The Pinto has always been my favorite car. My mother gave me one even before I bought my own first car and I bought many after that. There is something to be said for simplicity in a car.
I had a ‘72 wagon as well. I rebuilt that 2.0 liter, put on a header, new Holley carb, swapped the auto trans for a 4 speed, and 14” Cragar SS/T wheels. Man I miss that car.
I had a '73 Pinto with the 2000cc engine, it was a great driving car. I had different wheels and tires to put a bit more traction to the street and quite possibly (memory fails but I know me) a set of headers and a lower restriction muffler. It ran well, great fuel mileage and cornered surprisingly well. I would not hesitate to buy one again if it had been stored away.
I think this was the best one I have seen-shame about the audio-but still-great. A little bit of everything. Realistically folks, always take the Pinto over the Dino.
The Pinto engine as a 2.0 was a brilliant old motor. We got that engine in Australia in our MK2 escorts (2.0 was pinto 1.6 and below was Kent) Bullet proof and an easy to work on.
One of my HS teachers in the 70s was a Datsun 510 race driver. He also owned at the time a Datsun, now Nissan auto parts store. Last week I took my wife’s Nissan Rogue to my mechanic. It needed the valves cover and he told me to get it original. He also told me where to buy it at a good price. Yes, it was my teacher’s auto parts store. I didn’t even know it still existed. Drove to the store and yes, there he was. 41 years later! Now in his late 60s or early 70s, retired from the school system, still selling auto parts and no longer racing. What a thrill was to see him again! The icing on the cake: he still has the original Datsun 510! I wish that I could share a picture of the Datsun here.
I loved both the Pinto and the Capri. In 1971 I had just gotten married. I missed tremendous amounts of work because my Falcon would not start when it rained. I went to the local Ford dealer and picked the cheapest new car on the lot. 1971 Pinto two door coupe with 1600cc engine and a four speed. Only option was FM radio. List price: $1995. Payments were $57/month. Car served me well, but needed more room so I traded in for a 1975 Pinto wagon. In 1979, I decided I wanted I wanted something sportier so I traded it in on a Capri hatchback with the 2800 V-6 and four speed. Fantastic car. I wish I still had any of those three cars.
Interesting. I saw the purple car a few years ago at Sebring. Earlier this spring I picked up a ‘73 Pinto, original CA built and kept car. My first car was ‘71 that I drove in ‘83-‘84. I always told myself I had to find another rust free, like vintage Pinto. While I love road racing, my Pinto will eventually be built with 2.3 Ecoboost, and C4 for drag racing. Most people are “put a V8 in it”. I’m like, nah, Pinto’s don’t need a V8 to be fun!
I remember seeing Racer Walsh at Lime Rock and Pocono. And yes, I owned a Pinto. Cheapest transport I ever bought. The bodies were used by many racers in the modified classes on dirt tracks up and down the East coast
I really enjoyed your video about your find in England, but the comments were disabled. What an amazing place that was... It is nice to hear an American that can tell the difference between UK models and European... :-)) This is also a very good video.. :-)))
I bought new a '75 Pinto "Runabout" 4-speed and I loved it...lived in Europe in '76 and they never heard of a Pinto. They thought a car with a 2.3 engine must be very fast because a '75 Passat with a 1.6 engine produced 75 HP and a '75 Alfetta produced 108 HP from a 1.6...they couldn't understand how a 2.3 could churn out only 83 HP...good times!
My first car was a pinto, my father loved them...... We had six in our family.. I had four going through high School.. I had a 2300 that had a four barrel on it that would pull the front wheels when you dump the clutch...and even though I didn't do it the last one I had had all the guts of a cobra V8 mustang II.. they were great cars except for that little bladder problem they had...
