Say Starsky & Hutch and most may think of the ‘70s TV series that starred David Soul and Paul Michael Glaser, as opposed to the more millennial-oriented 2004 movie starring Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller. Either way, the hero of the TV series or the movie remains the iconic classic car, the Ford Gran Torino in unmistakable red, bearing that giant, white-wedge-like stripe on the side, which gave it its 'striped tomato' nickname.
For anyone who has ever watched the series, more pertinent because that was the actual time of the Gran Torino as well, the “Zebra Three, come in” phrase is an instant throwback. This was perhaps the first time in the history of the car shows that a car became the actual hero, as recognizable as the Bond cars, or even the Enterprise from Star Trek. You get the gist.
UPDATED DECEMBER 2022: While finding a factory-built Ford Gran Torino Starsky & Hutch special edition is hard, it's not impossible. Or even better, you can build one yourself. Either way, there are several options towards fulfilling your childhood dream of driving the 'Striped Tomato'!
So here’s where the Starsky & Hutch Gran Torino landed up, and why it's so very iconic…
Starsky & Hutch Stars Hated The Car
Technically, the Starsky & Hutch ride was supposed to be a Chevrolet Camaro of the time, which in hindsight is nearly unthinkable. Apparently, the producers put in a request for green Camaros from Chevrolet, and Chevy could not accommodate the same. Their loss became the Ford Gran Torino’s gain, especially since the Gran Torino was the cheaper option and sometimes, could offer more performance value than the Camaro.
Also, the Torino made far more sense as an LA cop car than a glamorous Camaro, much like the LAPD Crown Vic, right? However, neither of the original stars was in love with the Torino, at least not at first. Paul Glaser hated the heavy steering and dubbed the car “the striped tomato” while David Soul could not stay in the seat during rough driving.
But the car became such a big icon that the thought of replacing it for another never even entered the mind of the producers. That said, the stripes of the car changed during the various episodes but the most different visual detail is between the pilot episode and the rest of the show. In the former, the stripes were much further back on the fender than during the rest of the show.
Ford Followed Up With Special Editions
In 1968, Ford redesigned the aging Fairlane series and introduced the Torino. In 1972, the Gran Torino came to play, with a very different grille from the rest. Later, it was this very first year of Gran Torino that starred in the 2008 movie of the same name, starring Clint Eastwood.
Eventually, the Fairlane was retired while the Torino and the Gran Torino continued till 1976, succeeded by the Ford LTD II. Starsky & Hutch’s Gran Torino was so well-received by the audience, that the show’s producers, ABC Studios, and Ford motors began to get inquiries about the car.
Ever the market magnet, Ford decided to capitalize on the success of the Torino and introduced special Starsky & Hutch Edition Gran Torinos for normal people to get a feel of what it is to drive a hero car. In 1976, the very last year of the Torino and the Gran Torino, some 1,100 special-edition models were built, carrying a 5.7-liter V8 that jetted 200 horsepower and 353 ft-lb of torque.
The USP of this car was the red paint with the iconic wedge stripes, plus an eight-track stereo player with AM/FM radio. Needless to say, the car sold like hotcakes. Today, one of these special-ed models can set you back by a cool $10,000. And even further as seen by this 1976 Ford Gran Torino Starsky and Hutch Edition that sold last year for $39,995 via Streetside Classics.
The Original Ford Gran Torinos From Starsky & Hutch Today
One of them did show up at an auction in 2014 and ended up selling for $40,000. The provenance was an autographed visor by the lead actors. And yet, when they were making the movie starring Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller, not even one of the original cars could be made available, so the picture coordinator ended up buying one of Ford’s limited edition Gran Torinos.
Keeping that car in mind, the movie producers hired auto shops to build them custom car builds from stock Torinos. We aren’t sure what happened to these cars. One of the original TV series cars can also be found in Vegas, because after all, what cannot be found there, right? The car now belongs to The Auto Collections, a garage that hosts some 800 unique cars, at The Imperial Palace.
Of course, to further confuse the issue, people turned their Torinos into tribute cars, having their cars custom-built to look like the real deal. Recently, one of the 1,305 examples of the factory-built Ford Gran Torino “Starsky & Hutch” limited edition model was sold at an auction at RMSotheby's for $60,500.
Many years have passed since the movie, let alone the TV series and yet the red and white Ford Gran Torino remains a head-turner to date... Reason enough why people keep an eye out for any of the original TV series cars; and why the celebrity status that this Ford attained is still alive and kicking!
Sources: Ford, Mecum, Hemmings, RM Sotheby's