Ford Pinto

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. 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.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. Like Pinto, which shared parts with the slightly larger Ford Maverick, the Gremlin shared parts with the AMC Hornet. In the new American subcompact car class, only the Chevrolet Vega was a truly brand-new design. 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 new Pinto, with its 4-cylinder engine and bucket seats, was aimed squarely at small imports such as the Beetle and Toyota Corolla. 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. Pintos were built in St. Thomas, Ontario; Edison, New Jersey; and in Richmond, California.

Engine:
2.3 L OHC – 88 hp (66 kW) and 119 ft.lbf (160 Nm)