Ford Pinto - An Embarrassment for Ford

[NINETY EIGHT REGENCY]

 

[trinacriabob]

This video was just as funny as it was informative. 

Interesting that the Pinto came to market on September 11, 1970.  That probably didn't help.

These were throw-away cars ... possibly what a family of ordinary means would give their kid to go off to college.  Their engines sometimes had a funny rattle - not sure if it was the engine or detonation because of octane.

They improved their appearance SOME ... how could they not?  Their sloping back the grille years later made it look like less of a turd.

I recall that some Mustang IIs got treated to the Ghia effect and you'd see some "dressed up fancy" in silver, with a padded landau, and a plush maroon interior. 

I wouldn't be surprised if they did that to a Pinto at some point in its lifetime.  But it would have been like putting earrings on a pig.

I don't remember much about the subsequent Escort, but they didn't seem anywhere as maligned as the Pinto.  That said, even Chrysler's K-car and GM's X-body, as dowdy as they were, would have a longer service life and you'd see some on the road many years after their release.

Since we've all forgotten about the Pinto, I now view it as a surname found in Portugal (very common), and even in Spain and Italy.

[Robert Hall]

My sister’s first car was a new ‘76 Pinto Runabout that my Dad got her for college in the fall of ‘75. It lasted 5 years incl her getting married and moving to Arizona.  It was pretty worn out by 1980.  She then bought a ‘77 Datsun 280Z, the first of 4 Zs would own…

[David]

Pinto had much potential, but that is where it ended as corporate greed of the executives and the ignorance of taking Japan seriously pretty much put the nail in the coffin of this car. Ford COULD have had great success with the Pinto, but they cut corners to a point where it hurt the car and ended up costing it the ability to give Ford a true competitive econobox auto during the gas crises. 

Deming and Drucker tried to teach the American Auto OEMs how to build quality products, Executives were more interested in their own golden parachutes than the long-term life of the company and I have to say in all honesty I am surprised we have American own auto companies due to the ignorance and selfishness of the executives of Ford and GM.

I hope the current CEOs of both Ford and GM continue their push to the future of quality-built autos and a return to better days when the public in large scale looked fondly on the U.S. autos.

[trinacriabob]

5 hours ago, Robert Hall said:

My sister’s first car was a new ‘76 Pinto Runabout that my Dad got her for college in the fall of ‘75. It lasted 5 years incl her getting married and moving to Arizona.  It was pretty worn out by 1980.  She then bought a ‘77 Datsun 280Z, the first of 4 Zs would own…

Whoa!  "Runabout!"  That's right ... they had that trim.  Did it rack up a lot of miles and/or was the powertrain toast in just 5 years?  Maybe it's a good thing it wasn't a Chevy Vega.  In the AZ desert, a Vega might have melted faster than a bag of M&Ms. 

The Z was an interesting car than then got a little garish and was later reined in, so to speak, as newer models were released.  I'd say the first 280 ZX in 2 seater form was a nice enough car.  What I found funny is when they included a 2+2, I believe, where the rear seats were definitely not suitable for adults, and you could get the car in a metallic sort of salmon color with a burgundy interior.  And, of course, the automatic trans. goes without saying.  Sports car much, eh?

A relative used to joke that late '70s Camaros in Type LT and Berlinetta trim were a "secretary's Camaro."  Sexist, yes, but there's probably a lot of truth to that, too.

Now that I think back about Datsun, weren't Toyota and Datsun fairly similar in quality back in the day?  The Datsun B-210 could make Pintos, Vegas, Chevettes, etc. run and hide in terms of doing its job.  Nowadays, if we look at CR, a chasm in quality seems to have emerged between Toyota and Nissan.  My reaction to Toyota is mostly positive.  My reaction to Nissan is "uncertain," even though I've had some good rental experiences with the last version of the Sentra (even though it had a CVT).

Edited January 23 by trinacriabob

[Robert Hall]

9 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

Whoa!  "Runabout!"  That's right ... they had that trim.  Did it rack up a lot of miles and/or was the powertrain toast in just 5 years?  Maybe it's a good thing it wasn't a Chevy Vega.  In the AZ desert, a Vega might have melted faster than a bag of M&Ms. 

 

I don't think it had many miles, but after 5 winters in the E. Ohio/Pittsburgh area, the bottoms of the doors, rockers and quarters were pretty rusty.   After getting married, she and her husband drove it to Arizona towing a small UHaul trailer and it got into 2 minor accidents on the way there.  He had already driven out his Triumph TR6.