Kenny Wayne Shepard Xtreme Lee (general Lee)

2012 san diego internatonal auto show. General Lee Rides Again- Kenny Wayne Shepherd's Xtreme Lee a altered edition.
Moonshine loaded in the trunk, Daisy in the front seat, and an empty stretch of road ahead. "Well those Duke boys are at it again...." says the voiceover. Mounted at the helm of the 1969 Dodge Charger painted bright orange with a waving confederate flag on the roof, today I am Bo Duke and I am going to get this shine delivered while outrunning anyone trying to stop me. The lovely burble of the 440 under the long hood stretched in front of me is just begging to be let loose. I mash the gas and tear off into the warm summer air giving the familiar horn a prod and leaving behind a cloud of dust.
This is a childhood fantasy being behind the wheel of a General Lee or in this case guitar extraordinaire Kenny Wayne Shepherd's "Xtreme Lee". A very unique interpretation of the classic Dukes of Hazard hero car that was custom built for Kenny who is both an Xtreme Mopar nut and Dukes of Hazard fan. Kenny is a blue guitar legend, he has sold millions of albums worldwide, received four Grammy nominations, two Billboard Music Awards, two Orville H. Gibson Awards, the Blues Foundation's Keeping The Blues Alive Award, and a Blues Music Award. As a total Mopar muscle car guy he owns several customized cars including a 1970 Plymoth Duster, a 1972 Dodge Charger, a 2006 SRT-8 Charger, and a 2009 SRT-8 Challenger. He was kind enough to hand us the keys to the General for the day with the stern warning not to jump the car unless we honk the horn while in the air.
This General is far from a painted up 69' Charger because if Kenny was going to live out a childhood fantasy then why not use some modern technology to make it better then the original. The build was a labor of love with the help of Redline Gauge Works, Ted Moser's Picture Car Warehouse, Year One, Mopar Engines West, Magnumforce Race Car Fabrication, Budnik Wheels and Eclipse Audio installed by Ace Customs were just a few of many involved. In the handling department an air ride suspension was fitted along with modern disc brakes. Custom designed wheels were built to look similar to the original General but in a modern large diameter sizes. The interior has custom touches such as a center console with inlaid Fender Guitar pick guard material complete with embossed Fender logo. The roof is lined with suede and suede race style seats replaced the factory buckets.
The General has never been a featherweight but of course if it had been I am sure Bo would have bent it in half jumping it all over Hazard County. Piloting a charger like this in LA traffic can be quite an adventure between the mammoth size and the attention it commands. The power from the 440 is awesome with smoking tires only a poke of the throttle away. The aftermarket air suspension can be a little jarring, but Kenny did recently rip through the hills of Malibu. I am sure comfort is just a minor adjustment to the settings on the suspension. The power four disc brakes bring the General to a halt in a hurry, a necessity when driving a fast bright orange car in order to avoid getting busted by Sheriff Rosco for speeding and hauling moonshine

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Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• Robert E. Lee
• Bruce
• dukes
• of
• hazard
• The Dukes Of Hazzard
• The General Lee
• cars