|
Chris M.'s Limited Production 1976
"Starsky & Hutch"®Ford Gran Torino®
|
|
|
| Chris says, "I love Gran Torinos. I have loved
them since I saw them for the first time when I was 12 years old and I saw the beautiful car on the TV show. In
1976, I saw two of them daily as I rode past a Ford dealership on the bus on my way to school. I remember dreaming
about owning one just like the TV car someday. My family did not have much in the way of money, so I knew it would
be a long time before I could realize my dream." |
|
|
| "Fast forward thirty years ... a buddy of mine
and I were out riding around in Gateway, Arkansas on our motorcycles with when I saw this car. It was in bad shape,
but it was a beauty to me. The guy who sold it to me told me it was an original car. I did not realize the significance
of his statement at that time, and I don't think he did either - I just knew wanted the car. It had a 460 engine,
[power] bucket seats, and a floor shift and center console, but I assumed all Gran Torinos came with all that as
standard equipment." |
|
|
| I brought the car home on a trailer, because it had
four flat tires, and I began to search the Internet for information about my new car. It was then that I found
the beloved "Starsky & Hutch"®Torino Web site [aw, shucks, thanks Chris - John Q.] that
continued to fuel my desire to find out all I could. I learned from this Web site that Ford made only 1,000 of
the cars that I now owned. I also discovered that you had to special order if you wanted a 460. I searched on this
site and on eBay for parts, because I needed many." |
|
|
| "It took me two and a half years to restore this
car from the ground up, as funds and time became available. I tried to keep it as original as I could. There was
a few changes I made which I 'had' to have. For instance, the hood scoop was not part of the original equipment,
but I wanted it!" |
|
|
"You see, I did not restore this car as an adult
making an investment. I was doing it as that 12 year old boy on the bus who dreamed of driving one of those cars
he saw at Ron Blackwell Ford dealership in 1976. I own my dream car now, and I'm proud to share it with anyone
that will look at it."
Thanks for sharing your story and your car, Chris! You are an inspiration to all of us who grew up in the '70s
wanting a car like the one we saw on TV, and even to the new generation who saw it in the movie theaters. Great
job saving and restoring it! |
| |
|
|