Niagara Falls man cruising in Dukes of Hazzard style
If one was driving through Hazzard County, Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane might be found behind the wheel of this cop car.
In Niagara Falls, the driver of this 1981 Chevrolet Caprice, complete with red-and-white emergency lights on the hood, will be Wallace Friesman.
This car is so special to Friesman that not even his wife, Nicole, or his twin brother, George, are allowed to drive it.
“I’vealwayslovedTheDukesofHazzard. I used to run home after school so that I could watch the re-runs on television,” said Friesman, who has built the car to look like a 1989 Chevrolet so that it would look just like the police car that was used in the Dukes of Hazzard movie version.
For those who are not familiar with the television show or the movie, it depicts the adventures of cousins Bo, Luke, Daisy and their uncle Jesse as they outfox crooked Hazzard County commissioner Boss Hogg and Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane.
The cousins drove a 1969 Dodge Charger, often referred to as the General Lee.
“This car was basically junk when I got it,” said Friesman. “It came from Prince Edward Island. I took the body right off the frame and now everything on this car is new. It took me about two years to put it all back together and I’m still working on it. It has taken a little longer than I expected.”
On the trunk of the vehicle there are autographs from a number of celebrities, including Catherine Bach, who played Daisy Duke. Friesman has met her twice and expects to see her again at an upcoming Comic Con show in Hamilton.
“I take the car to some of the cruise nights and people really like it,” said Friesman. “This winter I plan to redo the interior.”
Anyone looking in the back seat will find large custom-made Dukes of Hazzard pillows and a human skeleton handcuffed to the door frame. There is also a large megaphone loud speaker siren.
Friesman said he’s not exactly sure how much money he has invested in the car, but it’s thousands.
One of the questions he is often asked is whether it’s legal to have the red-and-white emergency lights on the roof.
“I tell them yes, but you cannot have any power running to them while on city property or I could go to jail. It’s for display only. Most of the cops know the car around Niagara Falls.”
Nicole said her husband has had a fascination with the Dukes of Hazzard since he was a child.
“He always tells me, ‘don’t worry honey, the car is almost done,’ but it’s never done. He’s just trying to make me feel good.”