Ford Pinto
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ford Pinto | |
 |
|
| Also called: | Mercury Bobcat |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer: | Ford Motor Company |
| Production: | 1971–1980 |
| Predecessor: | None |
| Successor: | Ford Escort |
| Class: | Subcompact |
| Body style: | 2-door coupe 2-door station wagon 3-door hatchback |
| Related: | Ford Mustang II |
| Similar: | AMC Gremlin Chevrolet Vega Datsun B210 Honda Civic Toyota Corolla Volkswagen Beetle |
The Ford Pinto was an American subcompact car manufactured by the Ford Motor Company, first introduced in 1971, and built through the 1980 model year best remembered for its safety problems. Like many Ford cars, it had a "twin": in the Pinto's case, the Mercury Bobcat, introduced in Canada in 1974 and then in the U.S. for 1975. Introduced in the same time frame as the Chevrolet Vega and AMC Gremlin, the Pinto was the most successful of the U.S. designs, and was the basis for the upcoming Mustang II. Pintos were built in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada and in California.
For many years Ford had sold small models from its British line as captive imports, including the Ford Cortina. The Pinto's design began in 1968 under the direction of Ford executive Lee Iacocca. The Pinto was replaced by the Escort for the 1981 model year.
Body styles included a 2-door coupe, a three-door hatchback, 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.
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. 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. Seating was very low to the floor, and styling somewhat resembled the larger Ford Maverick in grille and tail light themes.
Road & Track faulted the suspension and standard drum brakes, calling the latter a "serious deficiency". But they praised the 1.6 L Kent engine, especially compared to the much-larger 2300 found in arch-rival Chevrolet Vega. Consumer Reports rated the 1971 Pinto below the Vega but above the Gremlin.
Original engines included a British-built 1.6 L OHV I4 and a German-built 2.0 L SOHC I4. In 1974, the 1.6 L powerplant was dropped and a new 2.3 L engine became available; a 2.8 L V6 was available from 1975.
Though the cars were thoroughly forgotten for some time, the Pinto seems to be enjoying renewed success as a 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.
Contents |
[edit] Engines
- 1971-1973 - 1.6 L Kent OHV I4, 75 hp (60 kW) and 96 ft.lbf (130 Nm)
- 1971-1973 - 2.0 L EAO SOHC I4
- 1974-1980 - 2.3 L OHC SOHC I4
- 1975-1979 - 2.8 L Cologne V6
[edit] 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. 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, 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 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. The characterization of Ford's design decision as gross disregard for human lives in favor of profits led to major lawsuits, inconclusive criminal charges, and a costly recall of all affected Pintos. Ford lost several million dollars and gained a reputation for manufacturing "the barbecue that seats four."
The most famous Ford Pinto product liability case resulted in a judicial opinion that is a staple of remedies courses in American law schools. In Grimshaw v. Ford Motor Co., 119 Cal. App. 3d 757 (4th Dist. 1981) [1], the California Court of Appeal for the Fourth Appellate District reviewed Ford's conduct in painstaking detail, and upheld compensatory damages of $2.5 million and punitive damages of $3.5 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.
More recently, it has been argued (in a well-known 1991 law review paper by Gary Schwartz [2], among others) 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, and far less than the "hundreds" claimed by the consumer safety advocates whose allegations are largely responsible for the reputation of the vehicle. Schwartz argues that the car was no more fire-prone than other cars of the time, and that the supposed "smoking gun" document showing Ford's callousness actually referred to the auto industry in general rather than the Pinto specifically.
Due to the alleged engineering, safety, and reliability problems, Forbes Magazine included the Pinto on its list of the worst cars of all time. Ironically Ford had originally planned to include an inexpensive rubber bladder inside the gas tank that would have prevented most of the explosive crashes that plagued the car's run; in addition, Ford had also planned to include revolutionary dual front air bags. The addition of these two safety features would have added a few hundred dollars to the $2000 base price of the vehicle but would have probably made it a much safer vehicle. However, it is quite possible Ford would not have sold over two million of the modified car due to the substantial increase in price and may or may not have made less profit. The Pinto was once referred to as "the car nobody loved, but everybody bought".
[edit] Marketing
The Pinto's competition included not only rival U.S. built models and the VW Beetle, but also the Toyota Corolla, Datsun B210 and other similar small Japanese cars. In measures of quality, durability, economy, value, and performance, the Pinto compared poorly to these lighter vehicles. Ford's marketing response was to emphasize the vehicle as having "…more road-hugging weight" [citation needed].
[edit] Pinto Pangra
The Pinto Pangra was a modified, sporting Pinto produced in limited numbers by a Ford dealer, Huntington Ford in Arcadia, California. Approximately 200 were sold during 1973 and (to a limited degree) 1974, and in addition the components were sold in kit form. 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.
