If the General Lee had been a Chevelle instead of a Charger

[XS29L]

If the dukes drove a chevelle Rossco would have caught Bo and Luke FOR SURE !!   

[Plum Crazy 68]

Several of my friends had Chevelles because they grew on trees in the Eighties, and they certainly could have crashed more.  DOH might still be on TV today because there are a lot of Chevelles!

[mauve66]

i was into mopars way before ever seeing DOH, watching petty on tv in 73-74 and my dad owning a 69 RR (73-74) did it for me, he had a 67 stang before that (66-73)and i can hardly remember it at all

when i finally saw the DOH in the late 70's it was only because of a girl i was interested in.................

actually a RR is still my fav but i can't afford 2 toys.................

[bull]

It's hard to say but I doubt it. There were lots of popular show cars when I was a kid but none resonated with me like the Charger. Had the Charger been the choice of James Rockford or one of the Simon brothers I probably would have felt the same about it. On the other hand I wonder if the show had been as popular had they picked something else. Doubtful. The 69 Charger just really seems to fit that role.

I imagine it's like asking someone who's experianced love at first sight if it mattered that it took place at the grocery store instead of the dance. Probably not so much where and when as it matters how.

[General_01]

I was a year away from being a Camaro guy. My sister was buying a '67 with a 6 cylinder in it from our cousin. She gave her a down payment, but decided she didn't like the car. I was going to try and save up(I was 14 at the time) and buy it. Our cousin eventually showed up and took the car home since she found another buyer.

[Ghoste]

I had thought of the question as a kind of chicken or egg for the GL fans but it sort of spun into another thing.  Which is cool because that's how conversation should go.  I'll just have to keep wondering I guess.

[General_01]

Good question Ghoste, but tough to answer for me. I liked all the driving shows when I was a kid. The General, KITT, Starsky's Torino, Magnum's Ferrari, Rockford's Firebird, etc., etc. were all cars I wanted to have. The only one of the bunch I did get was the GL. Maybe because I already liked Chargers. Guess we will never know since we can't go back in time and do it.

Anybody got Doc Brown's DeLorean so we can go back in time and create a parallel universe and see?

[Fred]

It was never the show that influenced me. I loved them long before the show was born.

[bobs66440]

Good question Ghoste, but tough to answer for me. I liked all the driving shows when I was a kid. The General, KITT, Starsky's Torino, Magnum's Ferrari, Rockford's Firebird, etc., etc. were all cars I wanted to have. The only one of the bunch I did get was the GL. Maybe because I already liked Chargers.  

Yeah, try to find a Torino that isn't rusted away now. They are very rare in any condition. I'm not a big Ford fan specifically, but that car on that show looked really cool to me.

[c00nhunterjoe]

The show introduced me to the car but I've grown to love it for many of its other features besides the orange paint and confederate flag. Once I bought my car the true appreciation for the charger shined. The lines are incredible. Its in a league of its own compared to other 60's cars.

As for the chevelle question. I'm sure I would have still liked the show no matter what car was used. A chevelle is a fun car to drive but it doesn't have the lines

[Bobby41909]

I was introduced to the Charger by the DOH.  As a kid I fell in love with the hero car but as I got older it was the lines and style that drew me back to find one to restore.  Sure they could have used a different car but I doubt it would have been so popular.  Let's not forget Torino's were jumping street hills during that time and the Bandit was jumping bridges.  Sure they have a following but its a ton smaller than the DOH...IMO.  For me its the Charger as a General and not the shows plot or acting...lol

I wouldn't call myself a Mopar guy either even though I have a 69 Charger and an 09 Challenger.  I love the lines on those car designs.  I find most (not all) other mopars lacking.  I also have a 69 Camaro for the same reason but again other Chevy's don't do anything for me.  I guess I am just an odd duck.  I am definetly not a Brand loyal guy.  Design crap and put my favorite company logo on it and it's still crap to me.

[Joshua]

My Charger was the family car for a few years groing up.....DOH had nothing to do with it.....
But I did watch the hell out of it at the time.....

[Dino]

If it was a chevelle then we would have watched that orange car do all the fancy driving and jumping.  It would still have been immensely popular.  Or do you think everyone that watched the show loved chargers more than any other car?  Doubtful. T

I watched S&H to see the Torino burn the tires, but it's a pretty lame car and I wouldn't buy one if it was half priced.  I just wanted to see a car do something spectacular, nowadays we're too pc to show that on tv.

I love the charger because of what it is, the best looking muscle car ever built.  I would still own one if it never was shown on tv, that's just how it is.

[BIGBLCK11]

For me, the General Lee was cool because it is a Charger, not a Charger is cool because it was the General Lee.

[1974dodgecharger]

The lines of the Charger did it for me 

X2 until they released the cordova I was losing it with the 3rd gen already...though.

[Sublime/Sixpack]

The DOH TV show had nothing to do with my interest in the Dodge Charger. In fact back in the day I was annoyed with the show because I knew their stunts were destroying Chargers.
I remember thinking they should be using Chevrolets not Chargers for he11's sake.

[UH60L]

I was born in 1970, and honestly didn't know what a charger was until I saw the Dukes.  I'd seen a few mopars and even chargers when out driving with my dad to the store, but didn't know what they were, just that "oh, that's a neat looking car".  After 1979, I told my dad that someday I would own a dodge charger with a 440 in it.  It only took 25 years......

If they had used a chevelle, it's entirely possible I'd be posting on some chevelle web site right now.

[charger_fan_4ever]

For me, the General Lee was cool because it is a Charger, not a Charger is cool because it was the General Lee.

Well said.