The Ford Pinto was Ford’s first domestic subcompact car. It was marketed in 1970 with competitors such as AMC Gremlin, Chevrolet Vega, and imports from Volkswagen, Datsun, and Toyota. It was a very popular car with 100,000 units delivered by January 1971. A version produced under the Lincoln Mercury name was called the Bobcat.
The powertrains used by the Pinto originated in Europe, but the Vega had an innovative aluminum engine that caused problems. Robert Eidschun’s design of the Pinto’s exterior was chosen, which was unusual because most cars consist of styling elements from many designers. The Ford Pinto offered an in-line 4-cylinder engine and bucket seats. And the entry-level Pinto was $1,850, making it the cheapest Ford since 1958.
Seating in the Pinto was low compared to imports. Body styles were the two-door coupe, a hatchback called the Runabout, and a two-door station wagon. A top-of-the-line Pinto Squire had imitation wood sides. Road & Track magazine didn’t have the standard suspension and drum brakes, but loved the 1.6 L Kent engine. The Pinto was available with a choice of two engines, and Ford changed the power ratings virtually every year. The Ford Pinto Pangra is a modified Pinto sports car produced by Huntington Ford in California and only 55 were sold in 1973.
The Ford Pinto is best known for its design issue that allowed the fuel tank to be easily damaged in a rear-end collision. Fatal fires and explosions were common occurrences in rear-end collisions. The Pinto had no real bumper and no reinforcing structure between the rear panel and the gas tank. In some collisions, the gas tank would be pushed forward on the differential which had protruding bolts that could puncture the tank. Also, the doors could get stuck during an accident due to poor bracing. This led to the Pinto’s nickname as a four-person barbecue.
The Ford Pinto memo is the cost-benefit analysis obtained by Mother Jones magazine that it said Ford used to compare the cost of an $11 repair to the monetary value of a human life. This characterization of Ford’s decision as a disregard for human life led to lawsuits, although Ford was acquitted of the criminal charges. The NHTSA ruled in 1974 that the Pinto did not have any salvageable problems, but in 1978 Ford initiated a recall by providing a dealer-installable safety kit that placed protective plastic material over sharp objects, thereby eliminating the risk of a gas tank puncture. gasoline.
The Ford Pinto has the dubious honor of being on Time magazine’s list of the fifty worst cars of all time.