Ford Pinto

Ford Pinto
Ford Pinto
	Ford Pinto
Overview
Manufacturer	Ford
Also called	Mercury Bobcat
Production	September 1970 – July 1980
Model years	1971–1980 (Pinto); 1974–1980 (Bobcat);
Assembly	United States: Edison, New Jersey (Edison Assembly); Milpitas, California (San Jose Assembly); Canada: Southwold, Ontario (St. Thomas Assembly);
Designer	Robert Eidschun (1968)
Body and chassis
Class	Subcompact car
Body style	2-door sedan; 2-door sedan delivery; 2-door station wagon; 3-door hatchback;
Layout	FR layout
Chassis	Unibody
Related	Mercury Bobcat; Ford Mustang II;
Powertrain
Engine	97.6 cu in (1.6 L) Kent I4; 122.0 cu in (2.0 L) EAO I4 ; 140.4 cu in (2.3 L) L23 I4 ; 170.9 cu in (2.8 L) Cologne V6 ;
Transmission	4-speed manual; 3-speed C3/"Selectshift/Cruise-O-Matic" automatic;
Dimensions
Wheelbase	94.0 in (2,388 mm)
Length	163 in (4,140 mm)
Width	69.4 in (1,763 mm)
Height	50 in (1,270 mm)
Curb weight	2,015–2,270 lb (914–1,030 kg) (1971)
Chronology
Predecessor	Ford Cortina (captive import)
Successor	Ford Escort / Mercury Lynx

The Ford Pinto is a subcompact car that was manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company in North America from 1971 until 1980. The Pinto was the first subcompact vehicle produced by Ford in North America.

The Pinto was marketed in three body styles throughout its production: a two-door fastback sedan with a trunk, a three-door hatchback, and a two-door station wagon. Mercury offered rebadged versions of the Pinto as the Mercury Bobcat from 1975 until 1980 (1974–1980 in Canada^[4]). Over three million Pintos were produced over its ten-year production run, outproducing the combined totals of its domestic rivals, the Chevrolet Vega and the AMC Gremlin. The Pinto and Mercury Bobcat were produced at Edison Assembly in Edison, New Jersey, St. Thomas Assembly in Southwold, Ontario, and San Jose Assembly in Milpitas, California.^[5]

Since the 1970s, the safety reputation of the Pinto has generated controversy. Its fuel-tank design attracted both media and government scrutiny after several deadly fires occurred when the tanks ruptured in rear-end collisions. A subsequent analysis of the overall safety of the Pinto suggested it was comparable to other 1970s subcompact cars. The safety issues surrounding the Pinto and the subsequent response by Ford have been cited widely as business ethics and tort reform case studies.

^ Joseph, Damian (October 30, 2009). "Ugliest Cars of the Past 50 Years". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on February 20, 2010. Retrieved March 6, 2016. The Pinto doesn't seem so bad—that is, until you remember how sexy Fords from the 1960s were. The design devolved into hexagonal headlight housings, a grille that's only a few inches tall yet wide enough to become the car's focal point, and a rear end that apparently melted from the roof.
^ ^a ^b "Ford 1971 Pinto brochure". oldcarbrochures.com. Archived from the original on August 27, 2011. Retrieved December 3, 2011.
^ "1971 Ford Pinto 2-door Sedan 1600-cc (man. 4) (model since September 1970 for North America U.S.) car specifications". automobile-catalog.com. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
^ Mays, James (2003). Ford and Canada: 100 years together. Montréal: Syam Publishing. p. 116. ISBN 978-0-9733812-0-7.
^ Smith, Charles (March 25, 2006). "Lofty ambition - Developer revs up former Ford factory in Richmond for real live-work spaces". The San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on November 16, 2019. Retrieved November 5, 2021.

[bbw20091030-1] Joseph, Damian (October 30, 2009). "Ugliest Cars of the Past 50 Years". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on February 20, 2010. Retrieved March 6, 2016. The Pinto doesn't seem so bad—that is, until you remember how sexy Fords from the 1960s were. The design devolved into hexagonal headlight housings, a grille that's only a few inches tall yet wide enough to become the car's focal point, and a rear end that apparently melted from the roof.

[oldcarbrochures.com-2] "Ford 1971 Pinto brochure". oldcarbrochures.com. Archived from the original on August 27, 2011. Retrieved December 3, 2011.

[3] "1971 Ford Pinto 2-door Sedan 1600-cc (man. 4) (model since September 1970 for North America U.S.) car specifications". automobile-catalog.com. Retrieved October 19, 2022.

[4] Mays, James (2003). Ford and Canada: 100 years together. Montréal: Syam Publishing. p. 116. ISBN 978-0-9733812-0-7.

[5] Smith, Charles (March 25, 2006). "Lofty ambition - Developer revs up former Ford factory in Richmond for real live-work spaces". The San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on November 16, 2019. Retrieved November 5, 2021.

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