Back in the day my stepmother had a new 1971 Pinto with the 2 L and 4 speed manual transmission. I liked how the car ran & shifted smoothly and handled and rode well. The only objection was how it looked which was never very attractive compared to Vegas and AMC Gremlins which were its main competition. When they rolled out the Mustang II I always felt it was just a reskinned Pinto until they put the 302 back in it. What hurt the Pinto the most was all the deaths in the car caused by the fuel tank explosions caused by rear end collisions that drove the differential into the unguarded fuel tank and rupturing it. The bad publicity that this caused was compounded by Ford's attempt to hush it up and even more bad press when it came to light Ford's engineers recommended the fuel tank shield but Ford's management objected becaue it would have added an additional $5.00 to the cost of the car.
Never knew they had race series. My younger brother bought one for cash brand new when working at Jack In The Box While going to Junior College. After moving to SoCal for 4 year college he was wrecked by a lady on the freeway. He bought another new Pinto for cash. I drove it once and hated it. My VW Bug cornered and handled the hills a lot better.
I have been into Foxbody Fords since high school and remember Racer Walsh adds in the magazines in the 1980s. Good to see they are still around. More Foxbody Fords, they are getting very collectible.
Gosh do I miss my 510, auto crossed it in the mall parking lot before they were open 7 days a week. I miss that too, 24/7 for everything.......we need a break now and then.
My first Street car was a Vega my first race care was a pinto my wife's first car was a Capri love these little cars but the pinto was bullet proof I blew up the other 2
Hey Tom! I'm a Chevy guy, but I'm with you. I think the Pinto is a very cool car! In Pro Stock, they were awesome. I liked the look of the Vegas yet their engines were garbage, with the exception of the Cosworth version. I enjoyed this video! 😃👍
My first car was a 74 Pinto. I can't say it was "bullet-proof" but it only died and left me stranded 6 or 8 times. Looking back, I think it was a better looking car than I remembered.
I’ve binge watched all these as soon as I stumbled upon these. This episode hit home as I have ALS and I’m a car fanatic. Great series and really enjoy you.
look at my profile picture .. iv`e had over a dozen pinto`s over the last 40 years with everything from a hopped up 2000 to a full on pro street 460 big block ..
I always loved the Pinto, even with the supposed rear-end explosion issue. Just a cute, cool car. In my late teens/early 20's I owned a 71 Vega wagon. That engine was the worst piece of mechanical junk I'd ever encountered, but the car looked cool... kind of like a Camaro of the same era.
I owned a ten year old Vega, after owning a mint 69’ Chevrolet 350 coupe with buckets, console, rally wheels, etc. that would be worth a mint today. A good friend owned a ten year old Pinto when I had the Vega and we both got a lot of flack and little respect. But our modified economy cars were entirely reliable and would leave any Corolla and most of the econoboxes of the day in the dust. The Vega in GT trim before 74 was definitely the better looking and more sporty. It looked like the Camaro’s younger brother. It also had a much better dash, much better seats, better brakes, made more horsepower (stock), and handled better. But I agree, for racing, the 2.3 liter Ford had more potential and went on to find its way into many applications up until around 2000 in the Ford Ranger when it was finally replaced by a much more lively DOHC Mazda 2.3 liter that made more power, got much better MPG, and weighed hundreds of pounds less than the old Pinto cast iron boat anchor.
Shared Knowledge sounds like your damning the Pinto with faint praise...The Pinto was a sturdier car to be sure, not only in engine but the entire car. If you put the same tires on an either early seventies variant both equipped with disc brakes, you would be hard pressed to find much difference in cornering speed or stopping ability. The Vega was very good looking.
S Schroeder I would agree with you about the Pinto being more sturdy although many Vegas survived having a cast iron small block Chevy V8 in them. The Vega had some weak areas like the front K member, doors hinges, etc. In terms of handling the GT had a rear sway bar that did wonders for the Vega and, at least the first 3 years, the car magazines of the day preferred the Vega’s handling and brakes. I think at least one magazine said it was the best handling vehicle GM made at the time even better than the Vette of the same year. There’s a book on the entire history of the Vega from conception to the last model year. It’s a very interesting read. Much like the Corvair the Vega was a bold effort with many firsts while the Pinto was much more conservative. And the Cosworth Vega was another bold example that are worth quite a bit today.
