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Ford Pinto
Ford Pinto
Manufacturer Ford Motor Company
Also called Mercury Bobcat
Production 1971–1980
Predecessor None
Successor Ford Escort
Class Subcompact car
Body style(s) 2-door coupé
2-door station wagon
3-door hatchback
Related Ford Mustang II

The Ford Pinto was a subcompact car manufactured by the Ford Motor Company for the North American market, first introduced on September 11, 1970, and built through the 1980 model year. The automotive industry is the industry involved in the design development manufacture marketing and sale of Motor vehicles In 2007 more than 73 million motor vehicles Ford Motor Company is an American Multinational corporation and the world's fourth largest automaker based on Worldwide vehicle sales, following See also Ford Escort (Europe. The Ford Escort was a Compact car manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. Car classification is subjective since many vehicles fall into multiple categories or do not fit well into any A subcompact car is an Automobile in a North American Vehicle size class, encompassing vehicles smaller than Compact cars According to the Cars can come in a large variety of different body styles. Some are still in production while others are of historical interest only A station wagon (or simply wagon) in American, Australian, Canadian and New Zealand usage and an estate car (or just estate Hatchback is a term designating an Automobile design containing a passenger cabin with an integrated Cargo space accessed from behind the vehicle by a single See also Ford Mustang The much larger 1973 Mustang was a far different car than the original 1964 model A subcompact car is an Automobile in a North American Vehicle size class, encompassing vehicles smaller than Compact cars According to the Ford Motor Company is an American Multinational corporation and the world's fourth largest automaker based on Worldwide vehicle sales, following Events 9 - The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest ends 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The model year of a product is a number used to describe approximately when a product was produced It had a similar car sold under the Lincoln-Mercury brand, in the Pinto's case, the Mercury Bobcat first appeared in Canada for 1974, and subsequently in the U. Lincoln-Mercury is a collective name for the Lincoln and Mercury divisions of the Ford Motor Company, whose vehicles are typically sold side-by-side in The Ford Pinto was a subcompact manufactured by the Ford Motor Company for the North American market first introduced on September 11, 1970 Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page S. the following year.

The new Pinto was beaten to the market by the AMC Gremlin, which arrived on April Fool's Day in 1970 - six months before the small Ford. The AMC Gremlin is a Subcompact car that was made by the American Motors Corporation (AMC for nine model years This article is about the informal holiday For other uses see April Fool. Like Pinto, which shared parts with the slightly larger Ford Maverick, the Gremlin shared parts with the AMC Hornet. The Ford Maverick was compact car manufactured from April 1969-1977 in the USA, Canada, Mexico and from 1973 to 1979 in Brazil &mdash employing a The AMC Hornet is a compact Automobile made by the American Motors Corporation (AMC beginning with the 1970 model year and continuing through the 1977 model In the new American subcompact car class, only the Chevrolet Vega was a truly brand-new design. A subcompact car is an Automobile in a North American Vehicle size class, encompassing vehicles smaller than Compact cars According to the The Chevrolet Vega was a Subcompact car sold from 1971 through 1977

Although the previously introduced Ford Maverick (and similarly-sized AMC Hornet) was initially compared with the Volkswagen Beetle, it was still designed around a L6 or V8 motor, with an interior featuring two bench seats. The Volkswagen Beetle, officially known as the type 1 and originally called ‘Käfer’ is an Economy car produced by the German auto maker Volkswagen A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the Crankcase in two banks of four cylinders in most cases set at a right angle to each other The new Pinto, with its 4-cylinder engine and bucket seats, was aimed squarely at small imports such as the Beetle and Toyota Corolla. The Toyota Corolla is a line of subcompact / Compact cars produced by the Japanese Automaker Toyota, which has become very popular throughout Although the Chevrolet Vega and AMC Gremlin would often win higher magazine ratings, the Pinto was the most successful of the U. S. designs. The Pinto was also the starting point for the downsized Mustang II pony car. See also Ford Mustang The much larger 1973 Mustang was a far different car than the original 1964 model Pintos were built in St. Thomas, Ontario; Edison, New Jersey; and in Richmond[1], California. St Thomas is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is the seat for Elgin County and gaining its city Charter on Ontario (ɒnˈtɛrioʊ is a province located in the central part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest after Quebec Edison Township (usually known as Edison) is a township in Middlesex County New Jersey, United States. New Jersey ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean.

