Nostalgic for the “striped tomato” Ford Gran Torino? We’re talking about the car made famous by the hit ’70s TV show Starsky & Hutch and later revived in the 2004 movie starring Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson. And now it’s time for an auction.
This particular 1974 Gran Torino is one of just nine cars used in the film, a mix of stunt, camera, and showcase vehicles, all faithful to the style of the originals seen in the series from 1974 to 1976. Beneath the hood sits a burly 360-cubic-inch V8 police-spec engine, tuned to deliver 435 HP. Power runs through a Ford 9-inch rear axle with shorter gears than stock, giving it that punchy acceleration fans remember from Starsky’s on-screen chases.
Back then, TV cars were true Frankensteins, built from whatever Ford’s studio loan program could supply, from 351 Windsor engines to 400 V8s and later the massive 460 Lima blocks. Every car, however, wore the same uniform: Bright Red paint (code 2B) topped with the iconic white vector stripe applied by Spelling-Goldberg’s transport team.
With raised rear air shocks, five-spoke Ansen Sprint wheels, and reversed tire sidewalls to hide unauthorized brands, the Torino was instantly recognizable. But the actors weren’t fans: Paul Michael Glaser (Starsky) famously called it “big, ugly, and childish,” while David Soul (Hutch) often slid across the vinyl seats in hard right turns until bucket seats were finally installed. California laws of the era restricted engine mods, so the cars weren’t especially fast. Instead, the roaring soundtrack fans heard was often dubbed-in V8 thunder. Some even had Dymo labels on the dash reading “Do not exceed 50 mph”, a nod to fragile gearboxes and overworked big blocks.
By the end of four seasons, the fleet was battered: dented panels, faded paint, missing emblems. Still, the Torino became a cultural phenomenon, inspiring Ford to release 1,305 official replicas in 1976 and sparking a legacy of clones and tributes worldwide.
The example heading to auction carries that heritage proudly, with cracked paint, just over 1,100 miles on the odometer, and authentic props like a magnetic light and period-correct police radio. It’s less of a pampered collector’s car and more of a battle-scarred Hollywood veteran. On August 22, someone will get the chance to own one of TV’s most recognizable rides.
