The Horrible Ford Pinto

American automakers sometimes take the brunt of the criticism for producing models that are ugly, pointless, or even downright dangerous. Ford has had its share of beasts through the years in addition to several winners including the current Mustang for which demand cannot be met. For the fun of it let’s have a look at some of the Ford models that have been derided down through the years.

Model T - What?! How can the automobile that introduced mass production make the list? Well, the car was fine, but Mr. Henry Ford’s statement, “you can have any color you want as long as it is black” has been ascribed with the upward push of General Motors [who gave its buyers a choice in colors] which ultimately unseaetd Ford as the top automaker in the planet. No, the Model T was fine, but Mr. Ford’s marketing strategy was not.

Edsel - In September 1957, Ford launched a new division - Edsel - and introduced to America one of the spookiest looking vehicles. Carrying a “horse-collar” shaped grille - some compared it with a toilet seat - the Edsel line was hyped by Ford and rejected by shoppers earnestly . Expecting to build 200,000 Edsels in its first year of production, only 63,000 were built. Other “radical” sides of the Edsel included a “floating” speedometer that glowed on reaching a specific speed and an awkward push button transmission with controls attached to the hub of the steering wheel. Even with a quick refresh finished in time for the subsequent model year, the Edsel limped along only to be pulled one month after the 3rd model year cars were released.

Pinto - Hey, even I owned one! With a 2.3L inline 4 cylinder twinned with a four speed manny tranny, the Pinto was Ford’s answer in the 1970s to the onslaught of Jap autos flooding the market. The compact rear wheel drive coupe, three door hatch, or lorry sold reasonably well till disaster hit: the revelation the Pinto’s gas tank was capable of exploding during a rear impact frightened buyers away. Mercifully pulled after the 1980 model year; replaced by the popular Escort.

Mustang II - Ford tarnished the Mustang name during the 1970s with this forgettable and hideous model. Resembling a swollen and stretched Pinto, the Mustang II was feeble, poorly made, and a terrible competitor against its arch rival, the Camaro. All was forgiven by the early 1980s with the return of a newly designed Mustang. Today’s Mustang, on the other hand, is a sold-out success story as it took its styling cues from a Mustang of another era: the fastback autos of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Before you point your finger at Ford, don’t forget to recall some really unmemorable models, foreign and domestic. The Toyota Wagon was panned for its hideous styling and for having an engine that had to be dropped from the engine bay in order to do a tune ; the Chevy Vega - a Pinto wannabe ; AMC’s Pacer - the Jetson’s automobile ; the Suzuki Samurai and Isuzu Rodeo - flip over specialists; the Yugo - a thinly redone 1960s age Fiat ; and numerous other vehicles not worth the mention. You hope that automakers learn from their mistakes, but don’t count on it. Perhaps in another generation we will see a very unmemorable Ford show up, except for now there isn’t one in the line up…hooray for that!.

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