The History of "The Colonel"...Part 2

[THE COLONEL]

THE HISTORY OF "THE COLONEL". PART 2[/i]

In 2005, I attended my first Dukesfest with my Charger.  In all the years of Dukesfest, I have only missed one......but that is a different story.  The Colonel got quite a few looks, and I did overhear hear many times that year, people calling it Daisy's yellow car which, was a Roadrunner.  It ain't no Roadrunner sister! I just take that with a grain of salt when I hear it.  Anyway, after the "Parade of General Lee's" on Bristol Motor Speedway in 2005, we all get in line on Pit Road, with the hopes of getting autographs from the cast of the Dukes of Hazzard.  Now before I had gone to Bristol for Dukesfest, I had the underside of The Colonel's trunk lid painted orange, so I could retrieve the autographs I needed. 



My thought was to get the autographs now, and when the rest of the car is painted orange, the trunk lid would now match.  I did have the thoughts of leaving the underside of the lid yellow with the signatures on it, just for a little reminder, that, after the car turned orange, it would still have a piece of The Colonel in it.  Well, as we are lined up ready for autographs, and I have my video camera on, here comes John Schneider, AKA Bo Duke.  As he rounds the car he says to me..  "This is a nice car.  I was watching this car go around the track".  As he is signing the underside of the trunk lid, he laughs, and says to me..."Now, why is the underside of this trunk lid orange"?  I tell him it will be a General Lee, and he says to me....."You are going to take this beautiful, gorgeous, yellow R/T (it's not an R/T, but I didn't argue) and make a General Lee out of it"?  Well, what do you tell Bo Duke.  I told him yeah, it would be, but it's name right now is The Colonel, until it's upgraded in rank to a General.  He then said....."I don't know.....I couldn't do it, it's too beautiful...I wouldn't do it".  Word spread quick about what John Schneider had said to me, and about The Colonel,  and I was now almost beside myself on what to do with the car.  Paint it or not?  You can't get a much higher opinion, then Bo Dukes!  After Dukesfest 05, the popularity of the car took off.  My brother went as far as to surprise me with papers that he even copyrighted the name, "The Colonel", for a Dodge Charger.

It seemed no matter where I went now, even locally, everyone knew it as The Colonel.  As the popularity peeked for the time, I was even asked to do parties with The Colonel.  One child in particular, about 7 years of age, at a local cruise, was almost in tears when I let him sit on the door like they did with the General Lee.  His father told me they have seen this car on the internet, and it was his son's favorite car.  This is what this hobby is about to me.  Making kids smile!  There are also a few video games that you are able to make your own car, and there have been a few people that have made The Colonel, along with a General Lee, by using the Charger model.  That really shocked me, by seeing screen caps of The Colonel in a video game!









I took The Colonel back to Dukesfest 06 in Nashville, TN, and was again amazed at the amount of pictures being taken of it.  Now wheather these people knew this as The Colonel or not, or just thought it was a neat a looking car, I don't know.  I just know there were cameras on it all day long.  That year the stunt drivers made a big deal over the name, and the twist it had on the show when they signed it.  Henry Kingi who did quite a bit of stunt work on the show, absolutely loved the name of the car when I told him, and how it came about to be The Colonel.  Also meeting members in person from all the clubs I'm in, is a real treat, and all of them tell me not to change the car, as there is only 1 Colonel, but many General Lee's.  Now there have been a few people that have talked to John Schneider, and relayed the word to me, that John in fact, does remember the car.  Next comes something I will never forget.

As Dukesfest 07 comes up quickly, I'm asked by two good friends, Derrick Perkins, and Jett Yaskow, and his lovely significant other, Natalie to be a part of the Pit Crew for this years Dukesfest.  Of course I did not decline.  The down side this year, was that to have a car be a part of the autograph session, it had to be a Hazzard County vehicle, and not a tribute car.  Well, The Colonel kind of rode both sides of the fence in a way.  Granite it was not a General Lee yet, as it was just missing the orange paint, and decals, but Bo Duke also did tell me not to paint it, which I was obeying his wishes at the time.  So there are some that thought the Colonel should have been included in the autograph session, because, if not for Bo Duke telling me not to paint it, it would have been done by now, and you can't hold that against me for obeying John Schneider's wishes.  But there are also others that would have complained, because a yellow Charger was in there, and not theirs, which I completely understand.  Well, as time got closer to the autograph session, I was called By Jett to come over to the Nashville Palace, behind Cooter's Place, and come inside as all the cast was there....and to bring The Colonel.  As it turned out, plans were being made by Jett, and John Schneider, to have John drive The Colonel into the autograph session.  Well, as things got very busy with the dinner, and autograph session, it was a little late as I went to pick John up in The Colonel, as he already left for the event.  Toward the end of the autograph session, I am told to get The Colonel, as I am taking John back to his hotel.  As I get The Colonel, and pull into the autograph session, many are wandering what is going on with this yellow Charger.  Well, My son was with me as he sat in the back seat, and John puts his guitar in the trunk, and his wife gets in the back seat too.  I ask John if he wants to drive, and his word is "absolutely"!



