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Best of the Worst Cars to Collect |
Asking $2,800 in September 2014 2.8L 171Cu. In. V6 GAS OHV Automatic Transmission Mileage: 76,127 Sunroof, Leather Seats Trim: Base Sedan 3-Door All Original Overall Good Shape For Sale on eBay |
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1976 Ford Pinto |
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No worst car list would be complete without
the Ford Pinto. In fact some would say it could be the worst car
ever produced in the United States. But unlike the Gremlin it is
still so uncool it has not yet become cool. The Ford Pinto went on sale on September 11, 1970. Initially, the only body style available was a trunked fastback "coupe". A hatchback became available on February 20, 1971, debuting at the Chicago Auto Show (also, in 1971, the Pinto brochure came with a paper cutout Pinto that one could fold together to make a 3D model. Marketed as the Runabout, the hatchback went on sale five days later, priced at $2,062. The hatch itself featured exposed chrome hinges for the lift gate and five decorative chrome strips, pneumatic struts to assist in opening the hatch, a rear window approximately as large as the sedan's, and a fold down seat — a feature which became simultaneously an option on the sedan. The hatchback model matched the sedan in all other dimensions and offered 38.1 cubic feet (1.08 m3) of cargo space with its seat folded. By 1972, Ford redesigned the hatch itself, with the glass portion of the hatch enlarged to almost the entire size of the hatch itself, ultimately to be replaced with a rear hatch that was entirely glass. In 1974, to meet federal regulations, 5 mph bumpers were added to both the front and rear. Unlike the majority of 1970s cars, the addition of larger bumpers to the Pinto would not necessitate major changes to the bodywork. While the underpowered Kent engine was dropped, the optional OHC engine was expanded to 2.3L. In various forms, this engine would go on to power a variety of Ford vehicles for 23 years. Mercury begins selling the Bobcat as a Canada-only model. With 544,209 units sold, 1974 would be the most popular model year for the Pinto. In 1975, in a move to better compete with the AMC Gremlin, Ford introduced the 2.8L V6; while far less powerful than the Gremlin, the V6 gave the Pinto a feature unavailable in the Chevrolet Vega. Sales of the Mercury Bobcat are expanded to Lincoln-Mercury dealers in the United States; it is sold as a hatchback and wagon. Can a Pinto ever be considered worthy of collector status? Well maybe a factory original 1971 with less than 100 miles for museum purposes only. Not only were these some of the most poorly built and designed cars made they had a design flaw that made the extremely unsafe in a rear-end collision in that the gas tank could explode. |
