Hotrod Road Show

1969 ‘General Lee’ Charger

By Brian Earnest

Brian Grams has had a lot of cars come and go from the Volo Auto Museum collection over the years. Movie cars, TV star cars, celebrity cars … he’s seen a little of everything as the director of the well-known museum/collection/dealer located about 50 miles east of Chicago.

But even Grams admits that few cars he has dealt with have had a story quite as fun, juicy and noteworthy as the 1969 “General Lee” Dodge Charger that serves as one of the museum fleet’s biggest attractions. The General Lee, of course, was the four-wheeled star that was driven hard and put away dirty by redneck cousins Bo and Luke Duke in the iconic “Dukes of Hazzard” series that ran from 1979 to 1985. The car — well, there were actually about 256 “Generals” that were driven and wrecked on film in the series — became a main character on the show, rivaled in popularity perhaps only by Daisy Duke’s short shorts.

Few cars have ever been more recognizable than the Dukes’ Charger. So how did one of the coveted authentic Chargers actually built for the show avoid winding up as property of the Warner Brothers studios, eventually disappear for more than two decades, then show up again as an authentic, unrestored TV prop with huge collector appeal?

As far as Grams is concerned, it’s the “barn find factor,” along with the way that WB was hoodwinked out of the car, that make the Volo Museum’s General Lee one of the most original, collectible and interesting of the remaining ’69 General Lee Chargers.

“When we saw the car advertised, we really didn’t know what the car was all about,” Grams admitted. “For us, it had all the Warner Brothers paperwork, and that’s all we cared about. There was a three-ring binder filled with tons of stuff about the car. It has bills of sale and all kinds of other documentation. But then we started into it and finding out more, and people were saying, ‘Oh, you’ve got THAT car?’ That car disappeared, and we were wondering what happened to it.’”

Story and photos by Brian Earnest

It’s pretty hard to argue with Larry Schneider’s theory for why he has never seriously considered parting with his handsome 1969 Pontiac Bonneville convertible.

” I figure if I sell it, sure I’ll have the money. But in five years, the money will be gone, and they’ll have the car!” he reasons with a laugh. “I’ll just spend the money, so I might as well keep the car!”

That pretty much covers why the Fort Atkinson, Wis., resident has hung onto his big convertible since 1982. Back then, it was just a 13-year-old used car that nobody really seemed to want.

Car of the Week: 1969 Pontiac Bonneville convertible | Old Cars Weekly.

One of two such Cadillacs that Ghia built on the Series 62 chassis for the 1953 Paris Auto Salon, Ghia chief Luigi Segre intended to use it to foster a working relationship between the two companies, similar to the relationship Ghia was establishing with Chrysler at the time. Instead, Prince Aly Khan spotted it on the stand and bought it then and there for his wife, actress Rita Hayworth. What good it did their foundering marriage can be debated – the couple divorced that year – but from that point on it became known as the Rita Hayworth Cadillac, landing on the cover of Road and Track, ending up in the Petersen Automotive Museum’s collection and even playing a bit part in Iron Man 2. Spectators at this year’s Glenmoor Gathering of Significant Automobiles can get an up-close look at it as it goes on display as part of the Glenmoor’s special class of Ghia-built cars.

via Rita Hayworth Cadillac, Chrysler Turbine to headline Ghia class at Glenmoor at Hemmings Blog: Classic and collectible cars and parts.

1978 Cadillac Eldorado

By Brian Earnest

Dave Evans’ uber-fancy 1978 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz isn’t just a car fit for a king.It was a car built in honor of “The King” himself.Elvis Presley left us back in August of 1977, and not long after his passing, a Tennessee woman who apparently worshipped the legendary crooner decided she needed a Cadillac to remember him by. Actually, she decided she needed a pair of them, so she ordered two loaded-to-the-gills 1978 Eldorado Biarritz Customs — a brown one and a brilliant white car with a red interior.After getting the keys from Bill Gatton Chevrolet-Cadillac in Bristol, Tenn., the woman took the cars directly to the inspection station, then straight home to her garage. There, she parked the white Eldorado, with 145 miles on its odometer.And the car never moved again.

via Old Cars Weekly -.

Ford Mustang Mach 1

Story and photos By Brian Earnest

Mark Ciesielski had looked far and wide for his dream Mustang. For two years, he scoured classified ads and chased dead ends. Eventually, his dream machine showed up in the last place he expected to find it: right outside his front door.“One day this one showed up at my neighbor’s house,” said Ciesielski with a grin. “The guy who owned it was friends with my neighbor, and I just said to my wife [Cathy], ‘Look out the window at this Mustang!’ There was just something different about it … A year later it went up for sale and we were the first ones that had the opportunity to buy it.“I had asked my neighbor if it was is for sale, but he said no, the guy restored this one for his personal use. But he ended up buying a Boss 302 a year later … As soon as I heard about it, I was right there at his doorstep.

via Old Cars Weekly – Car of the Week: 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1.