Shared Knowledge the Pinto was formulated from Ford of Europe FOE as they had much more experience building small cars. The Vega had Opel bones too, however the alum block motor was a crap shoot, as Chevrolet division would prolly would have went more conservative, however it was GM corporate effort. The Pinto engines while relatively new in the case of the German built 2.0, the 1.6 was an older British design (with blocks still being cast for Formula Ford spec racing). The Pinto front end went on to suspend 30s and 40s Hot Rods to this day. I think the Vega had an advantage for having a front sway bar that the Pinto lacked.
Thank you Tom , back in the '80s I would buy a Pinto for $50-. All told I had 12 or 13 of them , I would take 2 and make one runner. I gave away a couple of them to family, and I raced SCCA production class with another. It was a blast to drive. Those were the days.
I had a few Pintos, one I put on the Pinto wagon's heavier sway bars and Pirelli low profile tires. It handled amazing. You could put the limited slip from a Mustang in the back. The Mercury Bobcat (their version of the Pinto) had a 2.8L V6 in it. Fun cars.
I was a kid when Pintos and Vegas were new and love them. I had friends who's moms had both....so they remind me of those days. My plan is to build a Vega Kammback with a more reliable engine. Not a Chevy V8 like everyone else, but rather something smaller and more appropriate.
I absolutely love pintos...I learned to "drift" as a teen before drifting existed!!! In the snow of New England of course. Bring back the series, and someone need to build turbo V6 AWD to attack Pikes Peak and The Mount Washington hill climb. They are one of the best handling that I have ever had spinning on black ice @60 miles an hour.
Tom - when are you going to come to Canada? Not only do we have Canadian variants of American cars (ever seen a Ford Frontenac [AKA a Falcon]), but we also got a lot of cars here imported from Europe that weren't sold in the US - e.g. Vauxhalls were common in the later 60s and the 70s.
I have owned and driven a '72 Vega and a '78 Pinto. The Vega was the better performance handling but the Pinto had the better motor. If I had my way it would be a Vega with a Buick 3.8L engine( worked on one). A Pinto would be nice, but only if I can hotrod the motor. Neither car had even mediocre performance on the motors.
My oldest brother had the ugliest orange colored Pinto back in the mid 1980's. It once blew a tire out; that's it one tire. He never had any issues with it. We both kept up her maintenance and I was only 10 or 11 yrs old at the time. He let her go so he could by a 68 Mustang which he still has today. It does need some body restoration but it's a numbers matching car. It's kept in our Dad's garage and we take her for a spin every once in a while. She's painted Canary Yellow. I need to do research to see if that was a Ford Factory Original Color Option. I know the build sheet is still in the car. I just don't want to rip the back of the front seats to find it. Maybe if I send the VIN to a Mustang Collectors' Community they can give me the info we need.
I had a 1971 Pinto with 50 series tires, air dams, three pedals and a mild built 1600 push rod engine. It was a blast to drive. I used to pick on baby Porsches (914s) for fun.
We had 2.0 pinto engines in our Australian Ford Escorts and Cortinas. They were great engines and the basis for the Cosworth YB engines that dominated racing in Europe and Australia in the late 80s. Love these engines. I currently have two powering an Escort van and a European mk3 Capri.
I bought a 1976 Capri when I lived in Germany and it turned out to be a wonderful car. Wish I would have kept it. I keep looking for them at car shows, but haven't seen one yet.
Funny story, my mother told me stories of light to light racing her pinto while she was pregnant with back in 1980 lol. It seems the pinto was another one of those under-appreciated cars due to poor public relations and early safety issues. Though, It appeared that most, if not all, of the eco compact cars of the late 70s and early 80s had poor safety designs in some form or fashion. Tom, I love what you are doing with this series!
