| Welcome to DM Starsky's movie Torino page! |
| In March 2004, an "action-comedy" movie loosely based upon the TV series was released in theatres nationwide. Set in "Bay City", California circa 1975, it starred actors Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson in the title roles and rapper Calvin "Snoop Dogg" Broadus was in the role of Huggy Bear. The "Striped Tomato" Gran Torino(the nickname came from a not-exactly-complimentary comment that series star Paul Michael Glaser[Starsky]made upon first seeing the Torino: "That thing looks like a 'striped tomato!") was again used as Starsky's car and was often seen on screen. Approximately nine 1974-76 complete Gran Torinos and a 1973 Gran Torino body were used in filming the movie from April to June 2003. The two close-up, or "hero" Torinos were built by Premiere Studio Rentals, along with a third Torino built for an ocean scene, while the "stunt" Torinos were built by Cinema Vehicle Services. In May of 2004, the #2 "hero" car was sold by "Movie Mike" Walsh of Premiere on EBay for $50,000 to a Barry S. of Nevada. This page will focus on the two "hero" cars with listed specifications applying to both. Both cars were found on the Internet at John and Penny Quirk's website dedicated to Starsky & Hutch Torinos. Thanks to them, "Movie Mike", and Hot Rod magazine for info. |
| Specifications for "hero" Torinos: |
| Exterior: Viper Red primary color; foot-wide white stripe running over roof, rear edge of stripe widening at C-pillar and following B-pillar line; straightening at rear-quarter crease(front edge following B-pillar line to middle of door window), curving at body line, and following body line down side of car; both edges tapering to a point at header panel seam. White stripe outlined with black pinstripe. Color-keyed sport mirrors Polished 15"x 8" 5-slot aluminum mag wheels BF Goodrich Radial T/A tires: P275/60R15 rear, P235/60R15 front (Tires currently used on cars) During production, P235/60R15s were used at all four corners on "hero" Torinos to match tire size used on "stunt" cars |
| Interior: Black with vinyl seats; front buckets, rear bench. Console with floor-mounted shifter. Standard instrument panel with factory AM/FM stereo/8-track. |
| Appearance |
| Engine: 351 cubic inch Windsor V8; cylinders bored out .040 inch over stock size, increasing engine size to 360 cubic inches Holley 750 CFM four-barrel carburetor, K&N air filter Edelbrock RPM Air-Gap dual-plane intake manifold Edelbrock Performer aluminum cylinder heads Comp Cams hydraulic-roller lifter camshaft, model unknown SRP aluminum pistons; final compression ratio 9.7:1 Scat forged crankshaft and forged connecting rods MSD ignition system Hedman headers (since Torino headers are tough to find, headers built for an early-'70s Mustang were used) Dual exhaust system(pipe size unknown), Flowmaster mufflers(model unknown) Engine rated at 435 flywheel horsepower |
| Mechanical |
| Transmission/rear axle/suspension: DragTrans.com "Super Pro" C6 automatic; Continental 10-inch torque converter with 3,500-4,000 rpm engine stall speed Balanced and shortened stock driveshaft Ford 9-inch rear axle by Hooper with limited-slip differential; final drive ratio 4.11 to 1 Rebuilt suspension with Torino station wagon springs and air shocks installed in rear Brakes rebuilt to stock specifications |
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