SAN JOSE, Calif. — A version of the iconic General Lee, a 1969 Dodge Charger made famous in the 1980s classic television show "The Dukes of Hazzard," has fetched an auction price fatter than Boss Hogg.
Actor and song writer John Schneider, who played the blond heartthrob Bo Duke in 1980s classic television show, sold the Confederate-flag emblazoned car on eBay Friday for $9,900,500.
If the winning bidder comes through with cash or financing, the "General Lee" will be the most expensive item ever sold by online auction company eBay Inc., said eBay spokeswoman Catherine England. The current record is held by a private business jet that sold for about $4.9 million several years ago.
Schneider, 47, said Friday he expected bidding for the orange coupe with "01" on the doors to go for $3 million, at most.
"In my wildest dreams, two people would get into a bidding war at about $2 1/2 million … and I would have been delighted with that. However, I'm three times as delighted as that now," he laughed.
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The car auctioned this week was not part of the original "Dukes" show, which began in 1979 but is still a cult classic in reruns.
Although it's not the original, all the living original cast members and crew from the television show signed their autographs under the hood of the car that sold Friday. It also starred in a spinoff movie, "Dukes Go To Hollywood." Schneider raced it in The Silver State Classic Challenge in Nevada.
Schneider said he would use the money to produce a sequel to his 2006 movie "Collier & Co." He is also auctioning his Rolls Royce Silver Spur. But his potential windfall from the General's auction gives him room to play.
