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Why the Ford Pinto didn’t suck

Why the Ford Pinto didn't suckThe Ford Pinto was born a low-rent, stumpy thing in Dearborn 40 years ago and grew to become one of the most infamous cars in history. The thing is that it didn't actually suck. Really.

Even after four decades, what's the first thing that comes to mind when most people think of the Ford Pinto? Ka-BLAM! The truth is the Pinto was more than that — and this is the story of how the exploding Pinto became a pre-apocalyptic narrative, how the myth was exposed, and why you should race one.

The Pinto was CEO Lee Iacocca's baby, a homegrown answer to the threat of compact-sized economy cars from Japan and Germany, the sales of which had grown significantly throughout the 1960s. Iacocca demanded the Pinto cost under $2,000, and weigh under 2,000 pounds. It was an all-hands-on-deck project, and Ford got it done in 25 months from concept to production.

Building its own small car meant Ford's buyers wouldn't have to hew to the Japanese government's size-tamping regulations; Ford would have the freedom to choose its own exterior dimensions and engine sizes based on market needs (as did Chevy with the Vega and AMC with the Gremlin). And people cold dug it.

When it was unveiled in late 1970 (ominously on September 11), US buyers noted the Pinto's pleasant shape — bringing to mind a certain tailless amphibian — and interior layout hinting at a hipster's sunken living room. Some call it one of the ugliest cars ever made, but like fans of Mischa Barton, Pinto lovers care not what others think. With its strong Kent OHV four (a distant cousin of the Lotus TwinCam), the Pinto could at least keep up with its peers, despite its drum brakes and as long as one looked past its Russian-roulette build quality.

But what of the elephant in the Pinto's room? Yes, the whole blowing-up-on-rear-end-impact thing. It all started a little more than a year after the Pinto's arrival.

 

Grimshaw v. Ford Motor Company

On May 28, 1972, Mrs. Lilly Gray and 13-year-old passenger Richard Grimshaw, set out from Anaheim, California toward Barstow in Gray's six-month-old Ford Pinto. Gray had been having trouble with the car since new, returning it to the dealer several times for stalling. After stopping in San Bernardino for gasoline, Gray got back on I-15 and accelerated to around 65 mph. Approaching traffic congestion, she moved from the left lane to the middle lane, where the car suddenly stalled and came to a stop. A 1962 Ford Galaxie, the driver unable to stop or swerve in time, rear-ended the Pinto. The Pinto's gas tank was driven forward, and punctured on the bolts of the differential housing.

As the rear wheel well sections separated from the floor pan, a full tank of fuel sprayed straight into the passenger compartment, which was engulfed in flames. Gray later died from congestive heart failure, a direct result of being nearly incinerated, while Grimshaw was burned severely and left permanently disfigured. Grimshaw and the Gray family sued Ford Motor Company (among others), and after a six-month jury trial, verdicts were returned against Ford Motor Company. Ford did not contest amount of compensatory damages awarded to Grimshaw and the Gray family, and a jury awarded the plaintiffs $125 million, which the judge in the case subsequently reduced to the low seven figures. Other crashes and other lawsuits followed.

Why the Ford Pinto didn't suck

Mother Jones and Pinto Madness

In 1977, Mark Dowie, business manager of Mother Jones magazine published an article on the Pinto's "exploding gas tanks." It's the same article in which we first heard the chilling phrase, "How much does Ford think your life is worth?" Dowie had spent days sorting through filing cabinets at the Department of Transportation, examining paperwork Ford had produced as part of a lobbying effort to defeat a federal rear-end collision standard. That's where Dowie uncovered an innocuous-looking memo entitled "Fatalities Associated with Crash-Induced Fuel Leakage and Fires."

The Car Talk blog describes why the memo proved so damning.

In it, Ford's director of auto safety estimated that equipping the Pinto with [an] $11 part would prevent 180 burn deaths, 180 serious burn injuries and 2,100 burned cars, for a total cost of $137 million. Paying out $200,000 per death, $67,000 per injury and $700 per vehicle would cost only $49.15 million.

