Detective and police TV shows of the 1970s seemed to have a gimmick. A case in point is Starsky & Hutch, which ran on ABC from 1975 to 1979. Their gimmick was a glitzy 1976 Ford Gran Torino with a huge white wraparound stripe that one of the actors dubbed the “Striped Tomato”. The seller has one of these for sale with no indication if it’s one of Ford’s legit replicas or one that someone cobbled together. Either way, it’s a project that doesn’t move and can be found in Lebanon, Tennessee, and here on Facebook Marketplace for $3,900. Thanks for the tip, “MisterLou”!
The “Striped Tomato” was piloted by actor Paul Michael Glaser, who played title character Det. Sgt. Dave Starsky in fictional Bay City, California. It’s been reported that Glaser wasn’t a fan of the garish car, which was the producers’ second choice for the vehicle (the first is said to have been a Chevy Camaro, but IMO the second-generation Gran Torino worked better). We understand that many of these 1976 Fords were commissioned and done up to look like this car, even the wider wheels and tires.
Several engines were used, but the 351 cubic-inch “Windsor” V8 was the most common. The show and car became so popular that Ford produced 1,305 replicas for sale, which the seller’s example may or may not be one because tributes were common. The seller’s car is described as being in poor condition, likely due to a substantial amount of sheet metal corrosion. The engine will run off a gas can, but the automatic transmission is stuck in gear (perhaps from sitting for a long time). The brakes sound like they are hit or miss.
You’re going to have to spend some time and money on the interior, which needs help and is not stock. The glass would be okay except for some etchings someone undertook. Although the seller thinks this Tomato could be restored, he/she suggests it might be better suited as a parts car. However, the seller will not part it out – you have to take the entire machine. Delivery is possible for an extra charge.
Looks like a good candidate for Vice Grip Garage.
This one has definitely seen better days. It’s been through a repaint, which seems to be hiding tons of rust. Hopefully someone can use some of the salvageable parts.
The cornering lights are an unusual to retrofit – wonder what drove someone to add them?
I live in the area, and I can provide a back story tidbit or two.
The owner of this car (per the Facebook ad) owned a company which provided vehicles for use in music videos, weddings, movies, commercials, etc. His “shop” (consisting of several garages) was located a few miles outside of town. You can imagine this could be a viable business, given the huge music industry based in nearby Nashville. He was featured in Tennessee Magazine a few years ago.
About three years ago he retired and sold the company to a local couple. On my back-route through town there is a multi-bay workshop behind a house. It is not uncommon to see an old vehicle of some sort in front of the garage, or in the driveway, or even in the front yard. All makes and models, mostly just “regular” cars and trucks (not much high-dollar stuff), mostly in “driver” condition. Probably getting mechanical work in anticipation of being utilized. I’m guessing the new company owners live there but I don’t know that, could be just getting work done by someone else.
I don’t know the seller or the company owners. From the new company owner’s web site, it appears they own an inventory of cars and have others on consignment.
I’m wondering if this car wasn’t in the sale, perhaps because of its rough condition.
Note the Ohio historical plates. Could explain the rust on this poor Torino.
Dixon and everyone if you haven’t seen the Starsky and Hutch movie with Owen Wilson and Stiller 😄 it’s very funny.
@Stan. Love the ending!!! I remember going to the movies with my wife to see it when it came out. We got her parents to baby sit the kids we had dinner and that movie.
This Torino looks like Billy Bob Joe Royal’s teen aged hot rod. Drove her til she quit. And after he eloped with Linda Sue, she got pregnant, and all the money went into the rented trailer home. The Torino sat in the back yard, forgotten.
Hey, now! I resemble that remark!
Car has too much rust and I do not remember the car from the tv show having a hood scoop.
The 70’s TV lineup was crammed with detective shows of every shape and size- bald detectives, blind detectives, wheelchair detectives, teenage detectives, old detectives, city detectives, cowboy detectives and of course Starsky and Hutch. We joked that they needed a pair of fat detectives named Husky and Starch.
Never saw Cannon?
You forgot Girl detectives, Nancy Drew and lady detectives, Cagney & Lacy
Cars rear end needs to be lifted.
BF should title the S&H car as “ Genuine Ford” right in the title as people probably turned theirs into one more than were made.
To there were quite a few memorable TV and movie cars. From Dan August’s quarter horse mustang, to McQ’s TransAm, to Mannix’s string of mopars, to Frank Cannon’s Mark Continentals and the Duke Boy’s Charger. But I have never seen the attraction with this one. The big bumper Torinos were ugly and didn’t do anything particularly well. The not-so-well thought out stripe only made it look dumpier than it already was. Sorry. I’m sure I’ll get hate for this.
Always loved the way the back end of the car was raised. Buddy of mine flipped the rear leaf springs to get this cool look for his 55 Chevy.
That reminds me of a joke from the 70s. They were going to come out with a new detective show. I featured an Alaskan dog and a potato, it was called husky and starch.
Bada Boom!
Sorry but lousy write up.
I will take Farah Fawcett’s 1976 Mustang II Cobra instead (maybe with Jacklyn Smith thrown in for good measure…)
Back when this car was 3 or 4 years old, I read an article on how Ford produced this litter of Torinos. If I remember rightly, these were pulled off the assembly line, and diverted to an in-house body shop. They were all sprayed white, and the area was masked off, a black border was put on, and then the car was sprayed “bright red”. The reason given for all that was the red showed up brighter in contrast to the white. A true Husky and Starch car from the factory will have the black outline around the white. I believe this to be true, as I bought a ’74 Gran Torino Sport, same color, but with a white vinyl top and sport interior, and a 351 Cleveland, not Windsor. Car was so expensive, I had to give the salesman the radio out of it, to seal the deal.
I also live close to where this car is. I enlarged the photo of the engine bay and trunk and not only is this not the original color but the overspray on the hinges indicates the repaint was not done with great care. I do see a black outline around the white stripe. Side note: Didn’t they also put Ford 351M (modified) engines in these Torinos?
By ’76, I don’t know of any FoMoCo products issued with a 351 Windsor except the Crown Vic and trucks. However, the 302 kept marching on into the next decade. My new off the showroom floor ’74 Gran Torino Sport had a 351 Cleveland, and my Dealer, who I went to High School with, said the 351 W was history as far as light cars went. And yes, there was a 351M400 which was also a Cleveland.