http://cache.jalopnik.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/jalopnik.com.png http://jalopnik.com/tag/pinto http://jalopnik.com/tag/pinto

Cars that live long, unmolested lives are considered survivors. Some survive as icons of past glories, while others serve as cautionary tales of historical malfeasance. Today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe Cobra II is a survivor, but will its price survive your scrutiny? More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5787470&view=rss&microfeed=true

The 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. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5785674&view=rss&microfeed=true

Not many may remember Al Pacino's gay murder mystery, Cruising, but needless to say, Pacino gets his man in the end. Today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe Pinto Cruising Wagon may be more memorable than that, but is its price? More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5718559&view=rss&microfeed=true

Back when I was more serious about photography (i.e., when I thought it was cool to huff Dektol fumes in a darkened closet), I would reload disposable 35mm cameras with Tri-X 400 black-and-white film and shoot images like this. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5617441&view=rss&microfeed=true

If you were into hot-rodded Beetles during the Late Malaise Era, as I most certainly was, you probably remember the small-print ads for the "Pinto Beans" adapter kit from the back pages of your favorite VW magazines. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5524074&view=rss&microfeed=true

We've been waiting a long time for this… More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5471548&view=rss&microfeed=true

The Ford Pinto was once one of the most common cars on America's roads, which seems impossible to believe nowadays; you'll probably find 50 times as many streetworthy '72 Beetles or '72 Datsun 510s as Pintos today. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5453434&view=rss&microfeed=true

We've already honored the Ford "Pinto" OHC engine here, but what about the pushrod four that served as the early Pinto's base engine? More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5394704&view=rss&microfeed=true

The homemade Balanced-Over-Batteries car works like a skateboard tilting its chassis when it steers. The electric car's batteries are slung underneath the cockpit as counterweights and the whole thing leans 45 degrees. Oh, and it was built for only $500. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5344177&view=rss&microfeed=true

We couldn't cover the first-ever Concours d'LeMons in Monterey last weekend, because Jalopnik's entire West Coast Bureau (me) was busy covering some dumb race in Merle Haggard country. No problem, though- we've got photos aplenty! More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5343353&view=rss&microfeed=true

In general, cars at the high-turnover self-service junkyards tend to be 15 to 20 years old, but some types of cars disappeared from junkyards long before their time. The Pinto was such a car. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5327760&view=rss&microfeed=true

Today we're showing the work of a Los Angeles-based pro photographer who heads down on the street to find his subjects: battle-scarred American cars in their natural habitat! More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5307680&view=rss&microfeed=true

Nice Price or Crack Pipe wants you to take the long way home in a questionably-hued Pinto with only 40,000 miles — mostly spent mostly pulling into the garage, and then out again, in and out . . . More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5302753&view=rss&microfeed=true

Mmmm, toxic junkyard mud! More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5211084&view=rss&microfeed=true

Remember the the 24 Hours Of LeMons Nonsorship Package, in which Detroit automakers were offered the opportunity to have their corporate names redacted from LeMons cars? More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5198262&view=rss&microfeed=true

Ford called the the EAO, or sometimes the OHC… but the rest of us- at least, those of us in North America- know this little workhorse as "The Pinto Engine." More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5165997&view=rss&microfeed=true

How about the Bauer family, with its ten Pintos in 1980? Hard to believe, but Pintos were once as common a sight as the Taurus is now. With 38 very optimistic highway MPG, these multi-Pinto families could thumb their nose at that damn Ayatollah and his gas-price-jacking hijinks! More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5075625&view=rss&microfeed=true

It's time for Nice Price Or Crack Pipe once again, where the readers decide whether a car's seller has anything close to a grip on reality when it comes to asking price. Last time we were here, the $7,900 Chrysler Cordoba got a Nice Price thumbs-up from 48% of voters; not a majority, but the closest we've seen yet. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5055129&view=rss&microfeed=true

Did Ford really build a twin-turbocharged pickup truck based on the Pinto in 1971? The seller of this "sweet rust free 1 of 1 factory built pinto race truck twin turbo 4 cyl bumper dragging beast" says they did, and that "ford picked me over bob glidden to drive cause he couldnt handle this monster." If it's for real and there's documentation to prove it, $15,000 is a pretty good deal. If not... well the going rate on Pintocheros might be a few notches below 15K. Cast your vote and we'll see how this sorts out. Thanks to LTDScott for the tip! [Mautofied] More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=400381&view=rss&microfeed=true