Contents

History

For many years, Ford sold many small models from its British line as captive imports, including the Ford Cortina which somewhat resembled a reduced Ford Falcon. The Ford Cortina is a mid sized family car built by Ford of Britain in various guises from 1962 to 1982 The Ford Falcon was an Automobile produced by Ford Motor Company from 1960 through 1970 The Pinto's design began in 1968 under the direction of Ford executive Lee Iacocca. Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Lido Anthony "Lee" Iacocca (born October 15, 1924) is an American businessman most commonly known for his revival of the The Pinto would be later complemented by the imported, but even smaller front wheel drive Ford Fiesta, and formally replaced by the more modern Escort, patterned after the front wheel drive Volkswagen Rabbit, for the 1981 model year. The Ford Fiesta is a Supermini car designed by Ford Europe, a subsidiary of Ford Motor Company See also Ford Escort (Europe. The Ford Escort was a Compact car manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. The Volkswagen Golf or VW Golf ( Mk1 and Mk5 badged as Volkswagen Rabbit in the United States and Canada, Mk1 badged as Volkswagen

Compared with ricers, seating was very low to the floor. Styling somewhat resembled the larger Ford Maverick in grille and tail light themes, but had a smooth fastback profile. The Ford Maverick was compact car manufactured from April 1969-1977 in the USA, Canada, Mexico and from 1973 to 1979 in Brazil &mdash employing a Body styles included a two-door coupé with a conventional trunk, a three-door hatchback called the Runabout, a two-door station wagon, and the Ford Pinto Cruising Wagon, produced from 1977 to 1980 and styled to resemble a small conversion van (very much the trend in the late 1970s) complete with a round "bubble window" in the side panels. Cars can come in a large variety of different body styles. Some are still in production while others are of historical interest only Hatchback is a term designating an Automobile design containing a passenger cabin with an integrated Cargo space accessed from behind the vehicle by a single A station wagon (or simply wagon) in American, Australian, Canadian and New Zealand usage and an estate car (or just estate A Conversion van Is a full-size cargo van that is sent to third-party companies to be outfitted with various luxuries for road trips and camping There was even a top of the line Pinto Squire, which had faux wood sides like the flag ship Ford Country Squire. The Ford Country Squire was a Full-size Station wagon built by the Ford Motor Company from 1950 until 1991 it was based on the Ford full-size There were appearance packages, but never a factory performance package similar to the Cosworth Vega or the 304 V8 Gremlin X.

The car's design was conventional, with unibody construction, a longitudinally-mounted engine in front driving the rear wheels through either a manual or automatic transmission and live axle rear end. Monocoque, from the French for single ( mono) and shell ( coque) is a construction technique that supports structural load by using an object's external A manual transmission (also known as a stick shift or just 'stick' 'straight drive' or standard transmission) is a type of transmission used in An automatic transmission (commonly "AT" or "Auto" is an Automobile Gearbox that can change Gear ratios automatically as the vehicle A live axle is a type of Beam axle suspension system that uses the Driveshafts that transmit power to the wheels to connect the wheels laterally so that Suspension was by unequal length A-arms with coil springs at the front and the live axle rear was suspended on leaf springs. The rack and pinion steering had optional power assist, as did the brakes. A rack and pinion is a pair of Gears which convert rotational motion into linear motion

Road & Track faulted the suspension and standard drum brakes, calling the latter a "serious deficiency". Road & Track is an Automobile enthusiast Magazine in the United States, founded by two friends in 1947 A drum brake is a Brake in which the Friction is caused by a set of shoes or pads that press against the inner surface of a rotating But they praised the proven 1. 6 L Kent engine, adapted from European Fords. The Ford Kent is an Internal combustion engine from Ford of Europe. The much larger 2300 found in arch-rival Chevrolet Vega was an innovative brand new design using an aluminum block and iron head. The 2300 was a 23 L/140 in³ (2287 cc Straight-4 automobile engine produced by General Motors from 1971 through 1977 The Chevrolet Vega was a Subcompact car sold from 1971 through 1977 This new engine design suffered from serious reliability problems. Consumer Reports rated the 1971 Pinto below the Vega but above the Gremlin. Consumer Reports is an American Magazine published monthly by Consumers Union.