The government would, in 1978, demand Ford recall the million or so Pintos on the road to deal with the potential for gas-tank punctures. That "smoking gun" memo would become a symbol for corporate callousness and indifference to human life, haunting Ford (and other automakers) for decades. But despite the memo's cold calculations, was Ford characterized fairly as the Kevorkian of automakers?

Perhaps not. In 1991, A Rutgers Law Journal report [PDF] showed the total number of Pinto fires, out of 2 million cars and 10 years of production, stalled at 27. It was no more than any other vehicle, averaged out, and certainly not the thousand or more suggested by Mother Jones.

Why the Ford Pinto didn't suck

The big rebuttal, and vindication?

But what of the so-called "smoking gun" memo Dowie had unearthed? Surely Ford, and Lee Iacocca himself, were part of a ruthless establishment who didn't care if its customers lived or died, right? Well, not really. Remember that the memo was a lobbying document whose audience was intended to be the NHTSA. The memo didn't refer to Pintos, or even Ford products, specifically, but American cars in general. It also considered rollovers not rear-end collisions. And that chilling assignment of value to a human life? Indeed, it was federal regulators who often considered that startling concept in their own deliberations. The value figure used in Ford's memo was the same one regulators had themselves set forth.

In fact, measured by occupant fatalities per million cars in use during 1975 and 1976, the Pinto's safety record compared favorably to other subcompacts like the AMC Gremlin, Chevy Vega, Toyota Corolla and VW Beetle.

And what of Mother Jones' Dowie? As the Car Talk blog points out, Dowie now calls the Pinto, "a fabulous vehicle that got great gas mileage," if not for that one flaw: The legendary "$11 part."

Why the Ford Pinto didn't suck

Pinto Racing Doesn't Suck

Back in 1974, Car and Driver magazine created a Pinto for racing, an exercise to prove brains and common sense were more important than an unlimited budget and superstar power. As Patrick Bedard wrote in the March, 1975 issue of Car and Driver, "It's a great car to drive, this Pinto," referring to the racer the magazine prepared for the Goodrich Radial Challenge, an IMSA-sanctioned road racing series for small sedans.

Why'd they pick a Pinto over, say, a BMW 2002 or AMC Gremlin? Current owner of the prepped Pinto, Fox Motorsports says it was a matter of comparing the car's frontal area, weight, piston displacement, handling, wheel width, and horsepower to other cars of the day that would meet the entry criteria. (Racers like Jerry Walsh had by then already been fielding Pintos in IMSA's "Baby Grand" class.)

Bedard, along with Ron Nash and company procured a 30,000-mile 1972 Pinto two-door to transform. In addition to safety, chassis and differential mods, the team traded a 200-pound IMSA weight penalty for the power gain of Ford's 2.3-liter engine, which Bedard said "tipped the scales" in the Pinto's favor. But according to Bedard, it sounds like the real advantage was in the turns, thanks to some add-ons from Mssrs. Koni and Bilstein.

"The Pinto's advantage was cornering ability," Bedard wrote. "I don't think there was another car in the B. F. Goodrich series that was quicker through the turns on a dry track. The steering is light and quick, and the suspension is direct and predictable in a way that street cars never can be. It never darts over bumps, the axle is perfectly controlled and the suspension doesn't bottom."

Need more proof of the Pinto's lack of suck? Check out the SCCA Washington, DC region's spec-Pinto series.

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My Somewhat Begrudging Apology To Ford Pinto

ford-pinto.jpg

I never thought I’d offer an apology to the Ford Pinto, but I guess I owe it one.

I had a Pinto in the 1970s. Actually, my wife bought it a few months before we got married. The car became sort of a wedding dowry. So did the remaining 80% of the outstanding auto loan.

