Mercury Bobcat
| Ford Pinto | |
|---|---|
Ford Pinto
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|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Ford |
| Production | September 1970–1980 |
| Model years | 1971–1980 |
| Assembly | United States: Canada: |
| Designer | Robert Eidschun (1968) |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Subcompact car |
| Body style | 2-door coupe 2-door sedan delivery 2-door station wagon 3-door hatchback |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Related |
Mercury Bobcat Ford Mustang II |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | |
| Transmission |
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| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 94.0 inches (2,390 mm) |
| Length | 163 in (4,100 mm) |
| Width | 69.4 in (1,760 mm) |
| Height | 50 in (1,300 mm) |
| Curb weight | 2,015–2,270 lb (914–1,030 kg) (1971) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Ford Cortina (captive import) |
| Successor | Ford Escort |
The Ford Pinto is a front-engine, rear-drive subcompact car manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company for model years 1971–1980. The first subcompact developed by Ford in North America, the Pinto was marketed in two-door coupe (1971–1972) three-door hatchback (1971–1980) and three-door station wagon (1972–1980) body styles, and was the first mass-produced American car with rack and pinion steering.
Ford's Lincoln-Mercury division marketed a rebadged variant of the Pinto as the Mercury Bobcat for model years 1975–1980 (1974–1980 in Canada), With model year 1980, the Pinto was followed by the front-drive Ford Escort.
The Ford Pinto developed a controversial safety record with notable issues related to fuel-tank fires associated with rear-end collisions. In 1977, the Pinto was subject to the largest recall up to that time. As NHTSA found that the fuel system was defective, modification of 1.5 million vehicles was required to reduce fire risk — and several lawsuits were filed against Ford Motor Company. A subsequent study concluded that the fire risks of the Ford Pinto were no greater than its contemporaries. The safety controversy of the vehicle is cited widely in case studies of business ethics.
With over 3 million produced during its 10-year production, the Pinto (and Bobcat) were manufactured at Edison Assembly, St.Thomas Assembly, and San Jose Assembly.
The Pinto is named after the horse or pony bearing distinctive white and solid color patches.
American automakers had first countered imports such as the Volkswagen Beetle with compact cars including the Ford Falcon, Chevrolet Corvair and Plymouth Valiant, although these cars featured six-cylinder engines and comprised a larger vehicle class. 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 its European arm Ford of Europe as a captive import. American 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).
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Wikipedia