Another '69 Destroyed (on purpose)...

[dodge freak]

We live in a violent world, people like to see others get killed and cars busted up. Look at boxing and even football. Thats what we think is entertainment.

[Mike DC]

 
I'm at least partly drawn to the technical work that goes into making a Charger fly like that. 

It sounds easy until you try it. 

----------------------------------------------------------------

I mean, Evel Kinevel had huge shallow ramps to bring him up gradually and completely control his launch. 

But not the General Lee.  The GL's jump ramp is basically no taller/longer than the car and yet the jumps are huge.  The car hits the ramp hard enough to bend the unibody, and the car's "bounce" upwards off the ramp is so big/violent that it has to be taken into consideration when they're planning out the jump.

And then there's the distance, direction, and landing angle:

It's the same principle with accurate gun shots . . . the farther the bullet flies, the more every little imperfection in your aim will put it off course.  Trying to keep the car's attitude & flight under control when the car flies 200 feet is not easy.

 

[Lowprofile]

I Just don't get it.

I know that those of you on this board who own real GL's or have built clones truly love your cars & have put many hours of hard work and tons of cash into them. Why does anyone on this board support, in any way, people or companies who do these things to something that we supposedly hold dearly? Why go to "Dukefest" or any other celebration of the death of something we love. That's just one more Charger that goes to the crusher........ or that someone pays a STUPID amount of money for just to own a GL jump car. All that does is encourage these morons to hold another festival next year to destroy another beautiful car. 

"There are two kinds of People in the World.........Those who leave a Mark, and Those who leave a Stain"

[8WHEELER]

I Just don't get it.

I know that those of you on this board who own real GL's or have built clones truly love your cars & have put many hours of hard work and tons of cash into them. Why does anyone on this board support, in any way, people or companies who do these things to something that we supposedly hold dearly? Why go to "Dukefest" or any other celebration of the death of something we love. That's just one more Charger that goes to the crusher........ or that someone pays a STUPID amount of money for just to own a GL jump car. All that does is encourage these morons to hold another festival next year to destroy another beautiful car. 

  I will never understand jumping one of our loved chargers, then hearing the screeming happy people
while watching the video, I wish I had not clicked on the video, never again.

OK, These guys put back together a 69 Charger R/T from these jumps, can you imagine how much of the car is actually
left of the car that was actually jumped after the restoration? There is no usable parts left on the car, so what could
possibly be the interest in seeing a car ''they say'' was the car that was jumped? everything on the car would be new
from other donor cars to fix it   


Dan

[tan top]

I Just don't get it.

I know that those of you on this board who own real GL's or have built clones truly love your cars & have put many hours of hard work and tons of cash into them. Why does anyone on this board support, in any way, people or companies who do these things to something that we supposedly hold dearly? Why go to "Dukefest" or any other celebration of the death of something we love. That's just one more Charger that goes to the crusher........ or that someone pays a STUPID amount of money for just to own a GL jump car. All that does is encourage these morons to hold another festival next year to destroy another beautiful car. 

  I will never understand jumping one of our loved chargers, then hearing the screeming happy people
while watching the video, I wish I had not clicked on the video, never again.

OK, These guys put back together a 69 Charger R/T from these jumps, can you imagine how much of the car is actually
left of the car that was actually jumped after the restoration? There is no usable parts left on the car, so what could
possibly be the interest in seeing a car ''they say'' was the car that was jumped? everything on the car would be new
from other donor cars to fix it   


Dan

                i agree well said guys ,

[Ghoste]

The "milllionaire shop owner" (I believe we had some better names for him when the event was current), who staged the jump with the remains going to e-bay, would not likely have concieved the stunt if it weren't for events like this.  He wasn't a Dodge fan and I think most of us felt his Chevy bias had more than a little to do with his determination to destroy the car.  If he didn't see the recent movie or read about people lining up at Dukesfests and buyers scrambling to own the hulks, would he have destroyed that car by his own idea?  Maybe, but maybe not.

