There wasn’t a lot special about the 1971 to 1980 Ford Pinto – until Huntington Ford in Arcadia, California, created the Pangra, which was a physically and mechanically customized Pinto. The Pangra’s goal was to compete with faster imported sports cars like the Porsche 914, but no more than 50 were sold as complete. This 1977 Pinto was customized to resemble the Pangra, but it’s not the same car that Huntington Ford produced. Located in Imperial, Missouri, this one-off hot Pinto needs a bit of work and is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $7,000. Hats off to Rocco B. for another nifty tip!
The sales manager at the California dealer cooked up the idea of the Pangra. But between 1972 and 1973, as few as 20 may have been built/sold, with 50 at the outside. That excluded a bunch of kits that were sold for folks wanting a DIY version of the car. Most Pangra’s were either 2-door sedans or hatchbacks with a few wagons thrown in. The novelty of the vehicle caught the attention of Motor Trend, which put it on the cover of their publication in ’73. The Pangra could be distinguished by its long, sloped front end and a turbocharged version of Ford’s 2.0-liter 4-banger.
This Pangra tribute is a custom build on a 1977 version of the Pinto hatchback, with a 2.3-liter turbocharged engine lifted from a 1979 or 1981 (the seller says both) Ford Mustang Cobra. We’re told the build was done in 1980 using an 8-inch Ford rear end and (we think) a 4-speed manual transmission. The vehicle has had two owners, and paperwork on the conversion has been kept for more than 45 years.
Since 1994, the Ford has lived in a climate-controlled basement without annual registrations. To get it going, you’ll need to install a new fuel pump and a brake master cylinder, but the car will start off a separate fuel source. The front clip is made of fiberglass, and TR7 headlights were employed in the build. There is some rust in the floorboards, but the body and paint appear to be fine. If you make this Ford roadworthy again, you’re going to draw far more attention than any regular Pinto ever would.
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