Remembering an Icon: The Ford Gran Torino

The Ford Gran Torino had some memorable turns on the silver screen. Here, we revisit two Hollywood favorites that feature this powerful car.
Written by Alex Reale
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
Some cars were born to be stars. The DeLorean had its moment in Back to the Future, the Mini Coopers of The Italian Job stole the show, and Paul Walker’s orange Toyota Supra sold for half a million dollars after its turn in the Fast and Furious franchise. 
One
Ford
could make a good case to have its name enshrined alongside these classics on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Read on to learn more about two of the Ford Gran Torino’s most famous roles. 

A muscle car with acting chops

The Torino was originally released in 1968 as the successor to the Ford Fairlane, reports
HotCars
. They note that its big, heavy body, square jaw, and strong engine made it clear that this was one of Ford’s contributions to the rampant muscle car culture of the late ’60s and early ’70s.
In 1972, the Gran Torino and the Gran Torino Sport were added to the line, and it was the Gran Torino that stole the show.
In 1975, a buddy cop show called “Starsky and Hutch” made its debut. Its two protagonists were funny and unorthodox, and the show was well received for the four seasons that it was on the air.
In 2004, Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson starred in a movie remake that also featured Vince Vaughn and Snoop Dogg. The actors for both franchises, though decades apart, were connected by one important costar: a glorious red and white Gran Torino. 
The “striped tomato” ferried the detectives through the fictional Southern California town of Bay City, rising to many a car chase occasion, and more than a few absurdities. 
In one scene from the 2004 “Starsky and Hutch” movie, the Gran Torino races onto a dock, the engine revving deliciously, in pursuit of a villain on his yacht. Hutch convinces Starsky to try to land the car on the boat, and though you suspect the plan is ill-conceived, you can’t help but love the sight of the red GT flying through the air, unencumbered by gravity. It’s hard to watch when it crashes into the water.
Hopefully it was just a stunt car.
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A cult favorite, too

The 1998 Coen brothers film The Big Lebowski is beloved for its bizarre plot and quirky humor. Featuring Jeff Bridges as “The Dude,” this cult favorite keeps white Russians flowing in bowling alleys everywhere. And though it’s not as pristine as the shiny red vehicle of Starsky and Hutch, another Gran Torino gets some impressive screen time in The Big Lebowski.
Chaotic Vietnam vet Walter Sobchak, hilariously played by John Goodman, drives a rusty 1973 Gran Torino. In one key scene, he leaps out of the driver’s seat, forcing the Dude to take the wheel. Unfortunately the car is then riddled with bullet holes and winds up ramming a tree. 
This fate almost befell a Chrysler LeBaron, reports
HotCars
, but Goodman was a bit too big for the Chrysler cabin, so a Gran Torino got the call instead. And even though The Big Lebowski Gran Torino didn’t get to be in mint condition for this role, the power and sturdiness of the model is irrepressible.
MORE: Who Remembers the Ford Thunderbird?

The Gran Torino had range

Though the Ford Gran Torino was a star of the screen, it experienced a bit of a precipitous decline in the real world, due in large part to changing regulations and rust issues, reports
HotCars
But from 1968 to 1976, Ford churned out these chunky muscle cars to wide acclaim. And if you didn’t get a chance to get your hands on one then, you can always watch old episodes of Starsky and Hutch. The striped tomato never disappoints.
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