1976 Ford Gran Torino From ‘Starsky And Hutch’ Heading To Auction

The 1976 Ford Gran Torino that appeared in the TV series Starsky and Hutch is easily one of the most widely recognized and most popular vehicular stars of the modern era, spawning many fan-created replicas over the years. Back in 2023, Ford Authority was able to check out what’s known as “Car #1” from that series, which was on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles and is one of just three surviving examples from the show that was on the air from 1975-1979. Now, the car known as “The No. 3 Striped Tomato” from Starsky and Hutch is heading to auction as well.

This 1976 Ford Gran Torino is set to be sold at Barrett-Jackson’s flagship Scottsdale auction later this month, and it comes from the collection of Dr. Stewart Berkowitz, who had a thing for pop-culture related vehicles in general. It’s being sold with no reserve – like the rest of the 53-vehicle collection, which includes original and replica models that appeared in TV series and on the big screen between the 1950s and 1970s, including the original “Batmobile No. 3.”

This 1976 Ford Gran Torino was used in the show Starsky and Hutch, and has been signed by Paul Michael Glaser, who played Detective Dave Starsky in the series, as well as David Soul, who starred as Detective Ken Hutchinson. It remains in stellar condition, and presents fans of that TV show with an opportunity that doesn’t come along very often.

“We’ve never seen a collection dedicated to pop culture vehicles on the same scale we see in the Berkowitz Collection,” said Craig Jackson, chairman and CEO of Barrett-Jackson. “Dr. Berkowitz grew up watching some of America’s most influential shows on TV between the 1950s and 1970s. He was able to turn his love for classic TV into an impressive collection featuring some of the most popular vehicles in American show business. While the original ‘Batmobile No. 3’ was the pride of his collection, the rest of his collection is just as iconic and includes vehicles from ‘The Monkees’, ‘Starsky & Hutch’ and ‘Gilligan’s Island.’ This collection is truly one-of-kind and so much fun you must come to Scottsdale to experience it all in person.”