This is one of 1,000 examples of the Starsky & Hutch Special Edition of the Ford Gran Torino that were built for 1976. It’s been stored away in a barn for many years, and it’s now being sold on eBay in the hopes that someone will give it the restoration it deserves.
Some sources indicate that 50 or fewer original factory-built Starsky & Hutch Special Edition versions of the Ford Gran Torino still exist. As a result, this car will likely find a buyer, even though it does need plenty of work to get it back on the road.
Fast Facts – The Gran Torino Starsky & Hutch Special Edition
- The Ford Gran Torino became a pop culture icon thanks to its prominent role in the 1970s TV series Starsky & Hutch”. Producers chose the car for its bold looks, and because Ford was contracted to provide cars for screen use. Two 1975 Gran Torinos were custom-painted with a unique red and white scheme with the famous vector stripe, and fitted with aftermarket wheels and suspension tweaks to give it a memorable stance on-screen.
- Due to high public demand, Ford released a limited run of 1,000 “Starsky & Hutch Special Edition” Gran Torinos in 1976. These cars featured the same striking red paint with a white vector stripe but lacked the TV car’s custom suspension and wheel/tire setup. Enthusiasts often added those parts post-purchase to recreate the screen-used look.
- While the special edition Torinos could be ordered with any of the available engines, many buyers chose the 351 V8 paired with a 3-speed automatic. Interestingly, Ford painted the cars white at the factory, masked off the signature stripe, then sprayed the rest red to recreate the show’s design.
- The example featured here was imported from Missouri to the UK in 2004 and currently sits in storage in Newport, Wales. Originally equipped with a 351 Windsor, it now has a swapped-in 460 big block V8. Although the engine turns over, the car shows rust and needs a full restoration. It’s currently listed for sale on eBay.
A History Speedrun: Starsky & Hutch
Starsky & Hutch was an American TV series that aired on ABC from 1975 to 1979. It was created by William Blinn, and the show followed two plainclothes detectives – David Michael Starsky, who was played by Paul Michael Glaser, and Kenneth Richard “Hutch” Hutchinson, played by David Soul – who worked in the fictional Bay City, California. The series was actually mostly filmed in LA.
Above Video: This is the fill pilot episode of “Starsky & Hutch,” as you can see, the Gran Torino plays a large part in the series, it’s even been called the third character (after the two main leads).
The show became known for its action-packed chase sequences, wisecracking characters, and the friendly chemistry between the two leading men. The show ran for four seasons and produced 92 episodes in total – becoming a major cultural touchstone of 1970s America.
One of the most memorable elements of Starsky & Hutch was the bright red Ford Gran Torino driven by Starsky. The car became so iconic that it was often referred to as the “third star” of the show. The decision to use a Ford Gran Torino was largely practical.
Ford had recently updated the styling of the Gran Torino, and the studio had a relationship with the manufacturer through its Studio-TV Car Loan Program for television productions. Two 1975 Gran Torinos were leased from Ford and were specially selected because the producers requested a car that would stand out during high-speed pursuits and urban chase scenes, and be memorable to viewers.
The cars were painted in a distinctive shade of bright red (Ford code 2B) and a large white vector stripe that swooped from the front fenders to the rear quarter panels was added. This paint scheme was not a factory option at the time but was custom applied by the show’s vehicle preparation team to make the car more distinctive, so that it would become a signature part of the show.
Magnum 500 5-slot alloy wheels were also fitted, as well as larger rear tires and rear air shocks to give the car a more aggressive nose-down rake. Due to the popularity of the show, the Starsky & Hutch Torino became one of the most memorable TV cars of the decade, and demand surged for Ford to develop and release their own official version.
The Starsky & Hutch Special Edition
In the spring of 1976 the public got what they wanted. Ford released 1,000 limited edition versions of the Starsky & Hutch Torino, all featuring that bold white vector stripe down each side.
This Gran Torino originally came with the 351 Windsor V8 but it has since been swapped out for a 460 big block V8 – so once it’s restored it’ll likely be a quick car.
These limited edition cars didn’t get the Magnum 500 5-slot alloy wheels, the wider rear tires, or the air shocks of the TV car – likely for safety/legal reasons – but many owners simply added these modifications themselves.
Officially named the “Starsky & Hutch Special Edition Ford Gran Torino,” dealers across the country had no trouble selling all 1,000 of them. Some sources say that in the end, as many as 1,300 of them might have actually been built and sold. Interestingly, Ford actually painted all the cars white originally, then taped them off and painted the rest red, leaving just the white swoop.
When ordering your Starsky & Hutch Special Edition you could choose from any engine option in the range, and buyers could opt for any additional options they wanted. Many chose the 351 V8 mated to the 3-speed automatic, which was the only transmission available for the car at the time.
The Starsky & Hutch Special Edition Shown Here
The car you see here was imported from Missouri in the USA to Britain back in 2004. It comes with the original title and all the correct import documentation according to the seller, but it does now need a full restoration before any driving is attempted.
The highly-rated seller says that the engine does turn over, but also notes that there’s plenty of rust in a detailed description that is worth a read. They bought it five years ago with the intention of restoring it, but other projects got in the way, and it’s been sitting in storage ever since.
The seller has uploaded the Marti Report, which shows that this is an authentic Ford Gran Torino Starsky & Hutch Special Edition, making it very collectible to the right people.
This Gran Torino originally came with the 351 Windsor V8 but it has since been swapped out for a 460 big block V8 – so once it’s restored it’ll likely be a quick car.
It’s now being offered for sale on eBay out of Newport in South Wales, and at the time of writing the first bid is yet to be placed. If you’d like to read more about it or place a bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Avalonia24
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
