1976 Ford Torino "Starsky and Hutch" Replica For Sale By... (2024)

In the 1970s no Saturday afternoon was complete without watching either the Duke brothers leaping a creek in the General Lee, their surprisingly durable Dodge Charger, or Starsky and Hutch swinging their brightly striped Gran Torino sideways through the fictional streets of Bay City, California.

Both series made icons of their respective cars and generated an industry creating replicas.

Although Ford built 1,000 factory replicas of the Starsky and Hutch car, few of those survive. Instead this car was imported to the UK in 2004 by a well known Starsky and Hutch enthusiasts who had just set up a business making replicas.

The transformation was completed in July 2005 when this car was UK registered. It has had just three owners since and covered few miles. The restoration work has held up well and it has recently received investment in the mechanicals. It is very presentable and there is scope to use it as it is or improve it. Either way, for buyers of a certain age, it looks great fun and a rare chance to indulge a childhood fantasy.

The subdued black interior of this 1976 Torino provides a remarkable contrast to the iconic exterior. But there are clues to this car’s sporting pretensions in the deep-dish dials and sharply raked dashboard.

It is in remarkable condition for a car that is nearly 50 years old, perhaps reflecting the low mileage and careful recent use by enthusiast owners. The big, spongey bench seats front and back are in very good condition as are the carpets and door trims. All of the fixtures and fittings and switchgear appear to be complete.

This car of course has a Starsky and Hutch CB radio system fitted, although we were unable to test it and therefore unable to reach Huggy Bear or any of the other Bay City residents. Similarly fans of the TV series will be pleased to see the detachable police light. Whenever Starsky or Hutch reached to put this on the roof viewers knew that a tail-sliding, V8-revving hot pursuit was about to commence. We hope the new buyer will be more restrained.

In the 1970s and 80s such was this car’s iconic reach that those who couldn’t stretch to a Torino made do with modifying their Allegros and TR7s with bright white stripes.

It started life as a standard 1976 Torino. The conversion work involved a full respray, application of those stripes and fitting American Racing Equipment slot mag alloy wheels. The work was done soon after the car was imported in 2004 and completed in July 2005 when the car was MOT’d for the first time.

The work has generally held up well, indicating the quality of the work and careful owners. As an older restoration of a car not particularly known for its rust-resistant properties there are signs of deterioration. These are not immediately visible but may be worth attending to before they worsen.

Moving around the car, on the nearside there is corrosion on the front wheel arch, shallow dents in the chrome trim here and a small chip below the nearside front headlamp. The driver’s door is showing early signs of corrosion at the bottom rear edge and the rear wheelarch also shows signs of corrosion. The chrome trim on this arch is also lightly dented.

Both rear wings are bubbling at the back beside the boot aperture. In the boot the paint is flaking on the offside inner arch.

On the offside the front wheel arch is beginning to corrode. There are also signs of corrosion at the base of the passenger door.

The chrome bumpers are generally in good condition. The front bumper has a small dent on the offside and the chrome on the rear bumper is beginning to pit across its length.

The 2018 MOT highlighted one cracked tyre as an advisory. The photographs indicate that three of the Goodrich tyres are beginning to crack. The spare tyre is a mismatched white wall with a black steel rim. The stylish American Racing Equipment slot mag alloy wheels are in good condition but may benefit from a polish.

The Windsor engine remained in production for nearly 40 years and is known for its durability and reliability. Due to the long production run parts supply is generally good and there are plenty of UK and USA based specialists for this model.

Since 2019 the car has benefitted from significant mechanical investment including to the brakes and roll bar linkages and bushes. In that year around 30 workshop hours were put in attending to the cam shaft, timing chain and gear, servicing work and brakes. The screen wash pump was also replaced.

The brakes were also attended to in 2021.

We were unable to confirm when the car was last serviced but it has covered very few miles in the last few years – just 1,500 since 2018.

There are motorised movie icons and then there is the Starsky and Hutch Ford Torino. Its bright white stripe is guaranteed to transports those of a certain age straight back to a world of tyre-smoking, power-sliding car chases where the bad guys always lose.

This faithful reproduction of that car carries the pedigree of being undertaken by model enthusiasts. The significant recent expenditure on the mechanicals and running gear indicate careful ownership. While there is room for improvement, its bodywork remains as arresting as any Torino reproduction should be. If you are in the market for a nostalgic statement car, they don’t get much more statement than this.

This item is sold on an ‘As is Where is’ basis. The condition of this item is the opinion of the seller and may differ from your own opinion. Photos and listing descriptions are for guidance purposes only*.** Car & Classic do not warrant listing accuracy. Full inspection is recommended. Viewings are at the seller’s discretion. Buyer is responsible for delivery and collection of any item purchased.*

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