1972 FORD PINTO

1972 Model of yellow FORD PINTO, retro car

1972 Model Of Red FORD PINTO

Unfortunately suffering the reputation of being a cheap economy car, the Pinto has still made its way into the popular culture.
Introduced in 1971 as competition for the new import and domestic subcompacts, the Pinto was meant to be so simple a vehicle that Ford could produce this vehicle with little time and money.
Manufactured by the Ford Motor Company, the Ford Pinto was introduced in 1971. The twin of the Pinto was the Mercury Bobcat that was introduced in Canada in 1974, and in 1975 to the U.S. The Chevrolet Vega and AMC Gremlin were also introduced at the same time.
The most successful of the U.S. designs, the Pinto was the base model for the newly designed Mustang II.
Built and produced in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada and California, the Pinto began in 1968 under Lee Iacocca, Ford executive.
The body styles of the pinto were a 2-door coupe, a two-door station wagon, a three-door hatchback and Ford Pinto Cruising Wagon. A small conversion wagon that came with round ‘bubble windows' in the side panels was very popular during the late 1970's.
Originally introduced as a two door sedan in 1971, the three door Runabout was added mid-season to the line. Standard equipment for the vehicle was a high back, slim line buckets seats, a totally vinyl upholstery, ventless door windows, interior dome light and much more.
Picture of classic 1972 FORD PINTO, stylish american car

1972 FORD PINTO Retro cars

Receiving the same standard equipment, the 3 door Runabout also received a fold-down rear seat with load floor color-keyed carpeting and passenger compartment color-keyed carpeting.
The engine was a British built 1600cc inline OHV four cylinder with a four speed transmission.
A conventional design, complete with unibody construction that had a engine mounted in the front driving the rear wheels through either a live axle rear end, an automatic or a manual transmission.
The suspension was a very unequal length A-arms that held coil springs that was suspended on leaf springs with a live axle on the rear.
With an optional power assist attached to the rack and pinion steering, the styling resembled the Ford Maverick. With very low seating that nearly reached the floor, the grille and tail light themes resembled the Maverick.
In 1972 the main updates to the Runabout was the addition of a larger rear window. The new two door wagon was also introduced this year.
The exterior of the Pinto remained the same except for the redesign of the front bumper guards and rear bumpers. Now nearly one and a half inches longer in length, the standard and optional equipment remained the same from 72 to 73.
Federally mandated safety requirement were enforced in 1974, mainly in the area of massive safety bumpers. The bumper was plain on the base trim models, though it came with rubber faced and vertical guards.
1972 Model of red retro car FORD PINTO

1972 Model of Red FORD PINTO

In 1979, the Pinto had a new look that included rectangular headlamps, a new sloping hood and fenders as well as a slat style grille. The ESS option was available in 1979 for sedans and Runabouts with both black grille and exterior accents.
In 1980, the final year for the Pinto the V6 was dropped, which made the 2.3 OHC 4 cylinder the only engine available. Both the ESS and Cruising wagon were still available.
In 1981 the Pinto was replaced by the Ford Escort.
The Pinto faced competition with the Toyota Corolla, Datsun B210 and several other smaller Japanese vehicles. The Pinto was a poor rival when compared to these more dependable, durable vehicles.
The Pinto Pangra was sporting vehicle that was released in limited numbers by Hungtington Ford in Arcadia, California. Nearly 200 models were sold during 1973 and cost approximately $5,000.
The Pangra was fitted with a stock 2 liter engine that was fitted with an AK Miller turbocharger, and had a newly redesigned fiberglass nose with pop-up headlights.