I had a 1974 Pinto wagon through high school and college - the car had more fiberglass in it than a corvette but ran like a champ especially through upstate NY snow
Tom, love the series.... I think you need to do some wandering around the Northwest, and the Southern Lane County of Oregon specificaly . I know where there are lots of cars in our area and some I bet you've never heard of or seen. How do I contact you with more info. I've watched this series for years and I don't believe you've been up here. Hell I'll even put you up. Keep em rolling Tom. thanks Doug Horvath Cottage Grove Oregon.
Tom for the love of God please don't just walk past old motorcycles. I bet if you quiz all the gear heads you meet they had a bike at one time. Bikes are barn finds too.
i like the pinto :) the desing is not bad on them and a two liter engine in those is a good powerful lump :) and the modern 2.3 ecoboost engine is modernaized pinto motor :)
Could not miss the very large grassroots motor sports magazine banner hanging on the wall. Nice to see. Cool that dad after he denied still gets to ride along in the car at races.
he should put a chip or scan code on the container with all his dads racing history , then future racers will know who's ashes they are and why they need to be I a race car :)
Early Pintos had a 1600 Kent motor used in Formula Fords and they were bulletproof.
I wait for every episode ignoring the ‘daily driver’ series:-) Love Barn find hunter
Me too 😂🤣
Same!
The Pinto has always been my favorite car. My mother gave me one even before I bought my own first car and I bought many after that. There is something to be said for simplicity in a car.
I remember watching Pintos race circle track in San Bernardino,CA back in the eighties,great fun!
When i was 16 i had a 72 Roadrunner with a 440. But i always ended up driving my dads 77 Pinto. It was a lot more fun to drive.
Tom, I owned a 1972 Ford Pinto station wagon with ac back in 1973, my senior year in high school
out run MG all day long.
I had a ‘72 wagon as well. I rebuilt that 2.0 liter, put on a header, new Holley carb, swapped the auto trans for a 4 speed, and 14” Cragar SS/T wheels. Man I miss that car.
I learned to drive a stick in a "72 wagon. Things went downhill from there. Close to 50 years and still playing with cars.
I bought a bunch of parts for my 76 Pinto from Racer Walsh. Great stuff never had one problem with any of it. Great support too.
I had a '73 Pinto with the 2000cc engine, it was a great driving car. I had different wheels and tires to put a bit more traction to the street and quite possibly (memory fails but I know me) a set of headers and a lower restriction muffler. It ran well, great fuel mileage and cornered surprisingly well. I would not hesitate to buy one again if it had been stored away.
I did not know there were people brave enough to race rolling barbeque grills...thanks, Tom!
I think this was the best one I have seen-shame about the audio-but still-great. A little bit of everything. Realistically folks, always take the Pinto over the Dino.
The Pinto engine as a 2.0 was a brilliant old motor. We got that engine in Australia in our MK2 escorts (2.0 was pinto 1.6 and below was Kent)
Bullet proof and an easy to work on.
I can't have enough of barn hunter, I need more,,,
Cheers
Lovely story about Jerry's ashes pretty dang cool. Nice piece of history here Tom thanks.
definitely going to ask my son to do that for me when I'm dead
One of my HS teachers in the 70s was a Datsun 510 race driver. He also owned at the time a Datsun, now Nissan auto parts store. Last week I took my wife’s Nissan Rogue to my mechanic. It needed the valves cover and he told me to get it original. He also told me where to buy it at a good price. Yes, it was my teacher’s auto parts store. I didn’t even know it still existed. Drove to the store and yes, there he was. 41 years later! Now in his late 60s or early 70s, retired from the school system, still selling auto parts and no longer racing. What a thrill was to see him again! The icing on the cake: he still has the original Datsun 510! I wish that I could share a picture of the Datsun here.
You can use imgur, PostImage or something like that to post images online. That story is too cool!
