OCR Text |
Show ry" t 'i 1 C-18 The Park Record SatSunMonTues. July 3-6, 2004 I; l i FIN E LINES STARSKY & HUTCH FORD GRAN TORINO 0 ne white stripe. Maybe it was real- about the FRANK OCKENFELSCourtesy of Warner Bros. Ent. By JASON STEIN FOR WHEELBASE COMMUNICATIONS ly all stripe. In the mid-1970s no much was bigger, or 'more recognizable, recogniza-ble, in the world of prime-time TV than two crime-fighting cops from Los Angeles, Calif., David Starsky and Ken Hutchinson, and their red-and-white striped Ford Gran Torino. Truth be told, the Torino was bigger than the guys who drove it. Paul Michael Glasser and David Soul, the stars of the Starsky and Hutch drama from September 1975 to August 1979, couldn't have imagined the "Red Tomato," as it was known on the show, would provide so much competition. If a car could have won an Emmy, the 'Tomato" had as good a shot as any. For four years it was red-hot. It is again. In March, the Torino rolled again as the Starsky and Hutch movie hit theaters, showcasing the car 25 years after it roared off its Beverly Hills, Calif., set for the last time. In many ways, the Torino was an icon for the decade. It was an icon for cool. In fact, before the Torino went out of production you could duplicate it through your Ford dealer. And it turned a vehicle that was on its way out into an ever-lasting hit. The Torino was a phenomenon, turning Wednesday night into must-see must-see TV, a fact all the more impressive considering the show's main advertisers advertis-ers were Chevrolet and Dodge. When Starsky and Hutch debuted in 1975, the switchboard at Spelling-Goldberg Spelling-Goldberg Productions in Beverly Hills was inundated with questions: "What kind of car was it?" "What model is it?" And, "Can we get the stripe?" How it was conceived was pretty natural for Hollywood. Spelling-Goldberg wanted a specialty spe-cialty car for a new series. They needed need-ed a vehicle that was going to stand out in a crowd. The studio used cars from Ford's studio-TV car loan program and the Gran Torino emerged as an early possibility. pos-sibility. In a moment of brilliance, producers produc-ers of the show decided to paint the V I) ; 'I - ELLIOT MARKSCourtesy of Warner Bros. Ent Nine Gran Torino wore resurrected for the Starsky and Hutch movie that deluxe debuted in March. Although the car underwent some transformation white walls (52), tinted during the long running of the TV show in the 1970s, the movie cars glass ($51), dual mirrors $4,461 and standard equipment included a three-speed automatic transmission, steel-belted steel-belted radial tires, electronic ignition, power front disc brakes and power steering. The standard pow-erplant pow-erplant was a 351-cubic-inch 'Cleveland' V8. Ford called it a 351 M (for modified). Optional equipment equip-ment included air-conditioning air-conditioning ($478), a bumper ($67), incorporate features from each version. vehicle red and add a signature white stripe to the box-stock Torino. Some modifications were made for stunt purposes. Mag wheels were added, as well as oversized tires and air shocks. But equipped for the show with a 400 cubic-inch engine, the Torino could really fly, a fact that was necessary for the many chase scenes in the series. Glasser manned the wheel for normal driving scenes and a stunt driver took over during the chases. chas-es. The show's producers used two identical Torinos, one with a camera mounted on the roof and the other for exterior shots. It screeched. It smoked. It spun. But no one could have forseen the response that followed. Overnight, the car earned an impressive worldwide following. Fan clubs were established from Australia to Germany to England, Japan and Ireland. Newspapers around the nation wanted to know all about the Torino and where they could get one. Auto shows throughout the country continually requested the car for display purposes. Even custom van and truck shows found room on their exhibit floor for a knock-off of the coupe. They knew it would draw a crowd. As the show gained popularity, some Ford dealers had a few Torinos painted red and white and advertised the fact that a "Starsky and Hutch-type Hutch-type car" would be at the dealership. At the height of its popularity, Ford Division even ordered a limited production pro-duction of a similar car with a similar paint treatment 1,000 units in the United States and 100 for Canada to be produced at its Chicago, 111., assembly plant. The specs were hardly unusual. The signature Torinos sold for ($46) and the "Starsky and Hutch" paint treat ment ($164.20). Transportation and handling was another $114, bringing the typical price to about $5,351. It even managed 13 m.p.g. in the city and 19 on the highway. As interest in the TV show faded, the Torino hardly lost its steam. When Ford stopped making the car in the late 1970s, the fan clubs grew and collectors col-lectors emerged. All of which made the movie remake with actors Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller a natural. The film's production required nine Torinos to handle the chase scenes and peel-outs for the script. Over the years on the show, the Torino's appearance underwent some changes, but the movie version is an amalgam of all models. Picture car coordinator Craig Lietzke discovered none of the original origi-nal Torinos were available to use a basis for the movie cars. However, one of the special-edition Torinos Ford had produced then emerged. It had 1,800 original miles and had been in storage for 29 years. Using it as a template, Lietzke then hired two companies. com-panies. Premiere Studio Rentals and Cinema Vehicle Services to convert the stock Torinos for the movie, also using tapes of the episodes, old photos and model cars. "Our Torinos represent bits and pieces of the car as it changed each year of the series," Lietzke said. Even after all these years, Starsky and Hutch producer Alan Riche agrees the car is still as hot as ever. "The car is the star," he said. "It's one of the truly great cars. It reminds me of growing up, listening to the dual pipes the power of Detroit. It's still sexy." j Jason Stein is a feature writer with Wheelbase Communications. Wheelbase is a worldwide supplier of automobile news, reviews and features. I N F I N I T I Best of Both Worlds Sport & Luxury 1.9 Available OAC 04 Infiniti G35 -s,m 014237 Auto. 260 HP, ' 01138 2 Year 60,000 Bumper to MSRP Bumper Warranty STARTING AT $30,705 f28,513$325 ' , "m it! i 7J 04 Infiniti 135 014224 . . 014125 Auto, Leather, Bose Stereo, Moon Roof MSRP $49,100 STARTING AT $27,841z$35r;i G35. $2000 Down, 12k miles per year. Residual $18,730 135. $2000 Down, 12k miles per year. Residual $13,433 r 7 ) 04 Infiniti FX35 014201 014207 Auto, Leather, Bose, Touring Group MSRP $41,655 STARTING AT 0 $38,655LE$487V k L 04 Infiniti M45 s" 014454 AutO, 014138 Navigation System, MSRP $49,100 STARTING AT $45,126r$516 FX35. $3000 Down, 12k miles per year. Residual $22,910 M45. $4500 Down, 12k miles per year. Residual $25,533 FREE SERVICE LOAN CAR AVAILABLE. VEHICLE PURCHASE PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS WELCOME. TO Mil MtoBG 4594 So. State tturraycoi-262-5500crC00-C4O-4070 vAW.tindahleinfinitUorn ' - - ...... ' s - - i - - it n salts Im ami tote. MM 0 4 I |