Though the cars were thoroughly forgotten for some time, the Pinto seems to be enjoying success as an amateur-level vintage racing car, owing to its light weight, rear-wheel drive (RWD) layout, willing and durable Ford of Europe engines, and good car and parts availability.

Engines

Except for 1973 and 1980, the Pinto was available with two engines. The first was always the smallest and least powerful of the two and was the standard engine offered. The second was always a larger, more powerful engine available at an extra cost. For the first five years of production, only four cylinder inline engines were offered. As can be seen in the following breakout of available engines, Ford changed the power ratings almost every year. [2]

Of particular note is the introduction in 1974 of the 2. 3 L (140 CID) OHC I4 engine. A cubic inch (plural cubic inches) is a non- SI unit of Volume, equal to the volume of a Cube with sides of one Inch. The Ford Pinto engine is the unofficial but generic nickname for a 4 cylinder Internal combustion engine built by the Ford Europe. This engine would be updated and modified several times allowing it to remain in production into 1997. Among other Ford vehicles, a turbocharged version of this engine would later power the performance based Thunderbird Turbo Coupe, Mustang SVO, and the European-built Merkur XR4Ti. The Thunderbird is an automobile manufactured by Ford in the United States from 1955 through 2005 &mdash through thirteen generations and various The Mustang SVO was a limited-production version of the Ford Mustang sold from 1984 to 1986, during which time it was the fastest most expensive version The Merkur XR4Ti was a short-lived United States -market version of the European Ford Sierra XR4i. [2]

Another thing to note is that the initial Pinto deliveries in the early years used the English (1600cc) and German (2000cc) engines. These were tuned to give relatively good performance (see below). (Note that the 200 cc engine used a 2 barrel carburettor where just one bore was bigger than that used on the Maverick. With the low weight (not much above 2000 lbs) and the SOHC engine it rated a 10. 8 Sec 0-60 time. ) As the anti pollution kicked in, Ford moved away from the European engines, changing to manufacturing the engines in the USA, using new or modified designs. New safety legislation impacted bumpers and other parts adding to the weight of the car. As a result the performance was reduced. While probably providing an economic plus, the US made engines initially suffered from lubrication problems and thus had shortened lifespans. These problems were fixed, but the reputation suffered.

One major change to hit the industry in 1972 was in the method used to measure horsepower. Using a net figure based on engine power received at the rear wheels rather than the gross number generated untethered on a test stand, the 75-bhp rating of Pinto's 1. 6-liter engine dropped to 54 for 1972, while the bigger 2. 0-liter four went from 100 horsepower in 1971 to 86 in '72. This reference also provides a year by year history. "[3]"


Safety problems

Through early production of the model, it became a focus of a major scandal when it was alleged that the car's design allowed its fuel tank to be easily damaged in the event of a rear-end collision which sometimes resulted in deadly fires and explosions. A scandal is a widely Publicized incident that involves Allegations of wrongdoing, disgrace or moral outrage "Rear end" redirects here but is also a name for the Buttocks. Critics argued that the vehicle's lack of a true rear bumper as well as any reinforcing structure between the rear panel and the tank, meant that in certain collisions, the tank would be thrust forward into the differential, which had a number of protruding bolts that could puncture the tank. This article deals with the concept of a differential in mechanical engineering. This, and the fact that the doors could potentially jam during an accident (due to poor reinforcing) made the car a potential deathtrap.

Ford was aware of this design flaw but allegedly refused to pay what was characterized as the minimal expense of a redesign. Instead, it was argued, Ford decided it would be cheaper to pay off possible lawsuits for resulting deaths. Mother Jones magazine obtained the cost-benefit analysis that it said Ford had used to compare the cost of an $11 repair against the cost of paying off potential law suits, in what became known as the Ford Pinto Memo. Mother Jones is an independent Nonprofit Magazine rooted in liberal political values and known for its Investigative reporting Cost-benefit analysis is a term that refers both to a formal discipline used to help appraise or assess the case for a Project or proposal which itself is [1] The characterization of Ford's design decision as gross disregard for human lives in favor of profits led to major lawsuits, criminal charges, and a costly recall of all affected Pintos. While Ford was acquitted of criminal charges, it lost several million dollars and gained a reputation for manufacturing "the barbecue that seats four. "[4] Nevertheless, as a result of this identified problem, Ford initiated a recall which provided a dealer installable "safety kit" that installed some plastic protective material over the offending sharp objects, negating the risk of tank puncture. "[5]

