|
Mike and Dawn P.'s Canadian Limited
Production
1976 "Starsky & Hutch"®Ford
Gran Torino®
|
|
|
There have been a number of cars on this site that
were real "family affairs," whether they were sold back and forth from one brother to another over and
over, or inherited from father to son, or restored by father and son or husband and wife. This one is special in
that it was first sold at Mike's Dad's Ford dealership where Mike and his brother worked at the time.
Mike says, "My older brother had ordered this car for the dealership with every option available. The car
was well over $7,500 Canadian (which was a lot of money at that time) and when my father saw the purchase order
sheet he said, 'This car will never sell! It's way too expensive!'"
"He carved off $1,000 worth of options and brought it down to around $6,500 and still thought it would never
sell. He even wanted to change the motor to a 351 instead of a 460, but my brother adamantly refused and said,
'If you're going to order a 'Starsky & Hutch' car, it has to have a 460 or I quit!' This car sold within two
days of being delivered to our dealership." |
|
|
|
|
Mike says the car is still very solid, even after sitting
in the Great White North for many years! One reason the floor boards are in excellent condition is because when
this car was delivered to his father's dealership in 1976 (Mike was 16 at the time), he had the job of undercoating
all the new cars. He used to get in trouble for applying two times too much undercoating, but he says he's glad
that he did an extra good job on this one and coated every nook and cranny, because that saved the car!
Mike and Dawn are thrilled to own this car, and are excited to restore it back to its original glory! Mike now
has the engine out of the car and all in pieces. He's taking a toothbrush and wire wheel to every nut and bolt.
The car, he says, was very well taken care of and maintained mechanically during the 15 years it was driven. He
believes the engine will not need any oversizing and will only require a basic rebuild with the original pistons. |
|
|
|
|
Mike says, "My Ford family has always always been
interested in cars. Through the years, my father and brothers and I have restored everything including 10 Mustangs
(1964 1/2 to 1967), two Boss 429s, a 1967 Shelby GT 500, a 1966 Shelby GT 350, a 1963 289 Cobra, and my brother
currently owns a 1966 427 Cobra. We know that originality is the way to go, compared to restomod, for value's sake."
The car is very well documented, including the firewall tag, door tag, build sheets (found under the seats), and
even the original bill of sale from Mike's father's Ford dealership. Notice the Special Order number on the Canadian
S&H units was 8000, not 0022 like the cars sold in the USA. All of them were built in Chicago, though.
We all look forward to seeing the car when it is restored. Thanks for sharing it, Mike and Dawn! |