I loved both the Pinto and the Capri. In 1971 I had just gotten married. I missed tremendous amounts of work because my Falcon would not start when it rained. I went to the local Ford dealer and picked the cheapest new car on the lot. 1971 Pinto two door coupe with 1600cc engine and a four speed. Only option was FM radio. List price: $1995. Payments were $57/month. Car served me well, but needed more room so I traded in for a 1975 Pinto wagon. In 1979, I decided I wanted I wanted something sportier so I traded it in on a Capri hatchback with the 2800 V-6 and four speed. Fantastic car. I wish I still had any of those three cars.
I've seen that car race several times, especially in SVRA at Sebring.
Interesting. I saw the purple car a few years ago at Sebring. Earlier this spring I picked up a ‘73 Pinto, original CA built and kept car. My first car was ‘71 that I drove in ‘83-‘84. I always told myself I had to find another rust free, like vintage Pinto. While I love road racing, my Pinto will eventually be built with 2.3 Ecoboost, and C4 for drag racing. Most people are “put a V8 in it”. I’m like, nah, Pinto’s don’t need a V8 to be fun!
I remember seeing Racer Walsh at Lime Rock and Pocono. And yes, I owned a Pinto. Cheapest transport I ever bought. The bodies were used by many racers in the modified classes on dirt tracks up and down the East coast
I must confess I've always liked Pinto's, wouldn't mind finding a deal one day.
I love regular cars turned into SCCA and IMSA race cars. Proof positive that regular cars make cool race cars with some work
I really enjoyed your video about your find in England, but the comments were disabled. What an amazing place that was... It is nice to hear an American that can tell the difference between UK models and European... :-)) This is also a very good video.. :-)))
My friends father had a pinto with Racer Walsh stuff in it he drove the car on the streets for decades.
I bought new a '75 Pinto "Runabout" 4-speed and I loved it...lived in Europe in '76 and they never heard of a Pinto. They thought a car with a 2.3 engine must be very fast because a '75 Passat with a 1.6 engine produced 75 HP and a '75 Alfetta produced 108 HP from a 1.6...they couldn't understand how a 2.3 could churn out only 83 HP...good times!
Awesome story. Thats so cool and all of there history and Brain Racing with his dad next to him.
My first car was a pinto, my father loved them...... We had six in our family.. I had four going through high School.. I had a 2300 that had a four barrel on it that would pull the front wheels when you dump the clutch...and even though I didn't do it the last one I had had all the guts of a cobra V8 mustang II.. they were great cars except for that little bladder problem they had...
Back in the day my stepmother had a new 1971 Pinto with the 2 L and 4 speed manual transmission. I liked how the car ran & shifted smoothly and handled and rode well. The only objection was how it looked which was never very attractive compared to Vegas and AMC Gremlins which were its main competition. When they rolled out the Mustang II I always felt it was just a reskinned Pinto until they put the 302 back in it.
What hurt the Pinto the most was all the deaths in the car caused by the fuel tank explosions caused by rear end collisions that drove the differential into the unguarded fuel tank and rupturing it. The bad publicity that this caused was compounded by Ford's attempt to hush it up and even more bad press when it came to light Ford's engineers recommended the fuel tank shield but Ford's management objected becaue it would have added an additional $5.00 to the cost of the car.
Never knew they had race series. My younger brother bought one for cash brand new when working at Jack In The Box While going to Junior College. After moving to SoCal for 4 year college he was wrecked by a lady on the freeway. He bought another new Pinto for cash. I drove it once and hated it. My VW Bug cornered and handled the hills a lot better.
I have been into Foxbody Fords since high school and remember Racer Walsh adds in the magazines in the 1980s.
Good to see they are still around.
More Foxbody Fords, they are getting very collectible.
I was surprised to see the Ford Escorts used to have a good look to them.
Short, but as always an interesting and good episode
Traded in a67 camaro for new 72 pinto sw!....go figure!
I raced a Pinto wagon. Was a drag car and ran a very consistent 9.80's. Everybody laughed until they seen the laundry when they were all behind me.
Gosh do I miss my 510, auto crossed it in the mall parking lot before they were open 7 days a week. I miss that too, 24/7 for everything.......we need a break now and then.
