CARS
The Exploding Ford Pinto of 1973
Greed, malice and incompetence in car design
The 70s were well known for Disco Inferno and the many Ford Pinto fires that happened in the United States.
Ford released the Pinto in 1973. It was a compact car, designed to challenge the japan-import compact cars that were conquering the American market with their small sizes and low fuel consumption.
The American manufacturers reacted with different approaches. AMC had the Pacer and the Gremlin. Ford came up with the Pinto.
The Pinto was supposed to be the perfect answer to the Japanese challenge; it featured an aluminium chassis that lightened the vehicle. And it was developed in a record time: 25 months. The Pinto was the perfect rival for imported Toyotas. Ford even bragged about its safety on TV ads. The Pinto was pictured as a safe, economic, lightweight vehicle.
There was a problem, though.
Ford Lacked the Knowledge and Technology
Ford did not know how to create a compact car and failed to create a safe design.
The aluminium chassis was light, but it also made the car crush like a soda can with an impact. And the fuel tank was completely exposed behind the rear wheels…
