Dukes of Hazzard superfan turns up to his own wedding in an £82,000 replica of the iconic 1970s General Lee car
A Dukes of Hazzard superfan turned up to his own wedding in an £82,000 replica of the iconic 1970s General Lee car.
David Lay, 57, spent 14 years working on a replica of the 1970 Dodge Charger and finished it just in time for his nuptials to Sonia Barnard, 59.
Mr Lay had originally rescued the damaged shell from a scrap yard before faithfully and painstakingly restoring it - a project which cost him almost £100,000.
And the passion project was not without obstacles. The dream was almost crushed after work and to be abruptly halted so Mr Lay could undergo a quadruple heart bypass.
The couple, tied the knot after nine years together at Stowmarket registry office, Suffolk on June 28 in a small ceremony surrounded by family.
David Lay, 57, and Sonia Barnard, 59 on the wedding day after arriving in style to ther nuptials in a replica of the iconic 1970s General Lee car
The happy couple posing alongside the orange Dodge Charger which cost more than £82,000 to re-build
Ms Barnard posing on the hood of the replica car in her white, off the shoulder, ruffled wedding dress and pointed high heels
Ms Barnard told The Mirror that the couple had worked hard to fix their 'dream car' and it was surreal to see it finally finished for their wedding day.
The couple decided to get married earlier this year after both battling health struggles.
The mother-of-three said: 'When he had his quadruple bypass, it put us behind and then we both had COVID as well. We couldn't get all of the parts quickly, coming overseas from America and it was a bit hectic. It was so nice to have it for the wedding.'
The super-fan enlisted the help of A-TM engineering to complete the mechanical side of the build and was over the moon with the results.
The bride said: 'It was amazing that he had it finished just in time for the wedding. He loved that programme. We all did. We were huge fans.'
While the replica of the hit show was faithful, Mr Lay's entrance was a bit off script.
Aactors (left to right) John Schneider, Catherine Bach and Tom Wopat who played Bo, Daisy and Luke Duke in the TV show 'The Dukes of Hazzard'
The couple posing alongside the passion project. Mr Lay had originally rescued the damaged shell from a scrap yard before faithfully restoring it
The happy couple said they were both huge fans of the 1970s show which featured the bright orange Dodge Charger
The car, made famous in 'Dukes of Hazzard', had one key difference - the doors were not glued shut meaning the bride and groom were not forced to climb through windows unlike in the hit show
Famously in the 1970s show, the Duke brothers Bo and Luke had glued their car's doors shut, forcing them to climb out of the windows to get out but Mr Lay decided he wouldn't follow suit on his wedding day.
Following the quirky wedding, family and friends were chauffeured by mini bus to Felixstowe, Suffolk for a night of partying on the beach.
Sonya and David, who have have four children between them, also took the opportunity to ride the new Felixstowe Ferris Wheel before the happily married pair jetted off to Benidorm for their honeymoon.
