Both Ford and Chevrolet introduced sub-compact cars in 1971, and both would be controversial in their own ways. The Pinto would become the subject of safety concerns in rear-end collisions, while the Vega’s negative PR was largely based on quality control issues. Yet the Pinto would go on to sell more than three million units in 10 years, far exceeding the Vega’s track record. This 1978 Pinto station wagon is a beautiful survivor whose flaws seem only minor. Located in Canton, Georgia, and offered here on eBay by a dealer, the take-it-home-now price is $11,890. Thanks for the tip, Dano!
The 1970s saw American car manufacturers make various attempts at building smaller, more efficient cars to thwart the success of the imports from Europe and Japan. And, as a result of the OPEC oil embargo of 1973, gasoline was no longer an inexpensive commodity. So, both these factors led to the decade-long sales success of the Ford Pinto. Until 1978, the Pinto was the smallest Ford sold in the U.S., but that changed with the introduction of the Fiesta. Nearly two feet shorter than the Pinto, the German-designed Fiesta was the first front-wheel-drive car sold by Ford in the USA. The Pinto would be replaced by the Escort a couple of years later.
This 1978 Pinto wagon has time capsule qualities. It looks great even up close, although a few minor flaws pop up under close scrutiny. But the Seafoam Green paint looks to have held up well and there are no signs of rust or other body damage. That may be because the car originated in California and has seen only 51,000 miles of use in 44 years. Practically everything seems original about this car other than consumables, which is a good thing because a Pinto is probably not a hot restoration item.
The seller provides a slew of photos, and two things pop out in the otherwise nice interior. One, the dash pad is cracked, and two, there is a stain on the passenger front bucket seat (hopefully something that can be shampooed out). Under the hood resides a 140 cubic inch inline-4 motor paired with a 4-speed manual transmission, and we’re told that the little engine that could runs just fine. To help show off its Left Coast heritage, the Pinto comes with a color-matched miniature surfboard that you can attach to the roof rack!
Pintos would be popular right up to the time they were retired. This wagon is one of nearly 189,000 Pinto’s built in 1978 and survives while most of its cousins have long since gone on to that great junkyard in the sky. This looks like a cool little wagon to tool around in, but the question becomes is a Pinto a $12,000 investment?
Again,why the surfboard?
I can’t anybody driving this to go surfing.
You’d get sand in the carpet,plus have a
wet surfboard dripping salt water on the top.
It also seems that the nicest surviving
Pinto wagons almost always have those big
bumpers.The early ones look SO much nicer.
And the board is mounted backwards. Purely a decoration mounted by someone who doesn’t know what they are doing.
Backwards? I think you mean upside down, but i think if you flip it over the fins would hit the roof of the car.
When you mount a surfboard on a car roof, the fins face forward. I’m not a surfer, but every time I see a board mounted on a roof, that’s the way they do it.
Who knows, I might be wrong, just based on what I’ve seen.
Seems counter-intuitive to have the “fins forward” as the board is more aerodynamic (even when upside down) with those keel fins at the back!
What happens when a surfboard is mounted backwards? Do the local surfer dudes laugh and call you a “newbie”?
Ok, i now know the best way to mount a board is fins up towards the front of the vehicle, that way if your holding straps get a little loose and the board slides to the back of the vehicle, when the fins hit the loose straps it will stay on the vehicle and not fall off.
This Pinto has been around the Internet more times than my Ex-wife!
Flipper bought it for $3900, removed the fender chrome, cleaned it up and added 8K to the price.
https://barnfinds.com/matching-surfboard-included-1978-ford-pinto/
https://barnfinds.com/polluting-pony-1978-ford-pinto-wagon/
I was getting that feeling like a have seen this before on BF. Kind of like the little red Citroen Ami6. As far as your ex wife I ain’t gonna go there!
That handbrake needs to be adjusted.
just a little……
Hmmm…buy in 2017 and sell in 2022, that’s one s-l-o-w “flip”, lol.
Almost 12k for THAT? no thanks.
Thats a 3k waggy at best, 11k sheesh!
Speaking of the Vega as you did, I cannot for the life of me believe that any of the engineers or the metallurgists they may have employed or consulted, knew that it would not work to run an aluminum piston up and down the wall of an aluminum block with no liner in between.
Reynolds Aluminum was all in on the project with GM.
You’d think they would have known better, yes.
Yet many current engines today use this design. With the Vega, the idea was that the rings and pistons would ride on the silicon after a thin layer of aluminum would wear away. In a perfect world, there is no metal to metal contact, the engine oil provides a barrier.
So, how’d that work out?
Seller has 78 other cars listed.
Still a horrible color all these years later.
This isn’t an “investment” car in any case. A buyer puts his money down [plural “his” meaning “his or her”. It’s called grammar] and buys this for any other reason but as an investment.
Pinto was no more prone to rear end collision fires than any other subcompact of the era.
Proven in court via insurance stats and accident data.
His is not plural…………that’s grammar. “Theirs” is plural and applies here. That’s grammar.
like: the tucked bumpers, Lima (change to 2.5 ranger head) and weber 32/36 carb. Would not geta sedan but the wagon is choice!