Ford Pinto

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Ford Pinto

Ford Pinto

Manufacturer Ford Motor Company Production Model years Assembly Successor Class Body style Layout Engine Transmission Wheelbase Length Width Height Curb weight Related 19701980 19711980 St. Thomas, Ontario Edison, New Jersey Richmond, California Ford Escort Subcompact car 2-door coup 2-door sedan delivery 2-door station wagon 3-door hatchback FR layout 1.6L, 2.0L & 2.3L I4, 2.8L V6 4-speed manual; "Selectshift Cruise-OMatic"[1] 94.0 in (2,390 mm)[2] 163 in (4,100 mm)[1] 69.4 in (1,760 mm) 50 in (1,300 mm) 2,0152,270 lb (9141,030 kg) (1970) Mercury Bobcat, Mustang II

The Ford Pinto is a subcompact car produced by the Ford Motor Company for the model years 19711980. The car's name derives from the Pinto horse. Initially offered as a two-door sedan,

Ford offered "Runabout" hatchback and wagon models the following year, competing in the U.S. market with the AMC Gremlin and Chevrolet Vega, as well as imported cars from Volkswagen, Datsun, and Toyota. By January 1971, the Pinto had sold over 100,000 units.[3] In its last model year, Ford built 68,179 units.[4] A rebadged variant, the Mercury Bobcat, debuted in 1974 in Canada and in March 1975 in the US.[5] The Pinto and the smaller, imported Ford Fiesta were ultimately replaced by the frontwheel-drive Ford Escort. The Pinto's legacy was affected by media controversy and legal cases surrounding the safety of its gas tank design, Ford's recall of the car in 1978, and a later study examining actual incident data concluding the Pinto was as safe as, or safer than, other cars in its class.[6]

Contents
[hide]

1 History 2 Design 3 Production o 3.1 Engines 4 Reception and criticism 5 Fuel tank controversy o 5.1 Allegations and lawsuits o 5.2 Recall o 5.3 Schwartz paper 6 Gallery - Ford Pinto 7 In Film 8 See also 9 Notes 10 External links

[edit] History
U.S. automakers had first countered imports such as the Volkswagen Beetle with compact cars including the Ford Falcon, Chevrolet Corvair and Plymouth Valiant. These cars had six-cylinder engines, but actually comprised a larger class of vehicles. As the popularity of smaller Japanese imports from Toyota and Datsun increased throughout the 1960s, Ford North America responded by introducing the Ford Cortina from Ford of Europe as a captive import. U.S. automakers would soon introduce their own subcompacts. The Pinto was in compliance with Japanese regulations concerning vehicle length and engine displacement, but exceeded width dimensions by 60 mm (2.4 in).

The Pinto was introduced on September 11, 1970. The AMC Gremlin was the first to arrive on the market six months before the Pinto, and the Chevrolet Vega was introduced the day before the Pinto. Both the Pinto and the Vega were new, but the Pinto used powertrains proven in Europe from the European Ford Escort, while the Vega's innovative aluminum engine would prove troublesome. The Gremlin was designed around a six-cylinder engine, and was derived largely by truncating the rear body from the compact-class AMC Hornet to achieve its short length.

[edit] Design

1973 Ford Pinto Runabout CEO of Ford Lee Iacocca wanted a 1971 model that weighed less than 2,000 pounds and that would be priced at less than $2,000.[7] A team of stylists at Ford was assigned to design the Pinto's exterior and interior instead of using the European Ford Escort. Robert Eidschun's design of the exterior theme was eventually chosen in its entirety. The clay models of the Pinto were finalized in December 1968 after which Eidschun left Ford to join Chrysler, as a studio Design Manager. Ford North America's decision to create an all-new vehicle instead of integrating a design from international corporate resources paralleled GM North America's approach when creating the Chevrolet Vega opting not to use the established Vauxhall Viva/Opel Kadett marketed at the time at GM dealerships in Canada, and USA Buick dealerships from 1967. Designers working on products intended for North America had more freedom with exterior dimensions and engine sizes in relation to Japanese counterparts, where those criteria were dictated by Japanese government regulations. Typically, Detroit manufacturers created products that emulated import aspects with market-driven improvements. While the previously introduced Ford Maverick offered either straight-6 or V8 engine and twin bench seats, the Pinto offered an inline-4 engine, and bucket seats more in keeping with small imports such as the Volkswagen Beetle, available since 1949, the Toyota Corolla, introduced to North America March 1968, and the newly introduced Datsun 1200 which appeared in 1970. Compared with imports, seating was low to the floor. Styling somewhat resembled the larger Ford Maverick in grille and tail light themes, but with a fastback profile.

