Charger will also be available with internal combustion. Stellantis confirmed the STLA Large platform of the all-new Charger with both ICE and hybridized powertrains, and in regard to ICEs, the most likely candidate for the Charger is the 3.0-liter Hurricane twin-turbo straight-six.
The sixer develops up to 540 horsepower and 521 pound-feet (706 Nm) of twist in the 2025 Ram 1500 pickup truck, which makes it a bit punchier than the 6.4-liter version of the soon-to-be-discontinued HEMI. Unfortunately, the Hurricane plays second fiddle to the naturally aspirated HEMI and the supercharged Hellcat in terms of aural pleasure.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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