There’s truly something for everyone in the classifieds these days. Some of you might be on the hunt for a high-horsepower muscle car, and others might want a mint-condition econobox. You’re both in luck.
The Pick of the Day is a low-mileage 1971 Ford Pinto listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a dealer in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. (Click the link to view the listing)
“Absolutely gorgeous unrestored Pinto with only 30,XXX actual miles from new,” the listing states. “All original paint, interior, and motor. Always garage kept and maintained.”
The subcompact Pinto holds a special place in automotive history, with over three million units sold between model years 1971 and 1980. The Pinto and its badge-engineered sibling, the Mercury Bobcat (which arrived in the United States in 1975), rolled off three different Ford assembly lines. Marketing materials for the Pinto portrayed it as “The Little Carefree Car.” Indeed, it was a success with American buyers, selling over 350,000 units during its first model year at a retail price of only around $2,000.
This 30,000-mile Medium Yellow example looks clean, crisp, and unmodified – right down to the whitewall tires and original 13-inch polished wheel covers. The photo gallery shows up-close details like the rocker panels, exhaust, and undercarriage, all of which look exceptionally rust-free for a car that is over 50 years old.
The Medium Ginger cloth and vinyl (code 2F) interior looks equally well preserved, offering a 2+2 seating arrangement with high-back bucket seats up front. Up in front, power comes from a 2.0-liter inline-four mated to a three-speed automatic transmission driving the rear wheels. The seller states that the car “runs and drives excellent.” At only 75 horsepower, it won’t win any drag races, but what it lacks in acceleration, this car makes up in fuel economy. It may even outperform a modern hybrid in that regard.
The seller states that the lights, gauges, horn, and radio work. The car comes with a clean Pennsylvania title and is ready to turn heads at your local cars & coffee this fall.
“This has to be one of the nicest Pintos on the market today! This car gets more attention than anything I’ve owned in a while,” the listing concludes. The asking price is $21,900 or best offer.
To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.
When may I see it?
You need to reach out to the seller. He/She can be found in the links in the story.
There are some cars that should never have been kept as collector cars. The Pinto is one of them.
I never owned a Pinto, l’m more of a V8 Mustang kind of guy. I had a few friends that owned them so I feel I know them pretty well. I did oil changes and other light maintenance and drove them quite a bit. They were slow, with just a small 4 cylinder engine, but once they got rolling they did OK. They handled well and were very comfortable. They were kinda cute, especially the Pinto Squire. They looked just like the full-size Ford Country Squires with their woodgrain paneled sides. They got good gas mileage and were everywhere here in Southern California. They were much better cars than the Vegas from Chevrolet. They sold very well in the US and had it not been for the bad press regarding the gas tanks exploding they would have a much better reputation in car history. Ford used the Pinto platform for the Mustang ll introduced in 1974. The Mustang lls were very good cars too, they were well equipped very comfortable and luxurious with it’s good looks and European style, they could even be fitted with Ford’s 302 V8. It’s too bad they too had a bad reputation. Had they not been compared to the first generation Mustangs and were allowed to stand on their own, they would have a much better reputation today. I almost bought one in the Mach I trim including the 302 V8, but I too compared it to the 69 Mach I, and decided against it. But it was very good-looking with the Mach l, all in black.
Unless you want to collect mediocrity
Much prettier car than the contemporary Mustangs — Until they put the big bumpers on them.
A pinto will never have that kind of value 😂😂😂😂😂