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Monday, February 8, 2010

Hot rod Ford Pinto: An example of junkyard economics; cure for the blahs

Junkyards can be the cure for cabin fever. Winter doesn’t offer the best weather for exploring junkyards, but any trip away from home during a bleak winter day is my chance to discover some new old cars. I spotted this 1974 Ford Pinto on a cold, wet Saturday at Quinn's Automotive & Wrecker located here in Locust Fork, Alabama. The winter blahs were quickly forgotten at the sight of Ford’s combustible compact car. You think Toyota has image trouble now? The Pinto was the NHTSA posterchild for recalls. Pintos were originally built to battle imported economy cars built by Toyota, VW and Datsun during the gas crunch of the early 1970s. During their 10-year production run, 1971-1980, Pintos earned a reputation as a time bomb waiting for a rear-end collision to happen. That image soured public opinion and made for some screaming deals. Used Pintos were prime race car fodder for gearheads looking for a lightweight home for their V8 engines. This hood-scooped relic is a prime example of a muscle-bound Pinto waiting to be reclaimed for quarter-mile glory. 


You’ve been warned. Hop on the Ford Pinto bandwagon before prices jump, or possibly explode, should Hot Rod magazine bombard us with future Pinto coverage overload. Want to know more about Ford Pintos? See this site.


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3 comments:

Lifes said...

ah the Ford Pinto, there was a class act. Now got find me a Chevy Vega and then I will know you are a master.

Anonymous said...

I do believe that there is a Vega in the Junkyard Life main banner. I would like to see a Gremlin or Pacer.

Anonymous said...

Be a hero. Just try to find a plymouth cricket. It was made by one of those jap companys with a plymouth name. And has got to be the slowest car ever built on this earth. In high school and in high gear i was passed by mopeds. (this is no joke) Find one and you will be daddy rabbit!!!!!