During a relatively brief ownership, the Pinto’s repair costs exceeded the original price of the car. It wasn’t a question of if it would fail, but when. And where. Sometimes, it simply wouldn’t start in the driveway. Other times, it would conk out at a busy intersection.

It ranks as the worst car I ever had. That was back when some auto makers made quality something like Job 100, certainly not Job 1.

Despite my bad Pinto experience, I suppose an apology is in order because of a recent blog I wrote. It centered on Toyota’s sudden-acceleration problems. But in discussing those, I invoked the memory of exploding Pintos, perpetuating an inaccuracy.

The widespread allegation was that, due to a design flaw, Pinto fuel tanks could readily blow up in rear-end collisions, setting the car and its occupants afire.

People started calling the Pinto “the barbecue that seats four.” And the lawsuits spread like wild fire.

Responding to my blog, a Ford (“I would very much prefer to keep my name out of print”) manager contacted me to set the record straight.

He says exploding Pintos were a myth that an investigation debunked nearly 20 years ago. He cites Gary Schwartz’ 1991 Rutgers Law Review paper that cut through the wild claims and examined what really happened.

Schwartz methodically determined the actual number of Pinto rear-end explosion deaths was not in the thousands, as commonly thought, but 27.

In 1975-76, the Pinto averaged 310 fatalities a year. But the similar-size Toyota Corolla averaged 313, the VW Beetle 374 and the Datsun 1200/210 came in at 405.

Yes, there were cases such as a Pinto exploding while parked on the shoulder of the road and hit from behind by a speeding pickup truck. But fiery rear-end collisions comprised only 0.6% of all fatalities back then, and the Pinto had a lower death rate in that category than the average compact or subcompact, Schwartz said after crunching the numbers. Nor was there anything about the Pinto’s rear-end design that made it particularly unsafe.

Not content to portray the Pinto as an incendiary device, ABC’s 20/20 decided to really heat things up in a 1978 broadcast containing “startling new developments.” ABC breathlessly reported that, not just Pintos, but fullsize Fords could blow up if hit from behind.

20/20 thereupon aired a video, shot by UCLA researchers, showing a Ford sedan getting rear-ended and bursting into flames. A couple of problems with that video:

One, it was shot 10 years earlier.

Two, the UCLA researchers had openly said in a published report that they intentionally rigged the vehicle with an explosive.

That’s because the test was to determine how a crash fire affected the car’s interior, not to show how easily Fords became fire balls. They said they had to use an accelerant because crash blazes on their own are so rare. They had tried to induce a vehicle fire in a crash without using an igniter, but failed.

ABC failed to mention any of that when correspondent Sylvia Chase reported on “Ford’s secret rear-end crash tests.”

We could forgive ABC for that botched reporting job. After all, it was 32 years ago. But a few weeks ago, ABC, in another one of its rigged auto exposes, showed video of a Toyota apparently accelerating on its own.

Turns out, the “runaway” vehicle had help from an associate professor. He built a gizmo with an on-off switch to provide acceleration on demand. Well, at least ABC didn’t show the Toyota slamming into a wall and bursting into flames.

In my blog, I also mentioned that Ford’s woes got worse in the 1970s with the supposed uncovering of an internal memo by a Ford attorney who allegedly calculated it would cost less to pay off wrongful-death suits than to redesign the Pinto.

It became known as the “Ford Pinto memo,” a smoking gun. But Schwartz looked into that, too. He reported the memo did not pertain to Pintos or any Ford products. Instead, it had to do with American vehicles in general.

It dealt with rollovers, not rear-end crashes. It did not address tort liability at all, let alone advocate it as a cheaper alternative to a redesign. It put a value to human life because federal regulators themselves did so.

The memo was meant for regulators’ eyes only. But it was off to the races after Mother Jones magazine got a hold of a copy and reported what wasn’t the case.

The exploding-Pinto myth lives on, largely because more Americans watch 20/20 than read the Rutgers Law Review. One wonders what people will recollect in 2040 about Toyota’s sudden accelerations, which more and more look like driver error and, in some cases, driver shams.

