Awhile back I was visiting one of my favorite tourist spots in Nashville, Cooter’s Place.  Cooter’s Place is a little museum and gift shop that is run by Ben Jones, the actor who played Cooter on the legendary TV show The Dukes Of Hazzard.  Cooter’s Place is a gift shop and museum just across the street from the entrance to the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Hotel; and naturally pays tribute to the television classic The Dukes Of Hazzard.

The shop/museum is filled with pop culture items that all revolve around the show.  On display are a few of the actual vehicles that were used on the show, the expected autographed pictures, plus everything from board games to action figures to bed sheets.  But on this recent sunny Saturday afternoon it wasn’t the normal attractions that caught my eye.  It was a simple picture on a bulletin board in the gift shop.

First, a little back story.  In all honesty I’ve never really been a big fan of the show.  It debuted while I was in college and watching television on Friday night wasn’t exactly high on my priority list.  But, there was one thing on The Dukes Of Hazzard that I was a HUGE fan of (no, not Barbara Bach’s Daisy Dukes); it was the General Lee.  To many that bright orange Dodge Charger was THE star of the show, and I’ll admit my thoughts lean that way.

I’ve always loved cars, and always dreamed of owning a replica of the General Lee.  I came close to buying a ’69 Charger in the late 80’s (when you could still find them pretty easy), but could never scrape up the money I needed.  Today, finding a ’69 Charger that I could turn into the General Lee would be a crazy proposition.  There are so few left running, and the ones that do carry a steep price tag.

But perhaps I’ve finally found a way to own a unique tribute to the classic TV car.  You see, the picture on the bulletin board at Cooter’s Place not only paid tribute to the General Lee, but also involved another of my favorite automobiles:  the MINI Cooper.  Because on that bulletin board was this car… It’s called the Mini Lee.  I’ve spent a ton of hours on the internet trying to find out more about the car, but outside of a couple pictures, there isn’t much information to share.  The Mini Lee appeared at the Tail of the Dragon back in 2006.  Tail Of The Dragon is an annual sports car and motorcycle rally that has been attracting MINI’s from all across the world.

From everything I’ve read, the Mini Lee was a huge hit at the rally and was one of the most talked about vehicles.  I haven’t been able to find out who the owner is or how much they invested in the car, but as the owner of a MINI myself, I don’t think that it would take too much of an investment outside of the vehicle itself.  Since MINI doesn’t have a true orange in their available paint colors, the paint job would probably be the largest expense.

Now, I don’t know if I’m quite ready to give up the checkered flag roof on my MINI for a Confederate flag like the one on the General Lee, but a Mini Lee is definitely more of a possibility than an actual General Lee these days.  Oh and by the way, if you can shed any light on the Mini Lee that appeared at the Tail of the Dragon back in 2006, let me know.  I’d love to find out what went into creating that very creative tribute to one of TV’s most famous rides.