'General Lee' Auction Ends At Nearly 10 Million

"NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- If the bids are real - and the eBayMotors.com auction was stopped once for fake bidding - a modified 1969 Dodge Charger, painted to look like the General Lee from the TV Show "The Dukes of Hazzard," nearly became the most expensive car ever auctioned.

The auction closed at $9,900,500 at 1:00 pm Friday. That puts it just $1.1 million away from the $11 million paid for a 1931 Bugatti Type 41 Royale Sports Coupe sold by the auction house Christie's in 1987. To date, that is the highest price ever paid for a car at auction, according to Christie's.

The car was used in the show, which typically went through several cars per episode during its 6-year production run in the early 1980s. But this one is owned by John Schneider, who played Bo Duke in the series, a role that was only slightly less central than that of the car.

"I'm excited as I can be but I'm not going to believe it until my banker calls and says 'buy me a beer'," said Schneider after the auction ended."

More at money.cnn.com Link to ebay auction.

I'm not sure why the high bidder paid so much. It's not an original General Lee. The Plaque says:

From John Schneider's
Personal Collection
"Bo's General Lee"
Completed 12/97
#4 of 4
426 HEMI