So I guess I owe the Pinto an apology. But it’s half-hearted, because my Pinto gave me much grief, even though, as the Ford manager notes, “it was a cheap car, built long ago and lots of things have changed, almost all for the better.”

Here goes: If I said anything that offended you, Pinto, I’m sorry. And thanks for not blowing up on me.

WHO'S COMING

Started by pintoman, June 09, 2010, 05:44:05 PM

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blupinto

oh... I thought it was just Sat. n Sun.  ???
One can never have too many Pintos!

r4pinto

It's actually June 3-5 Becky  ;D
Matt Manter
1977 Pinto sedan- Named Harold II after the first Pinto(Harold) owned by my mom. R.I.P mom- 1980 parts provider & money machine for anything that won't fit the 80
1980 Pinto Runabout- work in progress

blupinto

I believe it's June 4 and 5.  ;D
One can never have too many Pintos!

J.D. LARAMEE

Maybe im dumber than i thought, but i havent seen the date of this thing yet... Its hard to make plans when you dont know when.,Joe Laramee
Home of the worlds fastest  pinto's
1977 Full weight 4cyl. Street pinto Blow thru c-s carb.
60ft 1.31
1/8 5.77 @ 128
1/4 9.43@ 141.03
77 Chrome moly 4cyl. Race Pinto- Blowing thru 2 C-S Specialties Carbs.
60ft 1.19
1/8 5.26 @138 1/4 8.22 @ 161
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3e-kxluQL

r4pinto

Got the hotel room reservation tonight. Dad & I will be leaving Ohio Thursday afternoon, driving part way, stopping for the night, then getting to the car show Friday morning some time. I just need to get the car pre-registered for the event & have enough parts, just in case she breaks down.
Matt Manter
1977 Pinto sedan- Named Harold II after the first Pinto(Harold) owned by my mom. R.I.P mom- 1980 parts provider & money machine for anything that won't fit the 80
1980 Pinto Runabout- work in progress

sedandelivery

I will be at Carlisle one or two of the three days. I have a friend who lives close to there. Looking forward to mucho Pintos and seeing lots of Pinto-friendly people! Lorenzo

71pintoracer

I plan on being there. It would be an honor to be in the t building but at the same time I want to be with all my PCCA buds! Also wouldn't mind cracking open the nitrous bottle and blasting down the track a time or twelve!!  ;D ;D
If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?

71HANTO

71HANTO and FastBak390 (father and son 71's) will be there! Hotel is booked!
"Life is a series of close ones...'til the last one"...cfpjr

NoForKin

There is also all Ford Drag Racing friday nite at a 1/8 mile strip about 11 miles from the fair grounds  ill be there racing
                for sure   

    NoForKin

Pinto1600

My application for the T building is in for the '72,waiting for a call back. JD,at this show you won't want to sit around WAY too much to do and see,over a thousand cars show up at this gig. A huge car flea market and manufacture's out the wazoo,so PLEASE get your application in ASAP. See you all real soon!!!!
Happiness is..Driving a classic Pinto

J.D. LARAMEE

Ive said in the past, That ive had no interest to just sit around at some place/car show whatever but i may try to make it this year with the new car, if i dont have a race that weekend wel have to see, but im going to try.,Joe Laramee
Home of the worlds fastest  pinto's
1977 Full weight 4cyl. Street pinto Blow thru c-s carb.
60ft 1.31
1/8 5.77 @ 128
1/4 9.43@ 141.03
77 Chrome moly 4cyl. Race Pinto- Blowing thru 2 C-S Specialties Carbs.
60ft 1.19
1/8 5.26 @138 1/4 8.22 @ 161
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3e-kxluQL

Pangra74

I may have already responded, but my rooms are booked and I'm making the drive to Denver and on to Carlisle with the Stampede. May throw in a new water pump and fuel pump to be safe. If I have time, a cruise control may be in there as well.