[Mike DC]

 
I don't know what to think of that one.  I was there, I even met the guy responsible, and I still don't get it.
It should be noted that the whole thing was not an attempt to make money.  At least not directly. 

--  The entire jump/event was held for FREE. 
No admission charge at all.  There was even free food for the crowd.  It was all a publicity stunt for his shop. 

--  I think the GL jump was basically expected to be a money-loser from the start. 
Between the Ebay price of the car last year ($35K) and the price of the jump itself, they probably had almost $50,000 tied up in that car by the time it jumped.  Nobody was ever gonna bid that high for a wrecked GL and they must've known it.  (Heck, the NON-wrecked real prop cars still don't always sell for that much.)

-------------------------------------------------------

I dunno.  It was a weird scene that day. 
Stupid idea to wreck the car from the start, and I don't know what he thought he was gonna get out of it.

 

[JimShine]

I know that those of you on this board who own real GL's or have built clones truly love your cars & have put many hours of hard work and tons of cash into them. Why does anyone on this board support, in any way, people or companies who do these things to something that we supposedly hold dearly?

I am a clone owner. I do not support this stuff. But what am I supposed to do? Blow a gasket everytime it happens? It isn't worth the energy. I don't have the means to save every Charger. I had to make a decision to either get an ulcer everytime this type of thing happens, or let it roll off my back. I chose to let it go. Maybe it is selfish, but I can't let myself get bent everytime an appliance is wasted. I love them just as much as anyone here, but I can't let it get to me.

[Neal_J]

I could watch that video all day long.  Love it!

The jumps were the best part of the original series.

Sorry guys,

Neal J.

[Mike DC]

Why does anyone on this board support, in any way, people or companies who do these things to something that we supposedly hold dearly? Why go to "Dukefest" or any other celebration of the death of something we love.

There's a Charger being wrecked for a grand total of 30 seconds each year, out of an entire weekend full of other stuff.
For GL owners, these "Dukesfest" events are like the Mopar Nationals or something.

I mean, seriously . . . a HUNDRED General Lees and several dozen squad cars in one place?  Can you blame us for wanting to go? 
We get to hang out with our friends (and their cars) at a huge show once a year.  And we get to meet the stunt crew & stars of the show.  And we take hundreds of excited grade school kids for tire-burning rides in our Chargers over the course of the weekend. 

For all the bad press "Dukesfest" has gotten between bad rules & wrecked Chargers, there's still a lot more to it than that.  There's been a lot to get angry about, but there's also a lot to get excited about (if and when the show is being organized right).

 

[Charger Aficionado]

  I would've LOVED to take my kid there...

[472 R/T SE]

Great reply Jim Shine.
Why do some people worry so much about what someone else does with their car anyways?

[The Ghoul]

They made a 200+ paved to paved jump in an original bucket!!!!
That's fricking insane!!

Ma well, Id rather see some one jump and destroy a car and enjoy it for 15 seconds, than to keep it penned up in a garage only to be brought out occasionally. Thats just me I guess.

[Ghoste]

You'd rather see someone jump and destroy a car over saving it in a garage but you chose auto restoration for a hobby??

[Neal_J]

A car that is jumped/destroyed is, albeit brieflly, enjoyed by a large bunch of people.  Wereas the car penned up in the garage is enjoyed by one person. 

Jumps are cool !!

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE HAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWW

Neal

[The Ghoul]

You'd rather see someone jump and destroy a car over saving it in a garage but you chose auto restoration for a hobby??

Nope I chose cars as a hobby.
My charger restoration is more of a ground up customization rather than a factory spec restoration.
And yes I would rather see some one enjoy a minute of use out of a car over a life time of polishing and moving it in and out of the garage.

[Ghoste]

Wow.  Sorry guys, but I don't understand your rationale at all.  I guess I'm just not a destroy irreplaceable objects kind of person.

[Andrew]

Thats really, really depressing.

