“Zebra Three, come in.” Anyone remember that call sign? It belonged to one of the coolest shows of the 1970s called Starsky and Hutch. The show centered around two street-savvy and often undercover cops dealing with real-life issues such as trying to keep substances off the streets and the aftermath of addictions. The show also focused on the two characters' personal lives as well as their interactions with other police and workers at their precinct. Outside the precinct, the two cops also relied on certain informants, such as the character of “Huggy Bear”, who provided the officers with important information about what was going down in the streets.

The show turned the main characters played by, Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul into superstars. But there was one character that eclipsed them both – their police car. It was a Ford Gran Torino, and it eventually became so iconic, that even those who’d never seen the television show knew exactly what it was. I can’t think of one time in TV history before Starsky and Hutch where a car became the identity of the show. It’s as recognizable as the Enterprise from Star Trek or a lightsaber from Star Wars. Check out some cool facts about the show’s Gran Torino.

18 The Car’s Stripes

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Anyone who’s ever watched Starsky and Hutch knows about the car stripes, which made it iconic. But I’m betting that even fewer people realize that there were different sets of stripes assigned to the car over time. For car collectors, that’s a big deal, as it can even increase the sale price of the car if it has an interesting backstory to it. There were no fewer than three stripe designs used during production, but the most noticeable ones were from the TV Pilot. According to Gran Torino Sport, the pilot show car’s stripes point was much farther back on the fender than the regular TV show series cars.

17 The Car Was Supposed to Be a Camaro

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It’s true, the main car in Starsky and Hutch was originally supposed to be a Camaro. A green and white one at that, according to the site Sparesbox. The story goes, the show’s producers weren’t settled on what type of car they wanted for the show and requested some Camaros. Chevy (thank goodness) said they couldn’t accommodate and the show decided on the Gran Torino, which was cheaper and at least could turn a corner. Ford was more than happy to promote the car. In all fairness, I wouldn’t have tried to promote a Camaro as a performance car either.

16 Nobody Liked The Car At First

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The human stars of the show weren’t too crazy about the Gran Torino. Paul Glaser stated many times that he hated the car because of its poor handling and steering. David Soul was reported to have been frustrated because he was constantly being thrown around the front seat because the seats were too slick and could keep him in the seat properly. But it seems that no amount of complaining could replace the much-loved Gran Torino. The car became an instant hit with the audience, so it was way too late to even dare consider a replacement for the car.

15 Gran Torino Valuation

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Anyone looking to find a Starsky and Hutch edition car that was actually used in the show can find them for auction every once in a while. Be prepared to pay a premium for the privilege of owning one though. According to Hagerty, the average price when finding one like a 1972-1973 model on a lot or through private sale is around $9,000. And those cars are not even associated with the show! Hemmings has a report of one that was associated with the show selling for $40,000 in 2014. The sun visor is signed by the show’s starts also.

14 Surprising Sponsors

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Just about every first commercial that aired during the show was either about a Chevy or Dodge vehicle. It’s an interesting fact that Chevrolet was a big sponsor of the Starsky and Hutch show in the seventies, even though the show featured a Ford product. Dodge also joined as a major sponsor. When you have a hit on your hands like Starsky and Hutch, I guess it didn’t matter what car was featured as far as the sponsors were concerned. Plus, it was almost something like an inside joke after a while because it was Ford that was really making the best of the situation.

13 Heading To Hazzard County

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Remember Daisy Duke and the rest of the Dukes of Hazzard clan? ABC’s rival CBS thought it would be fun to mock the Starsky and Hutch car by featuring it in the first episode of Dukes of Hazzard show. All that episode really managed to prove was that there are always a bunch of tv fans who know nothing about cars. I say that because anyone who knows about cars already was aware of the fact that the Gran Torino was heavier than the General Lee’s Dodge by a ¼ ton plus hey, it’s a CBS show, so guess who won that particular showdown?

12 Branding

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The Gran Torino brand was as strong as The Force from the Star Wars franchise in some ways. After building 1,000 Starsky and Hutch edition Gran Torino replicas for the US market plus an additional 100 for Canadian fans, it seemed the nation was in the grip of Torino fever. Luckily Ford kept a tight rein of products and sales of the Torino equipment, while ABC did its best with licensing sales of all types of Starsky and Hutch products. This kept things under control while preventing too much counterfeiting at the same time. It was an excellent time for both companies to hone their branding skills.

11 How The Car Was Filmed In The Show

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Filming in a car is a bit like filming in a telephone booth with six other people. Newsday reports that filming the Gran Torino for Starsky and Hutch actually involved multiple cameras both inside and outside of the vehicle, as well as the stunt double cars riding alongside. It was interesting for its time because TV audiences weren’t used to seeing all of the jostling about from the inside of a car during a chase scene or watching all of the smoking-tire action which seemed to be missing from competing shows at the time. The audiences seemed to love it and those types of scenes were ratings favorites for the network.