My first Street car was a Vega my first race care was a pinto my wife's first car was a Capri love these little cars but the pinto was bullet proof I blew up the other 2
The one race car that you want to be in last place with, so nobody rear ends you.
My first car was a 1973 pinto, I loved it, wish I still had it.
I'm waiting for the Chevette spotlight lol👍
Nice stories behind these cars. Thanks again Tom from the UK!
That 2002 is gorgeous... Not a pinto fan but old beemer racecars catch my eye
Exactly what caught my eye too. What’s up with that little German cutie
Why was he avoiding it at all cost? 2002 are classics too
For 30+ years Washington DC Region SCCA has had at GTP class - GT Pinto.
I had a 77 Pinto with a 4-speed. It has was a great, reliable car. 25 mph and it was quick for a stock vehicle. Too bad rust ate it away.
Hey Tom! I'm a Chevy guy, but I'm with you. I think the Pinto is a very cool car! In Pro Stock, they were awesome. I liked the look of the Vegas yet their engines were garbage, with the exception of the Cosworth version. I enjoyed this video! 😃👍
Video is WAYYYY too short!...
More more more!
In July of 1978 my first car was a new Pinto. $4188 off the lot. Southside Ford in Jacksonville, Florida.
Sadly Hagerty doesn’t value pinto’s. I’m thinking about buying a 77 Pinto cruiser wagon.
My first car was a 74 Pinto. I can't say it was "bullet-proof" but it only died and left me stranded 6 or 8 times.
Looking back, I think it was a better looking car than I remembered.
I’ve binge watched all these as soon as I stumbled upon these. This episode hit home as I have ALS and I’m a car fanatic. Great series and really enjoy you.
I loved Pintos. I raced Pintos. I bought from Racer Walsh.
Guy in high school made his a convertible, it didnt work out so well. Unibody
'get Tired of mindless parrots trashing Pintos & Edsels ... it's like a tape loop in an echo chamber
Has covid killed barn find hunter?
Hope not, been my favorite show on YT forever
I raced mini stock pintos at our local paved oval in the '90s. So much fun for little money
look at my profile picture .. iv`e had over a dozen pinto`s over the last 40 years with everything from a hopped up 2000 to a full on pro street 460 big block ..
My brother pulled an 18' boat daily for years with a 79 pinto
I had a V6 Pinto in the late '70s. Good reliable car.
Not gunna lie I have a soft spot for the pinto as well ! Great video again Tom!
Brian probably had his family all sitting in front of the computer today, excited about being on Tom’s show, only to not say a word ☹️
I always loved the Pinto, even with the supposed rear-end explosion issue. Just a cute, cool car. In my late teens/early 20's I owned a 71 Vega wagon. That engine was the worst piece of mechanical junk I'd ever encountered, but the car looked cool... kind of like a Camaro of the same era.
My step father, had a pinto wagon. What a great little car!
I owned a ten year old Vega, after owning a mint 69’ Chevrolet 350 coupe with buckets, console, rally wheels, etc. that would be worth a mint today. A good friend owned a ten year old Pinto when I had the Vega and we both got a lot of flack and little respect. But our modified economy cars were entirely reliable and would leave any Corolla and most of the econoboxes of the day in the dust. The Vega in GT trim before 74 was definitely the better looking and more sporty. It looked like the Camaro’s younger brother. It also had a much better dash, much better seats, better brakes, made more horsepower (stock), and handled better. But I agree, for racing, the 2.3 liter Ford had more potential and went on to find its way into many applications up until around 2000 in the Ford Ranger when it was finally replaced by a much more lively DOHC Mazda 2.3 liter that made more power, got much better MPG, and weighed hundreds of pounds less than the old Pinto cast iron boat anchor.
Shared Knowledge sounds like your damning the Pinto with faint praise...The Pinto was a sturdier car to be sure, not only in engine but the entire car. If you put the same tires on an either early seventies variant both equipped with disc brakes, you would be hard pressed to find much difference in cornering speed or stopping ability. The Vega was very good looking.