The most famous Ford Pinto product liability case resulted in a judicial opinion that is a staple of remedies courses in American law schools. Product liability is the area of law in which manufacturers distributors suppliers retailers and others who make products available to the public are held responsible for the injuries An opinion is a Person 's Ideas and thoughts towards something which it is either impossible to verify the truth of or the truth of which is thought unimportant to A legal remedy (also judicial relief) is the means a Court of law, usually in the exercise of civil law jurisdiction enforces a Right, imposes A law school (also known as a school of law or college of law) is an institution specializing in Legal education. In Grimshaw v. Ford Motor Co. , 119 Cal. App. 3d 757 (4th Dist. 1981) [2], the California Court of Appeal for the Fourth Appellate District reviewed Ford's conduct, and upheld compensatory damages of $2. In Law, damages refers to the money paid or awarded to a Claimant (England Pursuer (Scotland or Plaintiff (US following a successful 5 million and punitive damages of $3. Punitive damages (termed exemplary damages in the United Kingdom) are Damages not awarded in order to compensate the Plaintiff, but in order 5 million against Ford. It also upheld the judge's reduction of the punitive damages from the jury's original verdict of $125 million. Of the two plaintiffs, one was killed in the collision that caused her Pinto to explode, and her passenger, 13-year old Richard Grimshaw, was badly burned and scarred for life. However, a 1991 law review paper by Gary Schwartz [3], argued that the case against the Pinto was less clear-cut than commonly supposed. Only 27 people ever died in Pinto fires. Given the Pinto's production figures (over 2 million built), this was no worse than typical for the time. Schwartz argued that the car was no more fire-prone than other cars of the time, that its fatality rates were lower than comparably sized imported automobiles, and that the supposed "smoking gun" document that plaintiffs claimed showed Ford's callousness in designing the Pinto was a document based on National Highway Traffic Safety Administration regulations about the value of a human life rather than a document used to design the Pinto. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ( NHTSA, often pronounced "nit-suh" is an agency of the Executive Branch of the U

Due to the alleged engineering, safety, and reliability problems, Forbes Magazine included the Pinto on its list of the worst cars of all time. Forbes is an American Publishing and media company Its flagship publication Forbes magazine is published bi-weekly

Pinto Pangra

A Pinto Pangra. The same car is also visible in the background in the first picture in this article.
A Pinto Pangra. The same car is also visible in the background in the first picture in this article.

The Pinto Pangra is a modified sporting Pinto produced in limited numbers by a Ford dealer, Huntington Ford in Arcadia, California. Ford Motor Company is an American Multinational corporation and the world's fourth largest automaker based on Worldwide vehicle sales, following Arcadia is a US city in Los Angeles County California that is located about northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley Approximately 55 were sold during 1973 and (to a limited degree) 1974, and in addition the components were sold in kit form. Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. A Pangra cost approximately $5,000.

The most visible modification was a slanted fiberglass nose with pop-up headlights. Internally, the stock 2 liter engine was fitted with an AK Miller turbocharger; a "Can-Am" suspension package with Koni dampers lowered the car and improved the handling; aluminum wheels with wider tires were fitted, as were Recaro seats, a revised dash with a new center console, full instrumentation, and a digital tachometer.

See also

References and footnotes

  1. ^ Lofty ambition / Developer revs up former Ford factory in Richmond for real live-work spaces
  2. ^ a b Gunnell, John A. The Ford Pinto engine is the unofficial but generic nickname for a 4 cylinder Internal combustion engine built by the Ford Europe. The AVE Mizar (frequently misspelled "Mitzar" but named after the star Mizar) was a Flying car built between 1971 and 1973 and Lenzke, James T. (1995). Standard Catalog of Ford Cars, 1903-1990. Krause Publications. ISBN 0-87341-140-4.  
  3. ^ http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1971-1980-ford-pinto.htm
  4. ^ http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z11820/default.aspx 1972 Ford Pinto information
  5. ^ http://www.automobilemag.com/am/1975/ford/pinto/recalls.html

External links

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