[edit] Production
Ford introduced the Pinto under the tagline The Little Carefree Car, and made the first retail delivery in North America to Charles J. Pinto of Pinto, Maryland, in a record 25 months from concept to production. On hand to deliver the Pinto was Arthur Kowell, president of Kowell Ford Inc., according to the Cumberland Times-News of Sept. 13, 1970. The Pinto was introduced as a two-door sedan, after structural work on alternate body styles encountered obstacles.[8] Entry level Pintos were priced on launch at around $1850, making the Pinto the least expensive Ford since the "Six" of 1958, undercutting GM's Chevrolet Vega and directly targeting imported models which continued to add competitors such as the Mazda 1200 in 1971, the Subaru DL in 1972, and the Honda Civic in 1973.[9] Pintos were manufactured in St. Thomas, Ontario; Edison, New Jersey; and in Richmond, California.[10] The Pinto would be later complemented by the German built, smaller front-wheeldrive Ford Fiesta, and formally replaced by the Escort for the 1981 model year. A hatchback became available on February 20, 1971, debuting at the Chicago Auto Show[8] (also, in 1971, the Pinto brochure came with a paper cutout Pinto that one could fold together to make a 3D model[1]). The Runabout went on sale five days later, priced at $2,062.[8] The hatch itself featured exposed chrome hinges for the liftgate and five decorative chrome strips, pneumatic struts to assist in opening the hatch, a rear window approximately as large as the sedan's, and a fold down seat a feature which became simultaneously an option on the sedan. The hatchback model matched the sedan in all other dimensions and offered 38.1 cubic feet (1.08 m3) of storage space.[8] By 1972, the glass portion of the hatch enlarged to the entire size of the hatch itself, ultimately to be replaced with a full glass rear hatch. On February 24, 1972,[8] the Pinto station wagon debuted with an overall length of 172.7 in (4,390 mm) and 60.5 cubic feet (1.71 m3) of cargo volume.[8] The wagon offered optional flipopen rear-seat windows, the 2.0-liter engine was standard equipment along with front disc brakes.

1977 Ford Pinto Cruising Wagon The Ford Pinto Cruising Wagon was marketed from 1977 to 1980 and styled to resemble a small conversion van or sedan delivery, complete with a round side panel "bubble windows". A Pinto Squire wagon featured faux wood side paneling similar to the Ford Country Squire. Ford offered

appearance packages but not a factory performance package similar to the Cosworth Vega or the 304 V8 Gremlin X. The car's mechanical 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 control 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.

[edit] Engines
Except for 1973 and 1980, the Pinto was available with a choice of two engines. For the first five years of production, only four-cylinder inline engines were offered. Ford changed the power ratings almost every year.[11] Of particular note is the introduction in 1974 of the 2.3 litres (140 cu in) OHC I4 engine. 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.[11] Initial Pinto deliveries in the early years used the English (1,600 cc (98 cu in)) and German (2,000 cc (120 cu in)) engines tuned for performance (see below). The 2,000 cc engine used a two barrel carburetor where just one bore was bigger than that used on the Maverick. With the low weight (not much above 2,000 lb (910 kg)) and the SOHC engine it rated a 10.8 second 0-60 time. With the advent of emission control requirements, Ford moved from the European sourced to domestically sourced engines, using new or modified designs. New safety legislation impacted bumpers and other parts adding to the weight of the car, reducing performance.