With the Olympics kicking off, let's rewind to 1972 and take a look at some special "Sprint" edition Fords built to commemorate both the XX Olympiad in Munich, Germany and the XI Winter Games in Sapporo, Japan. The Sprint option was an appearance package on the '72 Pinto, Maverick, and Mustang. Of course, with the Soviet Union claiming first place in the medal count in both Munich and Sapporo (the US placed 2nd and 5th respectively), and that whole "Munich Massacre" thing, the '72 Olympics weren't exactly the best games to commemorate. But then, with the Pinto's explosive reputation, it brings a whole new definition to the Olympic Torch. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=400098&view=rss&microfeed=true

We know you're a little down about the cost of gas these days, we are too. Indications are that todays $110 a barrel oil will only be getting more expensive. So what are we to do? Well, this isn't the first time gas was crazy expensive (shush you Europeans, you brought that on your socialist selves), and C&D did something cool that seems just as appropriate today as it was back then. Okay, so maybe that $11 worth of aero modifications was in 1974, so it's closer to the equivalent of $48 now, but still, the simple modifications they did gave amazing results. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=368162&view=rss&microfeed=true

In the first few months of 1974, the new Pinto-based Mustang II outsold the Camaro, Firebird, Barracuda, Challenger, and Javelin combined. The cigar-chomping Edward G. Robinson-esque guy didn't know that! Not only that, the Mustang II came with a 4-cylinder engine, something you couldn't even get in a Camaro. So get on down to Small Car Headquarters and experience the Malaise! More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=357519&view=rss&microfeed=true

Remember the Classic Motor Carriages Gazelle ('29 Mercedes SSK replica built on a Chevette chassis) we saw a few months ago? The one that's been open to the elements for several years now, enraging its parking-challenged neighborhood as its owner moves it just often enough to avoid getting towed? With a For Sale sign offering the car at the extremely optimistic price of $12,000? Well, the Gazelle has a partner in consuming precious street parking: this Shay Reproductions Model A! More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=344833&view=rss&microfeed=true

Since we all know the secret world government is located in a bunker complex beneath Denver International Airport, a bunch of puzzle pieces fell into place when I saw this Pinto parked in the DIA rental-car lot. Yes, our cruel overlords use the roof-mounted cargo box on this car to hide their mind-control transmitter. Fortunately, I was wearing my tinfoil Homburg while picking up my rental car, and thus my mind was sufficiently unclouded to capture these photographs. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=321758&view=rss&microfeed=true

We now find that nearly seven out of ten Jalopnik readers surveyed prefer a '66 Datsun pickup to a '62 Toyota Stout. And that's great, though we can't fathom why the Stout's name- which could be the Best Pickup Truck Name Ever- didn't garner it more votes. Still, there's something inherently un-hellish about a pickup truck project, no matter how difficult. You see, if you ever manage to finish a Japanese pickup truck project, you'll be able to, like, do useful stuff with it. Not only that, it will probably run for a long time once fixed up, and that means you might actually be able to take the highway out of Hell in it. That's why we need to balance the situation out, by providing you with a choice between two incredibly fun, tantamount-to-suicide dangerous, badly-built, classic Detroit econo-clanker-with-V8 projects. Naturally, both need some work... More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=319290&view=rss&microfeed=true

A lawsuit filed against those responsible for injury or death in a street racing accident isn't unheard of as negligence is usually involved, but there's a new twist to a lawsuit filed today in El Monte, California. In addition to naming the two racers, the $100 million lawsuit also includes Nissan Motor Company. The accident involved a Ford F-150 and Mustang that broadsided a Nissan Altima, causing the car to burst into flames, which is where this gets all litigious. Details after the jump... More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=319546&view=rss&microfeed=true Hop in this brand new 1971 Pinto and let Socko show you why the Pinto is exactly the car you want when you want to dodge the impacts of '60 Chevy wagons and '54 Buicks in a demolition derby. It has rack-and-pinion steering- just like Jaguar and Ferrari! You can swap a bashed front bumper in seconds! Yes, 1971 was truly the start of the period now known as The Pinto Safety Era. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=314832&view=rss&microfeed=true

Life was tough on swingers back in the Malaise Era- say you needed to go to the next county for that Quaalude-fueled pool party, yet the goddamn price of gas was keeping your LTD Brougham (with the classy opera lights) firmly anchored in the driveway. What to do? Why, get yourself a snazzed-out Pinto wagon with the custom portholes and shag carpeting! And now, having served its purpose for three decades, this Pinto offers up its components that other Pintos (and Bobcats) may live. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=308422&view=rss&microfeed=true Yes, in the 70s car buyers often had to make car choices that were akin to choosing between eating a dirty ashtray full of silverfish or jumping into the Blue Pond at the Porta-Potty cleaning facility. Case in point: would you prefer the '70 Pinto Squire... or the Vega? Meanwhile, the Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere was knocking together B210s and Corollas that would last 300,000 miles. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=306441&view=rss&microfeed=true