Joe
1974 Orange Runabout
1974 soon to be Cruisin' Wagon

flash041

I talked to Rick Markko about building T invitation. He says If I submitted and I got invited , I could decline and park with the group if I wanted. He did say I don't have to be by my car. So I submitted my application tonight!  The building had room for 41 cars. He said there will be all types of Fords in the building including several Pinto race cars ! I am working on getting another one there also.He likes all the responces from Pinto owners he has gotten. He expects a few hundred Pintos...LETS NOT DISSAPOINT HIM!
1978 Pinto Cruising wagon (I am the original owner ! ) Built Aug 15th 1977 in NJ
1993 Mustang LX 2.3 convertible

Pinto1600

The camp grounds are on the PA turnpike side of the events grounds.
Happiness is..Driving a classic Pinto

flash041

Thank you for the offer.I too will be camping on the grounds.Where is the on grounds camping? I dont see it on any map.
1978 Pinto Cruising wagon (I am the original owner ! ) Built Aug 15th 1977 in NJ
1993 Mustang LX 2.3 convertible

phils toys

Quote from: flash041 on November 05, 2010, 10:55:31 PM
Sounds like it would be a real honor to be in building T. I could live with out driving my car for the weekend, but would like to hang with the group. is any one else on the stampede submitting an invation form?
you need a ride some place over the weekend i will have my bobcat and the family freestar there and would be able to get you around if nessary we will be camping on the grounds.but i have been there 4 time and have learnd my way around the area somewhat.
phil
2006, 07,08 ,10 Carlisle 3rd stock pinto 4 years same place
2007 PCCA East Regional Best Wagon
2008 CAHS Prom Coolest Ride
2011,2014 pinto stampede

flash041

Sounds like it would be a real honor to be in building T. I could live with out driving my car for the weekend, but would like to hang with the group. is any one else on the stampede submitting an invation form?
1978 Pinto Cruising wagon (I am the original owner ! ) Built Aug 15th 1977 in NJ
1993 Mustang LX 2.3 convertible

blupinto

I won't be displayed in the building because Ruby's paint has, er, several different shades of Bright Red! lol! I REALLY want to go, and be in the Stampede especially. Like I said earlier, it's a once-in-a-lifetime gig. Money is the issue with me. Even if I slept in Ruby at rest areas I still need gas and I GOTTA get souvenirs, especially if we do a Gettysburg tour. I'm a huge Civil War buff as well as a Pinto and Beatles fanatic! Believe me, I want to be a part of this. With Norm's help maybe I can get a sponsor in Ruby's dealership. Wish me luck (please).  :D
One can never have too many Pintos!

hobbit1games

me and my wife are going via the stampede.I can't wait to meet every body.And I can't wait to see all of the good looking pintos.
GO! PINTO GO!

Scott Hamilton

Hey Joe-

We are all pullin for you,


Quote from: pintosopher on November 03, 2010, 03:23:44 PM
Well Folks,
It's after the "Flush" and CA didn't suspend the Draconian Environmental regulations of AB32 (Prop 23 failed to pass) This means that the Small business environment will be even more toxic, and of course no employment relief for yours truly. I will not be attending the 40th @ Carlisle, as I may be checking into the "Exit stage right" option for pure survival's sake.
Car's are Fun, if they don't become an Anchor..

Car Trek may have to go Unfinished..

Pintosopher ,  about to jump the Corral fence
Yellow 72, Runabout, 2000cc, 4Spd
Green 72, Runabout, 2000cc, 4Spd
White 73, Runabout, 2000cc, 4Spd
The Lemon, the Lime and the Coconut, :)

jimk351c

Well if Walsh is coming, I may just have to make the trip!
Jim Karamanis
'72 Vintage Road Racer
Manassas, VA
jimk@elbracing.com
http://elbracing.com

Pintosopher

Well Folks,
It's after the "Flush" and CA didn't suspend the Draconian Environmental regulations of AB32 (Prop 23 failed to pass) This means that the Small business environment will be even more toxic, and of course no employment relief for yours truly. I will not be attending the 40th @ Carlisle, as I may be checking into the "Exit stage right" option for pure survival's sake.
Car's are Fun, if they don't become an Anchor..

