Remembering Ben Jones: Two Historic General Lees Preserve The Dukes of Hazzard Legacy at Volo Museum

Volo Museum joins The Dukes of Hazzard family and fans around the world in mourning the passing of Ben Jones, who died on August 9, 2026, at the age of 84.

Best known as Cooter Davenport, the loyal mechanic and trusted friend of the Duke boys, Jones became an unforgettable part of the show’s seven-season run. His connection to The Dukes of Hazzard continued long after filming ended through cast appearances, fan gatherings and Cooter’s Place, which he founded with his wife, Alma.

Volo Museum was fortunate to meet Jones during a Dukes of Hazzard event at Cooter’s Place in Nashville. There, he added his signature to one of the most significant General Lees ever built. Today, that autograph serves as a lasting connection between Jones and the television history preserved at the museum.

Three Decades of General Lee History at Volo Museum

Over the past three decades, many General Lees have crossed the floor at Volo Museum. They included officially built promotional cars, faithful replicas, cast-built cars, a vehicle used in the 2005 feature film and even a General Lee used in the original television series.

The original series-used car eventually had to be sold because of a Warner Bros. contract prohibiting its commercial use. Over time, the museum’s other General Lees were sold as well. Two cars, however, always stood apart—and Volo Museum never let them go.

Today, they remain together as part of Volo Museum’s collection of famous TV and movie cars, representing two fascinating opposite ends of General Lee history: the only truly original survivor from the show’s earliest days and the final General Lee created by a member of the original production team with the intention of performing a new stunt for the series.

Georgia Lee #6: The Only True Survivor

The first five episodes of The Dukes of Hazzard were filmed in Georgia. Five General Lees were built and used during that initial production period before the cast and crew left for Christmas break.

During the break, a sixth General Lee was completed in preparation for filming to resume. Production, however, never returned to Georgia. Instead, the series moved to California.

The remaining Georgia vehicles were either scrapped or sent west for continued use—with one extraordinary exception.

General Lee #6 was given to the Georgia transportation coordinator as payment for money owed. Because of that transaction, the car escaped screen use, stunt damage and the destruction that eventually claimed nearly every General Lee built for the series.

Of the six Georgia-built cars, only two are considered to exist today: General Lee #1 and Volo Museum’s General Lee #6. However, the condition and originality of those two cars could not be more different.

General Lee #1 was found in a Georgia salvage yard after being used and destroyed during filming. The remains were in extremely poor condition. Much of the car was cut apart, with pieces sold to collectors. What was left eventually required such extensive reconstruction that the car received a replacement body, along with replicated versions of many of the pieces that had been removed or sold.

The restored vehicle carries the history, identity and documented lineage of General Lee #1, but very little of the original physical car remains. That raises an unavoidable question: If most of a historic car has been cut apart, dispersed and replaced, is the finished reconstruction still truly the original car?

General Lee #6 leaves no such question.

It remains the only genuinely preserved survivor from the Georgia production period. It has never required a replacement body or a complete reconstruction. Its original paint, hand-painted graphics and early production details remain intact, just as they were created for the show.

Fewer than 2,000 miles have been added since its construction, making it an extraordinary time capsule from the birth of The Dukes of Hazzard.

Its history reaches even further back because it was built using the roll bar removed from General Lee #1 before that car was sent to the salvage yard. In that sense, Georgia Lee #6 preserves not only its own original construction, but also one of the most important surviving physical pieces of the very first General Lee.

Extensive documentation traces the car’s history and ownership. Its untouched condition, early construction and direct connection to General Lee #1 make Georgia Lee #6 arguably the most historically significant General Lee in existence.

During its appearance at Cooter’s Place in Nashville, Volo Museum collected signatures from many beloved cast members, including Catherine Bach, John Schneider, Tom Wopat, James Best, Sonny Shroyer and Ben Jones.

Jones’ signature now carries even greater meaning. It is a permanent reminder of the man who brought Cooter Davenport to life and spent decades keeping the spirit of Hazzard County alive for its fans.

The Stand-Up General: Richard Sephton’s Personal Project

The second remarkable car is commonly known as the Stand-Up General.

It was created by Richard Sephton, a Warner Bros. mechanic responsible for keeping the General Lees and other vehicles running during production of The Dukes of Hazzard. Near the end of the series, Sephton created the Stand-Up General as a personal project, intending for it to be used by the production for a stunt the famous Charger had never performed: a wheelstand.

Sephton constructed the car with help from other members of the Warner Bros. team, incorporating numerous components salvaged from screen-used General Lees that had met their final days during filming. Its builders, parts and intended purpose gave the car a direct connection to the original television production.

The car was unlike any other General Lee.

Its engine was mounted behind the driver in the area normally occupied by the rear seat. Large rear tires and carefully engineered weight distribution allowed the Charger to rise onto its rear wheels and perform dramatic wheelstands with ease.

By the final season, the General Lee had jumped creeks, crashed through barricades, outrun patrol cars and performed nearly every automotive stunt imaginable. One stunt remained: a wheelie.

The idea was for the Duke boys to drive off into the sunset with the General Lee standing high on its rear wheels. Sephton demonstrated the car for Warner Bros. executives for its intended use in the production.

The concept was ultimately rejected. It would have been too difficult to conceal the large engine where the rear seat would normally be, along with the oversized rear tires required to perform the stunt.

As a result, the Stand-Up General was never used on screen.

Nevertheless, it remains an authentic creation of the people who built, maintained and repaired the General Lees during the original series. It was Richard Sephton’s personal vision for what could have been the General Lee’s final—and perhaps most unforgettable—television stunt.

The Beginning and the End—Together at Volo Museum

Georgia Lee #6 and the Stand-Up General represent two opposite ends of The Dukes of Hazzard story.

One was completed at the very beginning of the series and survived because production never returned to Georgia. The other was personally created near the end of the series for a final stunt that was ultimately not approved.

One preserves the General Lee exactly as it existed during the show’s earliest production days. The other represents one mechanic’s determination to make the famous Charger do something it had never done before.

Volo Museum recognized the importance of these two cars and chose to preserve them. Unlike the many other General Lees that passed through the museum and were eventually sold, Georgia Lee #6 and the Stand-Up General never left.

Together, they tell a General Lee story no other pair of cars can tell.

As fans remember Ben Jones, Volo Museum is honored to preserve these important pieces of the show’s history—and especially the General Lee bearing his signature.

Ben Jones was more than Cooter Davenport. He was an actor, a public servant, a storyteller and one of the greatest champions of The Dukes of Hazzard legacy. His warmth and enthusiasm helped keep generations of fans connected to Hazzard County.

His signature on Georgia Lee #6 ensures that a part of his story will always remain with the only truly original survivor from the earliest days of the General Lee.

Rest in peace, Ben—and thank you for helping keep Hazzard County running.