PINTO CAR CLUB of AMERICA
Shiny is Good! => General Pinto Talk => Topic started by: Wittsend on January 20, 2013, 06:24:07 PM
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While watching the play-offs I'm thumbing through a book titled, "Lemon's - The World's Worst Cars." Of course there is our prized Pinto within these pages. The "expert" author (Timothy Jacobs) made the following statements:
1. "Even the last year produced, the 1976 Pinto, ..."
(Not 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980?)
2. "The Pinto's ... insensibly long hood ..."
(Compared to???. The slope of the front and rear glass, and the lack of a flat, extended trunk was what makes the normal
sized hood appear long)
3. "The explosion problem was due, after all, to a defective gas tank ventilation system."
(So, it had nothing to do with the bolts on the rearend piecing the tank or the filler tube sliding out)
4. "Thanks to a long standing convention of developing parallel vehicle lines, the slightly more upscale Mercury Comets of
1970-1976 suffered the same woes as their Pinto brethren."
(So, there was a 1970 Pinto? And, it was the Comet, not the Bobcat that was the Pinto spin-off??? Ah..., no!)
5. "This was the year (1974) that energy absorbing bumpers were added to the little car, giving it a more substantial
appearance."
(I'll probably step on a few toes here, but I think it is a general consensus that the 1971-73, small bumper Pinto's have the
"better" appearance.")
In a handful of paragraphs this author has perpetuated inaccuracies regarding our beloved Pinto's.
Tom
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Regarding #4... Don't forget the fact that the Bobcat was only offerred from 1975-1980 ;D
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Rule #1 of writing a book should be at least a working knowledge of your subject matter. Unfortunately, paper will lay still and allow you to write anything! What a bozo!
Dwayne :)
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In regards to the Bobcats, I know they were offered in Canada a year or two before they were on sale in the states, anyone have the correct info? Thanks.
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I was interested to know the answer. According to wikipedia the Bobcat was released a year earlier, essentially a rebadged Pinto.
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On #4 I think the author was talking specifically about the Comets that were produced from 1970-1976. #s 1 & 2 I think the guy got the Pinto and maybe the AMC Gremlin mixed up. lol On point #5 when it was said the energy absorbing bumpers giving the Pinto a more substantial appearance, I think they meant it has a stronger or less-likely-to-crumple appearance, for lack of a better term. I don't think the author was talking about attractiveness or desireability. I like the small bumpers better myself, but the bigger ones sure seem more substantial in terms of safety and durability. Ok off my soap box. (for now). ;)
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canada got the bobcat in 74 for its first production year.
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On #4 I think the author was talking specifically about the Comets that were produced from 1970-1976.
I'm going to disagree on that. Here's why:
4. "Thanks to a long standing convention of developing parallel vehicle lines ("parallel" being the Pinto/Bobcat or the Maverick/Comet), the slightly more upscale Mercury Comets of 1970-1976 suffered the same woes (what common "woes" did the Pinto/Comet have?) as their Pinto brethren ("brethren" meaning related to)."
The only thing "parallel and brethren" about the Pinto / Comet were the larger, round headlights and... maybe the steering wheel(not sure on that). I guess it would also be fair to say "some" shared the 8" rearend and C-3/4 transmission too. The Maverick came a bit closer to the bloodline sharing the same tailights, but that's about it. Frankly, I think the author confused the Bobcat with the Comet. I'm inclined to think if you asked him what a Bobcat was he'd tell you, "A snowmobile."
You might be right on #5, but I lean that way only because with the Pinto history, safety came before looks. Still, the author is rather flawed in his knowledge so it's hard to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Tom
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I say why fight a losing battle with the uninformed...I decided to do my part to keep the myth alive...I just ordered new plates an hour ago for my street Pinto ;)
(http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj72/71hanto/Black%20on%20Black%20Pinto/showPlateImage_zps6e3e19bf.jpg)
Beware Tailgaters!
71HANTO
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You people throw a lot of money awAy worring about govt. I do not hey smog pumps in CA threw into trash in 1984 I do clean air car propane yea maybe ! I do what I want when I want gov. does not op my ;life!
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You people throw a lot of money awAy worring about govt. I do not hey smog pumps in CA threw into trash in 1984 I do clean air car propane yea maybe ! I do what I want when I want gov. does not op my ;life!
I think this was meant for that other topic where someone attempted to equate a Marxist with Conservatives. .....
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I say why fight a losing battle with the uninformed...I decided to do my part to keep the myth alive...I just ordered new plates an hour ago for my street Pinto ;)
(http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj72/71hanto/Black%20on%20Black%20Pinto/showPlateImage_zps6e3e19bf.jpg)
Beware Tailgaters!
71HANTO
I have a 25 pack of 'Flammable' placards, the type you see on semi trucks, for my rear window. :) I hem/haw on running them or not. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. That was my first accessory purchase after I got the car running. You'd be amazed how many people will still tailgate on the interstate, big trucks included. :/