Starsky & Hutch Hot Rod

Like many of us, my girlfriend Linda can’t find anything good to watch on TV, so she buys videos (often on eBay) and watches them. After she has viewed the whole video, she sells it again on eBay. In many cases, she even makes a little money on the deal.

The latest video she bought is a season of the old Starsky & Hutch TV show in which the heroes drive a red Ford Torino with “hockey stick” white graphics. She asked me if I remembered the car from TV. Actually, I remembered seeing it at the Volo Museum (www.volocars.com) in Volo, Ill.

Greg Grams of the Volo Museum is an expert on cars used in TV shows and movies. Greg knows his “Hollywood Cars” well. About 12 years ago he bought a Batmobile that George Barris built for the 1960s TV show. Greg found that it had a big effect on museum attendance. “We went from 150,000 visitors a year to 250,000 and we set records every year now.”

Greg has TV cars in the collection. He prefers what he calls “recognizable” Hollywood cars, like those from recent hits such as “The Fast and The Furious” and “Gone in 60 Seconds.” He has both of those cars in the Volo Museum and they are big draws.

Though Greg hasn’t kept all of the more than 200 Hollywood cars he has owned, he enjoys talking about any vehicle that’s part of TV or movie history. He said that the Hollywood cars appeal especially to kids and families.

So, if your family likes movies and cars, you might want to check out www.volocars.com or to call (815) 385-8408 for information about the Volo Auto Museum’s Hollywood cars collection.