[Shakey]

Wow.  Sorry guys, but I don't understand your rationale at all.  I guess I'm just not a destroy irreplaceable objects kind of person.

You forgot to put the word "anymore" at the end of your second sentence Ghoste!   

[Shakey]

Great reply Jim Shine.
Why do some people worry so much about what someone else does with their car anyways?

You should see the threads on this site when someone on e-bay decides to part out a car that others feel should be saved!   

[Afflyer]

I've got Corey's autograph, along with James Best (Roscoe), on the upper grill support of my Charger from the first ever Duke's Day Fest in Little Rock.

That was in the Spring of '04 and my first ever car show.  Corey asked me if he could take my Charger out for a "spin" in front of the local news cameras, but I opted out and just got his signature instead.

Corey did manage to get behind the wheel of another Charger, and in the process of showing off in front of the cameras- took out the rear end of that Charger!!!!  No worries from him though, he paid cash up front for a brand new rear and had it installed by the end of the day.

Corey is a great guy- I hope he recovers quickly.

Bradley

[Lowprofile]

I know that those of you on this board who own real GL's or have built clones truly love your cars & have put many hours of hard work and tons of cash into them. Why does anyone on this board support, in any way, people or companies who do these things to something that we supposedly hold dearly?

I am a clone owner. I do not support this stuff. But what am I supposed to do? Blow a gasket everytime it happens? It isn't worth the energy. I don't have the means to save every Charger. I had to make a decision to either get an ulcer everytime this type of thing happens, or let it roll off my back. I chose to let it go. Maybe it is selfish, but I can't let myself get bent everytime an appliance is wasted. I love them just as much as anyone here, but I can't let it get to me.

I agree with you. All I am saying is that as a group who loves these cars, we should not support these people, companies, or their events. That would not be so hard for any of us to do.

Why does anyone on this board support, in any way, people or companies who do these things to something that we supposedly hold dearly? Why go to "Dukefest" or any other celebration of the death of something we love.

There's a Charger being wrecked for a grand total of 30 seconds each year, out of an entire weekend full of other stuff.
For GL owners, these "Dukesfest" events are like the Mopar Nationals or something.

I mean, seriously . . . a HUNDRED General Lees and several dozen squad cars in one place?  Can you blame us for wanting to go? 
We get to hang out with our friends (and their cars) at a huge show once a year.  And we get to meet the stunt crew & stars of the show.  And we take hundreds of excited grade school kids for tire-burning rides in our Chargers over the course of the weekend. 

For all the bad press "Dukesfest" has gotten between bad rules & wrecked Chargers, there's still a lot more to it than that.  There's been a lot to get angry about, but there's also a lot to get excited about (if and when the show is being organized right).

 

So, why can't they have a Dukefest without wrecking a Charger?  There is only a finite amount of Chargers left on the planet. Why support anyone who would destroy one just to make a buck. I'm sure those of you who love your GL's & the TV Show & the Movie could put your heads together and plan a great show w/o destroying a Charger.

[The Ghoul]

for the right amount of money any one of you would crush your car into a cube in a second, and every one else wouldn't blame you because it would be a butt load of money!
There are a finite number of these cars, yes. But every one that's wrecked just frees up more parts, panels... ect.. that allows the restorable ones to be fixed. So if you really don't want to add to the destruction of these rare cars never by a part that isn't NOS or re-pop.

As far as my logic I am pretty much saying out of the two extremes I would rather see some one enjoy using there car than some one that enjoys there garage ornament. 
Guess it's the difference between the driver mentality and the owner mentality. 

[Neal_J]

Maybe next year they could shoot dynamite arrows at a remote-controlled, driverless car in mid air.  Thant would be SO cool!

They're junker cars, not priceless works of art.

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEE HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWW

Neal

[Shakey]

So, why can't they have a Dukefest without wrecking a Charger? 

That would be like going to a Who concert in the late '60's and not seeing them trash the stage including their instruments.