Ford Pinto

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ford
Ford Pinto
Ford Pinto
Pinto
Sales designation: Pinto
Production period: 1970-1980
Class : Lower middle class
Body versions : Coupe , Kombi Coupe , Kombi
Engines:
Petrol engines : 1.6-2.8 liters
(40-77 kW)
Length: 4140 mm
Width: 1763 mm
Height: 1270 mm
Wheelbase : 2388 mm
Empty weight : 914-1030 kg
successor Ford Escort
Ford Pinto

The Ford Pinto was a lower middle class American car manufactured by the Ford Motor Company from 1970 to 1980.

history

The reason for developing the Pinto was that Ford wanted to offer an alternative to the increasingly successful imported small cars. The VW Beetle was particularly successful in those years , but the sales figures of Japanese manufacturers also increased from year to year. Almost simultaneously with the Pinto, GM came onto the market with the Chevrolet Vega and AMC the Gremlin , which were aimed at customers for compact cars. The Pinto was also offered as the Mercury Bobcat , slightly modified . In order for the pinto to be offered as cheaply as possible, it had to be produced at low cost. The Pinto was the first American Ford in decades to have a four-cylinder engine, which was installed lengthways in a conventional manner and powered the rear wheels. This engine was also used in Europe and is known as the Pinto engine or "OHC engine".

Security issues

During its construction there was a scandal around the model when it turned out that the rear of the vehicle was designed in such a way that the fuel tank could easily be damaged in a rear-end collision. Leaking gasoline increases the risk of fire in an accident significantly. Several fires broke out, which resulted in death for some vehicle occupants. In the course of the investigation, internal written reports came to light that Ford was aware of this vulnerability but did not want to bear the cost of a design change. Instead, the unofficial stance was that it would be cheaper to go to court after death and to pay appropriate compensation. The associated realization that, according to Ford's business ethos, human life was valued less than production costs, led to lawsuits and lawsuits, which, however, remained inconclusive.

This example is provided to illustrate the issue of business ethics. It was only after at least 60 people had died and over 120 were seriously injured that the pinto was finally taken off the market. In 2002 the Ford Crown Victoria had a similar problem with the design of the tank.

Ford Pinto engine

Pinto engine is a term for a four-cylinder gasoline engine, which was used in many Ford Motor Company cars and is named after the Ford Pinto for which it was originally developed. In Europe it was installed for the first time in 1970 in the Ford Cortina of the third series and Taunus. At Ford, the pinto engine was officially known as OHC (Overhead Camshaft).

Trivia

In the films Fight Club and Top Secret! , in the episode The Miracle Cure in the TV series A Terribly Nice Family and in the episode Eiertanz in the series Sex and the City, there are allusions to the scandal surrounding gasoline leaks after a rear-end collision. In the novel GAS or The trilogy of public utilities by Matt Ruff an exploding through a rear impact Pinto is discussed. The film The Law of Power is about a class action lawsuit against an automobile manufacturer who estimated the cost of compensating accident victims to be lower than correcting the faulty electrical system that led to the accident.

In the TV series Charlie's Angels , one of the protagonists drives an orange pinto runabout with a white roof. In many episodes of Stranger Things , Winona Ryder drives a green Pinto runabout with whitewall tires.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Joachim Paul: Introduction to general business administration: With examples and case studies , Gabler, 1st edition, 2006, ISBN 3834903361 , page 149 f.

Web links

Commons : Ford Pinto  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files