As I told John about the car, while he drove The Colonel, he did remember it from Bristol in 2005, and was glad I had not painted it.  He stated to me, it was the "most unique car here".  After we arrived at the Opryland Hotel, I told him that he finally drove The Colonel, and he said "the Colonel is great, The Colonel is good".  So, once again The Colonel adds to his legacy. 

This Winter The Colonel will go through a transformation, but it's not what you think.  The Colonel will say goodbye to the 318 engine for a rebuilt Big Block.  Possibly a 440, with 450 HP..if the price is right.  If not, a rebuilt 383 will then take its place.  The engine bay, and underside of the hood, will be all black to match the color scheme of The Colonel.....until when...who knows!

.....TO BE CONTINUED[/i]

[Brock Samson]

quite the two part thread,... well three if ya count the double posting of part two,... 
i think that's DC.Com history right there,...

I can understand your pride and congradulate you on the recognition...  She is a sweet one,..

i have thought a few times of making mine a General Sherman but i don't think that would go over too well... 
besides he was a horrifficly corrupt president... 

[THE COLONEL]

Yeah, I can't delete the double post if it's my own topic.  If some else can that would be good.  I had two screens up so i could post then right behind the other, and when I went to do it, it said I can't post that soon after I posted another topic.  So I waited, and posted it again.  Well, it might tell you that you have to wait 15 seconds, but it still posted it.  Oh well.  Thanks for the kind words.  I really enjoyed writing this, and could have done more, but didn't want to bore ya'll!

[69bronzeT5]

Man, that is the coolest story Ive read in a LONG time!!!

[The70RT]

I haven't been on long but as soon as i seen it I thought it was a cool thing to do. Great story. With all the hype I bet the value increased because of this. Yep get a 440

[GreenMachine]

quite the two part thread,... well three if ya count the double posting of part two,... 
i think that's DC.Com history right there,...

I can understand your pride and congradulate you on the recognition...  She is a sweet one,..

i have thought a few times of making mine a General Sherman but i don't think that would go over too well... 
besides he was a horrifficly corrupt president... 

   I thought of making a General Grant just because there is too much lettering in General Sherman. Paint it blueish gray with a U.S. flag and a 10 on the side and maybe use a '70. I think that would've been a better rival than the mustang rival. I told a friend of mine about it and he said there's a PC game called Interstate 76 that didn't have a licensing agreement for their cars and had to use spoofs. He said there's a Charger similar to that in the game.

[Charger1973]

quite the two part thread,... well three if ya count the double posting of part two,... 
i think that's DC.Com history right there,...

I can understand your pride and congradulate you on the recognition...  She is a sweet one,..

i have thought a few times of making mine a General Sherman but i don't think that would go over too well... 
besides he was a horrifficly corrupt president... 

   I thought of making a General Grant just because there is too much lettering in General Sherman. Paint it blueish gray with a U.S. flag and a 10 on the side and maybe use a '70. I think that would've been a better rival than the mustang rival. I told a friend of mine about it and he said there's a PC game called Interstate 76 that didn't have a licensing agreement for their cars and had to use spoofs. He said there's a Charger similar to that in the game.

Yeah that I-76 game was fun back in the day...  There was just a post about that game and the car recently.

The "General Grant" idea has been around for a while actually, check out this link.. 

http://www.cogulus.com/blog/archives/t/The-General-Grant-88.php

[Ghoste]

Cool story.  I always like reading the tales of how some cars recieve nicknames.

[Charger_Fan]

Great story, thanks for taking the time to write that!
I like the orange on the underside of the trunk lid...sorta like saying "The Colonel has a little Dukes in it"...or "a GL in yellow clothing".

[THE COLONEL]

Great story, thanks for taking the time to write that!
I like the orange on the underside of the trunk lid...sorta like saying "The Colonel has a little Dukes in it"...or "a GL in yellow clothing".

That's what I tell people.  It has just a little Dukes in it.  You have no idea, that just because the underside of the lid is orange, how many people ask me if it was used in the show.  Sometimes, I just want to do this to them...... ........It's quite amusing when I get asked that!

[blackcharger]

awsome story, thanks for sharing! I looked at your profile and found out we're neighbors(sort of) I live below East Liverpool, O, and I have family in Beaver Falls and New Brighton. Maybe I'll see you out in the Colonel. I'd let him yellow for sure!

[THE COLONEL]

awsome story, thanks for sharing! I looked at your profile and found out we're neighbors(sort of) I live below East Liverpool, O, and I have family in Beaver Falls and New Brighton. Maybe I'll see you out in the Colonel. I'd let him yellow for sure!

Come on over for the cruise in New Brighton.  That one is on July 28th, and then Beaver's big cruise is on the 5th of August.  I'll be there for both of them!