Everybody in their 40s and more, remember the famous TV Show “Starsky and Hutch” featuring Paul Michael Glaser (Starsky) and David Soul (Hutch) and the red 1976 Ford Gran Torino with the white stripe.
- Type: Coupe
- Engine: 5.8L V8
- Power (HP): 250
- Transmission: Automatic
- MSRP: Invaluable
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.