Ford Torino had a power and torque increase, and the 460-4V had a power decrease. In an attempt to help improve fuel economy, the standard rear axle ratio for all models was now 2.75:1. 1975–1976 Gran Torinos were used in the popular Spelling-Goldberg Productions TV series "Starsky and Hutch". The producers needed a flashy specialty car for the main characters to drive. Since Ford was the lease supplier for on-screen cars through their Studio-TV Car Loan Program, eventually it was decided by the producers that a bright red 1975 Gran Torino two-door would be the vehicle of choice for the pilot episode.
Starsky & Hutch (film) Starsky & Hutch (film) Starsky & Hutch is a 2004 American crime-action buddy cop comedy film directed by Todd Phillips. The film stars Ben Stiller as David Starsky and Owen Wilson as Ken "Hutch" Hutchinson and is a film adaptation of the original television series of the same name from the 1970s. Two streetwise undercover cops in the fictional city of Bay City, California in the 1970s, bust drug criminals with the help of underworld boss, Huggy Bear. The film functions as a sort of prequel to the TV series, as it portrays when Starsky was first partnered with Hutchinson.