Car show celebrates 50 years with General Lee jump

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Moncton’s Radical Speed Sport car show will celebrate its 50th anniversary by having a bright orange replica of the “General Lee” leaping over ramps in the Coliseum parking lot.

“We are doing something that has never been done before and we are out of this world excited about it,” said Joe Savoie, owner of the Radical Speed Sport Show. “This is five years in the making.”

At high noon on Friday, April 19, stunt driver Raymond Kohn of Northeast Ohio Dukes will jump a replica of the “General Lee” over ramps in front of the main entrance of the Moncton Coliseum. The stunt is “weather permitting,” so scheduling it for Friday means they can delay it to Saturday or Sunday if it rains.

After the jump, the car will be taken inside and put on display with the driver, who will meet with fans.

The “General Lee” is the bright orange 1969 Dodge Charger from the Dukes of Hazzard TV show, where it frequently jumped over creeks and other obstacles as Bo and Luke Duke were being chased by the Hazzard County lawmen.  Catherine Bach, who played the role of Daisy Duke, appeared at the Moncton show a few years ago and spent hours talking to fans and signing autographs.

Show founder Greg Turner said they also hosted actor James Best, who played Hazzard County Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane, and Sorrell Brooke, who played the character of Boss Hogg.

Savoie saw the car jump at a Detroit auto show in 2017 and started making arrangements to bring it to Canada, but the COVID-19 pandemic threw a wrench into the process and he finally arranged to have it come to Moncton for the 50th anniversary.

The Radical Speed Sport car show began in 1975 with Bruce Robertson and Greg Turner, and has grown to become an anticipated annual event. Organizers say people who attended the show as youngsters and were inspired to build and/or restore cars, trucks and motorcycles. The show also inspired the creation of the Atlantic Nationals Automotive Extravaganza, which brings hundreds of hot rods and restored antique vehicles to Moncton each July.

Savoie said this year’s Speed Sport show will have over 200 vehicles, including restored antiques, custom cars, hot rods, trucks and motorcycles. There are also many corporate displays with various automotive products and accessories. Savoie said the displays will fill the Coliseum’s exhibit space, with a waiting list of others who want to get in.

This year’s featured guest on April 20 will be award-winning car builder Chip Foose, star of the TV show Overhaulin, who will meet with fans for photos and autographs. Foose came to Moncton in 2010 for the Atlantic Nationals Automotive Extravaganza.

This year will also mark the return of the pinup contest, where contestants don the hair, makeup and clothing of the 1950s.

The show hands out prizes and awards to vehicle owners in many categories.

Savoie said the Speed Sport car show, the Christmas at the Coliseum and the Victoria Park Arts and Crafts Show are traditional events with a long history in the city. The Victoria Park show has been rescheduled this year to the weekend of Aug. 9-11.

• The Radical Speed Sport Show will be at the Moncton Coliseum on Friday, April 19 from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday, April 20 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday, April 21 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $17 for adults, $13 for seniors and military, $6 for children 6-12 and free for under five.