10 How Many Cars The Show Went Through

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At least 10 Gran Torinos were used through Starsky and Hutch’s TV run, according to ABC. They were used to do stunts such as jumping over everything and highspeed chases. These days, a few of those original stunt cars are still in existence. These cars command a hefty price at auction, says Hemmings. If you can prove it to be an original S&H show car, you can expect to fetch between $40,000-$50,000 at auction.

9 Limited Edition Torino

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Starsky and Hutch’s Gran Torino proved to be so popular that ABC and the show’s producers were always getting requests about it. Ford decided to pump out a few limited-edition models so that regular folk could drive around like their heroes. Ford was betting on the show’s rating gold status and it certainly paid off. In 1976 the auto manufacturer built 1,100 of the TV show models. They sold out like finding bags of money on the street. The cars had a 351 Windsor V8 engine, and of course a top-of-the-line 8-track stereo player with AM/FM radio.

8 What Is A Gran Torino Anyway?

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The Torino and Gran Torino came to light because Ford was basically desperate to fill the gap when they were planning to replace the Fairlane line of vehicles. The Torino was called Fairlane Torino originally before coming into its own and marketed as an upscaled Fairlane. The Fairlane became the lower-tier auto platform until the line and name were eventually retired. The Torino became successful and expanded its line and powerplant options. Then one day a TV show came along looking for its “Hero Car” and changed everything for the car called Gran Torino. Neither Ford nor the show had any idea, but a star was born that day.

7 The Car Is The Star

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The Gran Torino emerged to become just as important as the main characters of Starsky and Hutch. People simply could not get enough of the “Striped Tomato.” People who couldn’t get their hands on an Official Ford Starsky and Hutch Edition car were just as apt to find a Gran Torino at a dealer and convert it themselves. There were, and still are Gran Torino fan clubs all over the world that are dedicated to the TV car. It was a seriously strange phenomenon at the time, and it threw Ford for a loop. They simply didn’t know what to make of it.

6 Movie Time For The Torino

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In 2004 the Starsky and Hutch Brand decided to make an updated version of the show as a motion picture. The updated version starred Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson as Starsky and Hutch with Snoop Dog playing the character of Huggy Bear. Of course, the movie wouldn’t have been the same without a cameo appearance by the original stars of the hit TV show. The movie stayed true to its roots by featuring a 1975 Gran Torino complete with stripes, as well as a host of 1970s-era cars that were popular at the time. It seems like a great time was had by all making this film.

5 The Real Starsky And Hutch

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Most people hadn’t thought about how the Starsky and Hutch show came into being. The show had plenty of wit and high-stakes adventure, even romance. The show became a bonafide hit almost overnight. But there were some rumors that the show’s theme came from real life. This was proven to be true when Lou Telano and John Sepe, real-life NYPD cops stepped up to say that the show’s theme came from their real adventures. Everything from the red car to the informants were things the real cops lived every day. The producers were forced to apologize and gave the two real cops $10,000 each.

4 The Torino Bulks Up

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At one time, Torinos and Gran Torinos were flying out of Ford dealerships like hotcakes for whatever reason. But as with all things automobile, the Torinos needed a little something, maybe a little more kick, if you will. Ford was willing to oblige. During that 1968 first model year, there were no fewer than 14 different variations of the Torino, says Ford’s historical website. There was literally something to please everyone, no matter how you planned to use the car. The most powerful version that was available from that first production runway back in 1968 was called Cobra Jet, which referred to the gargantuan 335 hp 7.0 Liter V8 that you could get wedged into the engine bay. Not bad for a $350 option.

3 Gran Torino Interiors

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The inside of the Gran Torino could be best described as uninteresting. Most reviewers say the so-called bucket seats weren’t really “bucket” in nature but were comfortable enough. The rest of the interior was swathed in dark grey/black material, including the dash. Some models had a bit of fake wood covering the instrument cluster, but that was about it. Everything else was your basic “cheap car interior,” from the dull roof lining down to the so-called carpet. Lots of low-quality plastic, which of course rattled after a while, but for people who love the car it was perfect for them.

2 The Super Cobra That Should Have Been On The Show

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The Cobra edition of the Torino was Ford’s most powerful engine/transmission option for the car. It consisted of a 429 cu. Inch 7 Liter V8. It was thought by most reviewers to have been highly underpowered at 335 hp., but it seems more than enough for most people at that time. There’s a rather interesting article on the power of this engine/transmission set up by Hot Rod telling a tale of a Super Cobra passing another car going up a steep stretch of highway while pulling an Airstream trailer. It’s pretty telling about what you can do with the right setup.

1 Gran Torino Making A Comeback

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For the 2019 model year, Ford is said to be totally reinventing the Torino. There will be two models, according to Ford Tips; Ford Torino and Gran Torino. No word as of yet if there’ll be a “Starsky and Hutch” edition, but I certainly wouldn't be too surprised if Ford did offer such a model if sales take off. I’m sure the Gran Torino, if it comes to fruition, will be squarely targeted at competition like the Charger/Challenger. It would be cool if Ford offers a Cobra Jet variant though, to give potential competitors a real run for their ponies. Time will tell if the Torino name will live on to fight another day.

Sources: hotrod.com; ford.com; abc.com