Production
Ford introduced the Pinto under the tagline The Little Carefree Car, and made the first retail delivery in North America to Charles J. Pinto of Pinto, Maryland, in a record 22 months from concept to production. On hand to deliver the Pinto was Arthur Kowell, president of Kowell Ford Inc., according to the Cumberland Times-News of Sept. 13, 1970.
The Pinto was introduced as a two-door sedan, after structural work on alternate body styles encountered obstacles. Entry level Pintos were priced on launch at around $1850, making the Pinto the least expensive Ford since the "Six" of 1958, undercutting GM's Chevrolet Vega and directly targeting imported models — which continued to add competitors such as the Mazda 1200 in 1971, the Subaru DL in 1972, and the Honda Civic in 1973.
Pintos were manufactured in St. Thomas, Ontario; Edison, New Jersey; and in Richmond, California. The Pinto would be later complemented by the German built, smaller front-wheel-drive Ford Fiesta, and formally replaced by the Escort for the 1981 model year.
A hatchback became available on February 20, 1971, debuting at the Chicago Auto Show (also, in 1971, the Pinto brochure came with a paper cutout Pinto that one could fold together to make a 3D model). The Runabout went on sale five days later, priced at $2,062. The hatch itself featured exposed chrome hinges for the liftgate and five decorative chrome strips, pneumatic struts to assist in opening the hatch, a rear window approximately as large as the sedan's, and a fold down seat — a feature which became simultaneously an option on the sedan. The hatchback model matched the sedan in all other dimensions and offered 38.1 cubic feet (1.08 m3) of storage space. By 1972, the glass portion of the hatch enlarged to the entire size of the hatch itself, ultimately to be replaced with a full glass rear hatch.
On February 24, 1972, the Pinto station wagon debuted with an overall length of 172.7 in (4,390 mm) and 60.5 cubic feet (1.71 m3) of cargo volume. The wagon offered optional flip-open rear-seat windows, the 2.0-liter engine was standard equipment along with front disc brakes.
The Ford Pinto Cruising Wagon was marketed from 1977 to 1980 and styled to resemble a small conversion van or sedan delivery, complete with a round side panel "bubble windows". A Pinto Squire wagon featured faux wood side paneling similar to the Ford Country Squire. Ford offered appearance packages but not a factory performance package similar to the Cosworth Vega or the 304 V8 Gremlin X.
The car's mechanical design was conventional, with unibody construction, a longitudinally mounted engine in front driving the rear wheels through either a manual or automatic transmission and live axle rear end. Suspension was by unequal length control arms with coil springs at the front and the live axle rear was suspended on leaf springs. The rack and pinion steering had optional power assist, as did the brakes.
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