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Six-Pack of Identical Ford Pinto Wagons for Sale, In Case You Were Looking


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Six-Pack of Identical Ford Pinto Wagons for Sale, In Case You Were Looking

  • All Manuals, All Wagons, All Yellow

https://www.autoblog.com/2024/03/26/six-pack-of-identical-ford-pinto-wagons-for-sale-in-case-you-were-looking/

 

Autoblog_2024-03-27_Ford Pinto Wagons_Car Carrier.jpg

 

If the so-called "Toys for Boys" six-Porsche collection from a U.K. climate-controlled garage is too boring for you, may we offer something from the other end of the automotive spectrum. Toys for Men, if you will, because it's going to take some elbow grease to get this six-Pinto collection from Hacienda Heights, California up and running.

 

All six cars are 2-door wagons — shooting brakes if you want to be cool — and all of them wear the same shade of 1970s pale yellow. Since the ad was posted to Facebook Marketplace it naturally comes with minimal description, leaving the reason for the hoarding a mystery.

 

There's not even that many photos considering it's a half-dozen cars being offered. The seller states that the Pintos "all different years" and that they "just got half of them running." So really you'd be buying three operable Pinto Wagons and three project cars.

 

Unlike the Porsches we told you about, all of the Pintos for sale have manual transmissions, and the seller goes on to state that they each have clean interiors as well. Mileage ranges from 23,000 to 70,000. From the one interior photo posted, the black vinyl appears to have survived the Southern California sun pretty well for the past 50 years.

 

According to Barn Finds, which believes they're 1973-74 models, these cars would've come with a 2.0- or 2.3-liter inline-four making around 86 horsepower. In 1974, a Pinto Wagon would have sold for around $2,775 new. In 2024 the seller wants $16,000 or best offer on each car.

 

The Ford Pinto is perhaps best known for being the subject of a recall and nationwide scare about its fuel tank being prone to leaks, and thus the fiery deaths of its occupants, during rear impacts. A leaked "Pinto Memo" shocked the nation when it showed Ford knowingly calculated the costs of issuing a recall versus how much human lives would be worth if they let crash statistics play out.

 

The families of two separate Pinto drivers took Ford to court in high-profile cases after their loved ones perished in rear-ending collisions. The jury in one case awarded the plaintiffs what was at the time the largest punitive damages sum in a product liability case. The other found Ford was not liable.

 

The NHTSA eventually forced Ford to issue a recall. Nevertheless, the public awareness and furor over the cases irreparably damaged the Pinto's reputation. It was commonly used in popular culture as an object of derision.

 

Which brings us to at least one use we can think of for the six Pintos for sale. Since they're located near Los Angeles, perhaps a Hollywood production company could buy the lot. Stunt coordinators often need multiple identical copies of the same car to destroy or modify. These cars would be perfect for the next 1970s period piece.

Edited by ice-capades
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Back in the 80's when I was in High School, I rear ended a Pinto (Hatchback) in my Dad's 1978 Pontiac Grand Prix Coupe. Pinto was smashed up, fortunately no Fire! The Grand Prix only had bent front bumper stops upon first look. (Drove fine, but the frame was bent slightly).  The reaction from the Pinto Driver was priceless!

Edited by danglin
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3 hours ago, Andrew L said:

Are they fitted with the recalled tank shield? 

 

My friend's dad had one for many years and used to always say I BOUGHT IT AFTER THEY FIXED IT!!! ITS A GOOD CAR!!

The story of the pinto is very similar to the 737 max 8 in my mind. A respected American brand rushing a product to market to complete with foreign rivals. In doing so, they overlook considerable safety issues that leads to many deaths. The company then alters the product to rectify the issue, but the damage is already done and the image of that product is forever tainted. 

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3 hours ago, Andrew L said:

My friend's dad had one for many years and used to always say I BOUGHT IT AFTER THEY FIXED IT!!! ITS A GOOD CAR!!

 

I had a Pinto in the early 70's back during my college years.  1971 green hatchback, 2.0L four with a 4-speed tranny.  It was a good little car.  Economical, fun to drive, and reliable.  I only have good memories of that car, though Michigan winter road salt did a number on the body.  

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15 minutes ago, mackinaw said:

 

I had a Pinto in the early 70's back during my college years.  1971 green hatchback, 2.0L four with a 4-speed tranny.  It was a good little car.  Economical, fun to drive, and reliable.  I only have good memories of that car, though Michigan winter road salt did a number on the body.  

My college car was a used orange 1975 Pinto Wagon. It served me faithfully for five years and was great for camping with the backseat folded down.

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I had a '72 Pinto Squire wagon, fake woodgrain, chrome roof rack and all. I bought it in '73 when gas prices shot up. It had just over 6k miles and was a 2.0L 4-speed, red w/black vinyl interior. After a couple of years I pulled the drive train out and replaced it with a 289 with a C4 auto trans and 8" rear axle assembly, all from a '65 Mustang. Fit surprisingly well and the fuel mileage wasn't bad either. I ran it that way for a few more years before replacing the 289/C4 combo with a 351W 4V and toploader 4-speed from a '69 Torino GT. Now that was a true sleeper and a really fun little car.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hah. I replaced my wife's 65 Mustang with a new Pinto Hatchback..4 speed, dark green -nice little car. We lived in Brewster NY ( Junction of I-84 and what is now I-684.)  I worked in White Plains.  This was during first oil embargo-gas only odd/even days depending on plate number.  So she was teaching school and would gas up cars during her lunch break. I had taken it to work one day  and it was stolen right out of parking garage..  Cop said econoboxes were the hot stolen car.

One thing I remember was driving to work with it one morning and looked around me and I was one of 6 Pintos in "formation"

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On 3/28/2024 at 6:30 PM, escapeman said:

My first car was the Pintos twin brother Mercury Bobcat.  
Chocolate Brown Metallic with Brown/Tan Plaid cloth seats. 
I prayed for it to start every day, especially if it was damp outside. 

 

Sounds like it is still available if you'd like to relive your youth....it's up the road in my town....

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/387660317471975/

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