[edit] In popular culture
The Pinto, along with the Yugo, AMC Gremlin, and AMC Pacer, suffers the reputation of being an American symbol for a "cheap economy car" or "cheapness", and the Pinto has made its way into popular culture because of this. Also, its reputation for being unsafe is frequently lampooned. Examples include:
[edit] Movies
-
- Cujo - a Pinto with a failing alternator is attacked by a rabies-infected St. Bernard.
- Friday - Chris Tucker drives a Pinto which has a car alarm.
- The Silence of the Lambs - Clarice Starling (played by Jodie Foster) drove a powder-blue 1975 Pinto.
- Speed - When Jack asks Annie if she can handle the (booby trapped) bus, she replies, "Sure, it's just like driving a really big Pinto."
- Superman II - General Zod, Ursa, and Non use their super-exhaling to quelch the uprising of the citizens of Metropolis after Superman is thought to have been killed by being crushed by a bus thrown by Ursa and Non. In this scene, a Ford Pinto is seen being blown backwards into a hole in the street. Once falling in the hole, an explosion is seen emanating from the back of the car, and the car is immediately engulfed in flames.
- Top Secret! - A military truck touches the rear bumper of a Pinto, blowing it up immediately.
- Spirit of '76 - Another car stops just short of a Pinto's rear bumper. Two supporting characters drag the lead character to safety who claims "But it didn't hit it!" and they reply, "It doesn't matter!" The car then explodes in a fireworks stand.
- The Blues Brothers - The Illinois Nazi Party's leader is chauffered in a red Pinto station wagon. A scene toward the end of the film required an FAA UNairworthiness certificate for the car.
- Clerks. - During a look back at past idiotic questions people have asked, a guy comes in and asks, "Do you have any hubcaps for a 1972 Pinto hatchback?"
- Spies Like Us - Austin Millbarge attempts to recall a Soviet ICBM enroute to the United States when Emmett Fitz-Hume asks, "What do you mean recall it? You mean like a defective Pinto?"
[edit] TV Shows
-
- Charlie's Angels - Kate Jackson's character Sabrina Duncan drove an orange Pinto. The other angels drive a Mustang II (one of them a Mustang II Ghia and a Cobra II), while their boss Bosley is seen with a Ford Thunderbird.
- Third Rock from the Sun - A car salesman tried to sell Sally a Pinto, but she originally wanted a Viper. (Finances tell all)
- Johnny Bravo - The main character, Johnny Bravo, drives a Pinto.
- Mad TV - A Price is Right sketch included the Ford Pinto as an explosive car for a prize.
- "Daria" - One episode featured this dialog about a dangerous car: "Well, it's no Pinto." "Those, you have to hit before they explode."
- "Sex and the City" - Steve wanted to get an experimental fake testicle, and Miranda said not to do it. When the surgeon said that it was perfectly safe, Miranda replied, "Well that's what they said about the Ford Pinto. Do you want a Pinto by your penis?"
- "CHiPs" - In a flashback, two girls ran into a Pinto, started it up, threw it into what they thought was reverse, then flew forward through the wall in the garage and into a swimming pool, sinking to the bottom. Ponch and John then dove into the pool to save them.
- "You Can't Do That on Television" - Senator Lance Prevert kept bragging that he can fix anything himself and didn't need to call the repair man. Finally the lights (which he worked on) go out, and he gives in and goes to call the repair man, but when he picks up the phone, it shorts out as well, so he decides to drive over to the repair man. At this point, his wife Valerie starts loudly begging, "Please, don't take the Pinto! NO! Not the Pinto!"
- "Grace Under Fire" - Grace's car is a Pinto Wagon. In one episode, she tries desperately to sell it.
[edit] Music
-
- Pretty Fly (for a White Guy) by The Offspring has the lyrics "Now cruising in his Pinto, he sees homies as he pass..."
- You saw my blinker by Will Smith has the lyrics "There was this lady in a Pinto coupe"
- UUHHH by Will Smith has the lyrics "I'm like a Porsche you a Pinto"
- AM Radio by Everclear "Sometimes we go driving around in my sister's Pinto"
- I Hope you Die by The Bloodhound Gang has the lyrics "I hope your Pinto begins to spin..."
[edit] Books/Magazines
-
- Mad Magazine had a spot in one issue called "Average Speeds", and one of them was "17.3 MPH: The average speed of a Ford Pinto that is supposed to be in Park".
- A Mad Magazine article titled Is the Pope Catholic? asked Do Pintos explode?.
- Cork & Torque Magazine published an article titled "Pinto Pantomime" explaining why the car did poorly as a project for Ford.
[edit] See also
- Ford Pinto engine - Used in many other cars as well
- AVE Mizar - A flying Pinto
[edit] References
- Parente, Mike. Pinto Pangra. Retrieved on April 20, 2005.
[edit] External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: |
- Pinto on DMoz
- FordPinto.com
- Mother Jones magazine's 1977 expose on the Ford Pinto
- Pinto Yahoo Group, rather active
- Pinto Page - year by year specifications and magazine articles.
- Neal Pinto He liked the cars so much it was his last name.
