DRIVING;Ca CALGARY HERALD Fnday. March 24,2006 IT'S MINE Blame the Dukes of Hazzard GREG WILLIAMS Roberts says. So, he placed his FOR THE CALGARY HERALD bid and ultimately won the auc- tion, paying between $12,000 to 'he Dukes of Hazzard left an $13,000 US. indelible stamp on Vulcan After winning, Roberts pre- Tresident Neel Roberts. pared his documents so he could In 1979, when the wildly popu- bring the car home across the lar TV show started, Roberts was border — a process he says is eas- 14 years old. And for him the car ier than many people might was the star of the show. think. The car was a 1969 Dodge Roberts rented a U-Haul trailer Charger R/T finished in hemi hitched it to his CMC Canyon orange with a Confederate flag pickup truck and made the run to decal on the rooftop. It was Iowa. dubbed the General Lee. After getting the car home, "The Dukes of Hazzard TV Roberts had his mechanic, show definitely planted the Manny Noualy, go over the seed," Roberts says. "That show Charger from front to back. (and the '69 Charger) would have He was provided with a list of been the genesis of my apprecia- everything the car would require tion for all things Mopar." before it could pass an Alberta The Dodge Charger, intro- out-of-province inspection and duced in 1966, was Chrysler Mo- be registered and plated. tor Corp.'s answer to the fastback Greg Williams for the Calgary Herald Roberts began searching for explosion started by the Ford Neel Roberts bought his dream car, a 1969 Dodge Charger, on eBay. the items he needed, including Mustang and the Plymouth Bar- new door pin hinges, upper and racuda — but on a larger scale. model nameplate. and Roberts thought the photos lower ball joints and gas tank re- Based on the midsize Dodge In 1979, Roberts didn't have a of the Charger looked good. He taining straps. Coronet model, the Charger driver's licence or the funds to called the seller in Wapello, Iowa, After taking care of some minor packed some serious perfor- purchase what had become his and was told the car — which had mechanical issues and fixing die mance under the hood. dream car. He had to wait 25 a 383 V-8 with a four-barrel carbu- front suspension, Noualy declared Base engine in the Charger was years. retor and a four-speed transmis- the Charger ready for the road. the respectable and bulletproof "I started searching eBay for sion — did require some work. Roberts is enjoying his eBay 318 V-8, which produced 230 1969 Dodge Chargers," Roberts Specifically, the body needed a lit- purchase, and reliving his youth horsepower. says. "I had always watched the tle straightening, the motor had to through the 1969 Charger. But, Several engines — including newspapers and magazines for a be tuned and the suspension five years from now, he says he the 383 V-8,426 Hemi and the 440 Charger, but thanks to the com- wanted some attention. would like to perform a complete V-8 — were available throughout puter and the Internet (vehicle Basically, the car was a little body-off restoration. the model's run, essentially from shopping) is a lot easier." rough around the edges, but was "Everything works on the car 1966 to 1974. He found the '69 Charger fea- drivableasis. and the interior is perfect, so in After 1974, the Charger was tured there in August 2004. The "1 felt he was being honest the meantime Til just drive it and repositioned as more of a luxury car was listed on eBay Motors, about what he was offering," enjoy it.".