Car Trek may have to go Unfinished..

Pintosopher ,  about to jump the Corral fence
Yes, it is possible to study and become a master of Pintosophy.. Not a religion , nothing less than a life quest for non conformity and rational thought. What Horse did you ride in on?

Check my Pinto Poems out...

flash041

I would like to be displayed in the T building, but then I wont have my car avalible to drive for the weekend, right? Also I would not be next to the rest of the group, right? Let me know.Ive only been to Carlisle once before in the spring,25 years ago , and dont know the layout.
1978 Pinto Cruising wagon (I am the original owner ! ) Built Aug 15th 1977 in NJ
1993 Mustang LX 2.3 convertible

Pinto1600

For those of you that have not been to the All Ford Carlisle show,this is the year to make it happen. From what I saw on the home page,Rick Marko will be using the T building for the display of the Pintos. This is the LARGEST building on the Carlisle showfield. It can handle at least 30 cars. Rick will be looking for the best we've got so you need to get your pictures to him so he will have a large base to pick from. I believe that cars inside the building will not be judged with the show field cars. They also provide stantions and chain to secure the cars in the building. One draw back at this point,there are set times when the cars go in and when they come out. A suggestion to any one that's lucky enough to be picked,have a nice display for your car. If you are getting ready to sign up for the show get the Gate and Go opition,saves alot of hassle at the front gate. I will be trying to get a hold of Rick Marko for more information about where we will be placed on the show field and any updates I can pass on to all of you.
Happiness is..Driving a classic Pinto

NoForKin

 
Hello all
         im in for the 40th. no stampeed for me although i will help out the stampeed anyway i can looking forward to it. booked a room at sleep inn
              NoForKin  :2fast4u: :fastcar:

Scott Hamilton

I don't think I said publicly that I was going to be at the 40th or not, I know I have told several personally...

I purchased a car trailer 2 weeks back and I have the Green Runabout running fairly well after I replaced the engine with the one I had waiting for my Mustard runabout. I still have annoying flat spots in acceleration almost like it's not getting gas or timing although I have gone over and over this. Anyway- wrong thread for discussing tech issues.

I'm staying at a B&B with my family in Carlisle, already booked. I will be meeting the Stampede in Indy at the designated hotel and ride with the crowd over to PA.

Can't miss this!


I'm in-
Scott
Yellow 72, Runabout, 2000cc, 4Spd
Green 72, Runabout, 2000cc, 4Spd
White 73, Runabout, 2000cc, 4Spd
The Lemon, the Lime and the Coconut, :)

blupinto

I'm planning on it... saving for it... but really mine is still in the air. I only have a little over $500 saved but have as yet no provisions for my pets' care, among other things. If I do come, it's just me and Ruby RedHot, my '71 trunk model who will be celebrating her own 40th birthday in May '11. ;D
One can never have too many Pintos!

Pinto1600

Good evening all,
           We are now about 9 (+-) months out so we need to have a solid as possible count as to how many of us will be attending the 40th. I want to start a list this week as to your names and the cars you will be bringing.So please pm me asap!!!! Harley,Bill,and myself want to make this a great time for all of those who are planning on being there.

                                                                   Phil Reynders
Happiness is..Driving a classic Pinto

dga57

Quote from: blupinto on October 30, 2010, 07:43:09 PM
It's a once-in-a-lifetime gig. ;D

That it is!  I'm doubtful my Pinto will be there, but I certainly intend to be!  Looking forward to it!

Dwayne :smile:
Pinto Car Club of America - Serving the Ford Pinto enthusiast since 1999.

blupinto

I'm still trying to afford to go myself... and I might just be the farthest away! I hope you and I CAN make it. It's a once-in-a-lifetime gig. ;D
One can never have too many Pintos!