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 in that most cars consist of styling elements from many designers. The Ford Pinto offered an inline 4-cylinder engine and bucket seats. And the entry-level Pinto was $1,850, making it the cheapest Ford since 1958.
Seats in the Pinto were 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 faux wood sides. Road & Track Magazine did not 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 power ratings virtually every year. The Ford Pinto Pangra is a modified sports Pinto produced by Huntington Ford in California and only 55 were sold in 1973.
The Ford Pinto is best known for its design problem that allowed the fuel tank to be easily damaged in a rear-end collision. Deadly fires and explosions were common occurrences in rear-end collisions. The Pinto did not have an actual bumper or a reinforcement 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 reinforcement. This led to the nickname of Pinto as a barbecue that seats four.
The Ford Pinto memo is the cost-benefit analysis obtained by Mother Jones magazine, which it claimed 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 cleared of the criminal charges. The NHTSA ruled in 1974 that the Pinto did not have any recoverable 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 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.
