Mark B.'s Limited Edition
"Starsky & Hutch" Gran
Torino
| Mark bought the car about a day before he graduated from high
school in 1978 and drove it there that graduation night. It sure turned some heads. He sold it after a couple years
but has tons of pictures of it. What made his unique was that it had a 460 big block engine. It had black interior,
shifter on the column and split bench. Mark bought it at a car dealer about 30 miles from him and when he first
saw it on the lot they had just traded for it and it had so much dirt on it you couldn't see the stripe. They cleaned
it up and it was his soon after. Mark added a Hawk tachometer and an 8-track player, wide tires and slotted Western mags, rear window defroster, retractable trunk mounted antenna and removable red flashing light on the roof. The car came with air shocks and the original 5 spoke wheel rims. Mark also found the factory assembly paper behind the back seat that describes the car as a Starsky & Hutch unit. Mark was told after he got it the previous owner had missed a curve and wrecked it at over 90 mph. They had rebuilt it but the Gran Torino chrome name plates were missing off the front quarter panels. He added them later when he applied a clear coat over the original paint. Also the frame was twisted so that one of the rear wheel wells was about 1"-2" higher than the other side. This took its toll on wide tires and Mark was constantly being stopped by the Police for having an illegal suspension. It was Mark's pride and joy. He showed it at a few car shows, cruised a lot, and drove in some parades. His license plate said STRSKY. |
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This Page © 2003 John D. Quirk. |