After looking dead and nearly buried at 0-2 early in the second half, Brentford roared back to earn their first away point of the season.
Goals by midfielder Chris Hargreaves and right-back Sam Sodje did the trick.
The Bees seemed to have no chance when they failed to take advantage of driving wind and rain at their backs for most of the first half.
Right-winger John Salako looked a class-act and he supplied a stream of dangerous crosses, but there was no punch near goal.
Torquay, under strong pressure, broke out to hit the bar with a Tony Bedeau cross-shot.
And in the 38th minute they took the lead through the first of two headers by midfielder Stuart Wardley.
The former QPR player, who celebrated his 30th birthday on Friday, powered home Martin Phillips' inviting free-kick in off the left-hand post.
Three minutes into the second half Wardley was in the right place again, nodding the ball home after Martin Gritton had headed back at the far post from another Phillips free-kick.
After Isaiah Rankin had missed a wonderful point-blank chance for Brentford in the 63rd minute, Bees goalkeeper Stuart Nelson kept his side in the match with a series of key saves from Torquay forwards Jo Kuffour, Tony Bedeau and Gritton.
Hargreaves threw Brentford a lifeline in the 69th minute, sidefooting home a Salako left-wing cross.
And, with Torquay's previously impressive defence cracking up, Sodje equalised in the 77th minute.
On-loan centre-half Michael Turner from Charlton flicked on Salako's right-wing corner and Nigerian international Sodje nodded home at the far post.
Both teams had chances to win in the last ten minutes, Turner scooping the ball off his line from Gritton and lively substitute Deon Burton volleying just over after Hargreaves flicked on a long throw.