Lets see. Would this mid-70s Ford Pinto mid-riser qualify as a Donk or a Bubble? Either way, I think we're all for this kind of thing, if only due to its blend of twisted irony and off-kilter car-to-rims value ratio. We're also wincing for those craptacular Pinto axles and poor differential struggling to make heads or tails of that acres-from-stock wheel diameter. (Thanks to 72GTOJudge for the tip.) [ChevyBombs.com] More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=292894&view=rss&microfeed=true Back in the days when the American idea of a compact car was a Chevy II, Falcon or Valiant, it took some convincing to sell folks used to larger domestic iron to take a chance on a weensy car. So the braintrust handling Ford's advertising decided that they'd set up a whole bunch of wind-tunnel-grade fans and demonstrate the diminutive runabout's lack of propensity to be blown into oncoming traffic. Guess what? It didn't replicate the topsoil in 1930s Oklahoma! Sadly, there was that little explosion issue. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=280508&view=rss&microfeed=true

Mental_floss explores the automobile as metaphor, aligning the Edsel with failure, the Pinto with volatility, the DeLorean with spastic hype, the Yugo with shoddiness and the Corvair with a lack of safety. Which is all well, good, fine and dandy. But there are other, more obscure vehicular metaphors out there. And it is your mission, dear readers of tha Jalop, to find and explain them. So get to 'splainin'. [mental_floss] More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=278429&view=rss&microfeed=true You're the proud owner of a 1969 Plymouth Road Runner. You head out to the local dragstrip to prove your Plymouth really is one of the greatest muscle cars of all time. You laugh, almost maniacally as a baby blue Pinto pulls up next to you in the beams. Laughter soon turns to abject shame as the Pinto pulls ahead of you. Far, far ahead of you. – Mike Bumbeck More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=270282&view=rss&microfeed=true From the engine swap department comes the news that the 2.3L Ford turbo mill can make some juice. The 2.3L engine was originally dropped into the SVO Mustang, Thunderbird, and Merkur XR4ti as factory equipment. With some creative shoehorning the engine can also be swapped into Pintos, and evidently a Toyota Starlet. – Mike Bumbeck More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=270271&view=rss&microfeed=true

It's too bad my next car project is going to be a sleeper of some sort (though the idea of doing a Dekotora Econoline is taking root in my brain like an alien thought-control parasite), because otherwise I'd totally buy this thing. A '78 Mercury Bobcat wagon, already set up with narrowed 9" Ford rear, cage, etc. You even get a rebuildable 351W and a C6, and all for $1800! Once again we learn that taking on someone else's partially-finished project is a real money-saver. – Murilee Martin More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=263389&view=rss&microfeed=true Apparently Americans in the early 70s shunned small cars because they feared they'd be blown off the road by howling winds, or at least that's what Ford's marketers believed in 1973. This ad must have served to lay those fears to rest once and for all; a good sequel would have been an ad showing how small cars are safer in accidents, with a succession of speeding Imperials and Electras bouncing off T-boned Pintos like ping-pong balls off a battleship's armor belt. – Murilee Martin More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=257195&view=rss&microfeed=true

When's the last time you heard an exploding-Bobcat joke? The Bobcat, a Pinto clone produced for the 1975 through 1980 model years, was certainly yet another forgotten Mercury, but somehow turned this obscurity to its advantage and avoided the stigma of its 'splosive Ford sibling (actually, a bit of hindsight shows that the Pinto didn't really explode much more often than other cars of similar size, but a rep is a rep). And a Bobcat stuffed full of 351 cubes of unibody-twisting Windsor power certainly gets the Jalopnik stamp of approval. Hey, was the funny-car package a factory option? – Murilee Martin More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=255416&view=rss&microfeed=true Wow, dealer-installed bubble windows in your '78 Ford van (or Pinto wagon)! Looks like the Black Gold 280ZX Guy was driving a Ford van and wearing a purple bike-riding outfit a couple years before he switched to a Datsun. And you'd better get the swivel captain's chairs in that new van if you want to feel, you know, dynamite. – Murilee Martin More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=254710&view=rss&microfeed=true

Uttering the phrase half price anywhere near the word junkyard sends a couple of the Jalops driving with toolbox toward the self-service junkyard like so many moths to a streetlight on a summer night. One of the larger self-service yards in California had a statewide half price sale a while back and we were there in NoCal and SoCal. Bumbeck headed down out of the hills into hot and dusty Sun Valley while Martin ventured out onto the mean streets of Hayward from Alameda. Out of the thousands of cars being picked apart we've chosen ten that qualify to enter into the pantheon of Jalopnik half-price day junkyard specials. Our selections in blazing full color after the jump. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=246945&view=rss&microfeed=true