CAR DESIGNER FINE-TUNES A CLASSIC.

Byline: Michael Gougis Staff Writer

The pilot of his own 1,100-horsepower dragster, occasional actor and longtime movie-vehicle creator Michael Walsh is no stranger to living fast.

But even Walsh, who lives in Granada Hills, was unprepared for the whirlwind sparked by his latest creation - a replica of the legendary red- and-white Ford Gran Torino featured in the TV series ``Starsky & Hutch.'' The new vehicle was ordered for the movie of the same name starring Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson.

The ``Striped Tomato'' - as the Torino is affectionately known to its aficionados - was the faithful Silver to the TV crime-fighting duo of Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul, who starred in 88 episodes from 1975 to 1979. In the big-screen remake, the car is as big an on-screen presence as Stiller and Wilson, as the trio goes power-sliding around, smoke billowing from the rear tires, to chase down bad guys.

The film has grossed $51.5 million in less than two weeks.

For the past month, Walsh has crisscrossed the country, smoking the wheels in one of his hopped-up Torinos for premiers, publicity appearances and the kind of parties you only wish you got invited to. Walsh's Torinos have graced the cover of Hot Rod magazine. Wherever he goes, people ask to have their pictures taken with the car. His re-creation, it seems, has become a celebrity in its own right.

``It's been different,'' said a laughing Walsh, who created Premier Studio Rentals in San Fernando about a decade ago. ``It's one thing to do a movie, but when you're done, you're still on contract to promote the movie.

``I've lost track of how many interviews I've done. But I know how to say 'Gran Torino' in about 10 different languages.''

Walsh has put cars into some of Hollywood's biggest blockbusters in recent years, including ``Spider-Man,'' ``S.W.A.T.'' and ``Charlie's Angels.''

Not only is his business in fast-forward, but Walsh is seeking new challenges. Stout, with a cigarette firmly planted between his fingers, Walsh is talking about creating his own TV show, modeled on the ``Monster Garage'' concept.

Walsh's San Fernando yard is filled with mock police cars, TV news vans and ambulances. His facility is impressive, with a shop for electrical work, mechanical restoration, upholstery and customized mixing and painting. The busted cars are busted only because a director needed them for a shot.

Born in the Valley, Walsh was raised with vehicles and drag-raced sedans as he got his start in the entertainment industry as a driver, and, later, a transportation coordinator. He started working on ``Murphy's Romance'' in Arizona. He recalls lying on his back one rainy night, under a truck in a junkyard, ripping out a drive shaft to fix a truck Sally Field was driving.

``I'm thinking, This is nuts. There has got to be a better way to make a living. Then I got the (large) check, and I thought, 'I'm going into the movie business!'''

For ``Starsky & Hutch,'' Walsh built nine cars, in various states of tune. He is careful to protect the secrets that went into the two main cars, just like any other hot-rodder. What he will say is, ``I wanted the movie cars to do what the TV cars always wished they could do.''

But for him, the hardware wasn't the best part of this movie experience. It was getting to meet and work with the original Starsky and Hutch, Soul and Glaser.

``As a kid, I was watching the show,'' he said. ``The car always took a lot of credit, but the car was nothing without Paul and Dave. Call them a crime-fighting trio.''

While Walsh was building his entertainment vehicle empire, he and his wife were also raising a daughter. And Walsh was volunteering his time on the San Fernando Police Advisory Council.

``I'm just trying to give a little back to the community I do business in. And the department is a really good group of guys,'' he said.

About a year ago, the demanding schedules of work, home and community convinced Walsh that he needed some time to himself. He thought about the hobbies that made him happy - and went out and bought an 1,100-horsepower, 190-mile-an-hour Super Eliminator dragster.

``Most people would want to take it easy; me, I needed to go faster,'' he said, grinning. ``You get all strapped into this thing, your butt is about 3 inches off the ground, and you start thinking, 'What am I doing here?' It's a release. It's a rush.''

Michael Gougis, [phone]

michael.gougis(at)dailynews.com

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2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Mike Walsh burns rubber in one of the Ford Gran Torinos he customized for the movie remake of the '70s TV series ``Starsky & Hutch.''

John McCoy/Staff Photographer

(2 -- color) Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller work from their Gran Torino in ``Starsky & Hutch.''