S Schroeder I would agree with you about the Pinto being more sturdy although many Vegas survived having a cast iron small block Chevy V8 in them. The Vega had some weak areas like the front K member, doors hinges, etc. In terms of handling the GT had a rear sway bar that did wonders for the Vega and, at least the first 3 years, the car magazines of the day preferred the Vega’s handling and brakes. I think at least one magazine said it was the best handling vehicle GM made at the time even better than the Vette of the same year. There’s a book on the entire history of the Vega from conception to the last model year. It’s a very interesting read. Much like the Corvair the Vega was a bold effort with many firsts while the Pinto was much more conservative. And the Cosworth Vega was another bold example that are worth quite a bit today.
Shared Knowledge the Pinto was formulated from Ford of Europe FOE as they had much more experience building small cars. The Vega had Opel bones too, however the alum block motor was a crap shoot, as Chevrolet division would prolly would have went more conservative, however it was GM corporate effort. The Pinto engines while relatively new in the case of the German built 2.0, the 1.6 was an older British design (with blocks still being cast for Formula Ford spec racing). The Pinto front end went on to suspend 30s and 40s Hot Rods to this day. I think the Vega had an advantage for having a front sway bar that the Pinto lacked.
I'm going to be one of those people who say "What about the...??" So, What about the BMW?!?! GO BACK TOM!! :D
I love Pintos. I've owned half a dozen of them and my dad and I each raced one on a circle track in Idaho.
Ah racing.. Mad dash to get the car ready the night before, gotta love it!!
Thank you Tom , back in the '80s I would buy a Pinto for $50-. All told I had 12 or 13 of them , I would take 2 and make one runner. I gave away a couple of them to family, and I raced SCCA production class with another. It was a blast to drive. Those were the days.
I kind of like that Capri, the 02 BMW caught my eye too.
I had one and loved it. Matt C. P.S. I also had a 1987 Merkur XR4TI with a turbo 2.3l now that was fun!
Merkur was the Ford Sierra XR4i in England
My first car was a 179 Pinto. Loved it.
surely you could do better than this for historic race cars, maybe something that is still racing?
They are still racing and the ones that aren't , are being restored.
Thank you Tom, for actually having a Capri on Barnfind Hunter! Hope to see more!!
They make great dirt cars too. I had one and raced it at Potomac Speedway in Maryland
Wish you would have showed the BMW 2002
Loved my 78 Pinto when I had it
I had a few Pintos, one I put on the Pinto wagon's heavier sway bars and Pirelli low profile tires. It handled amazing. You could put the limited slip from a Mustang in the back. The Mercury Bobcat (their version of the Pinto) had a 2.8L V6 in it. Fun cars.
Episode 86 still isn't on the Barn Find Hunt playlist.
My birth place!
Our family Pinto was a 72'...hatch back? Big glass window...four speed. They are still racing at Summit Point
I was a kid when Pintos and Vegas were new and love them. I had friends who's moms had both....so they remind me of those days. My plan is to build a Vega Kammback with a more reliable engine. Not a Chevy V8 like everyone else, but rather something smaller and more appropriate.
But the super historic badass bmw beside them
That bmw engine ruled formula one
Oh, Tom actually explained why this old footage weren't used previously!
I absolutely love pintos...I learned to "drift" as a teen before drifting existed!!! In the snow of New England of course. Bring back the series, and someone need to build turbo V6 AWD to attack Pikes Peak and The Mount Washington hill climb. They are one of the best handling that I have ever had spinning on black ice @60 miles an hour.
Tom - when are you going to come to Canada? Not only do we have Canadian variants of American cars (ever seen a Ford Frontenac [AKA a Falcon]), but we also got a lot of cars here imported from Europe that weren't sold in the US - e.g. Vauxhalls were common in the later 60s and the 70s.
Thanks for all you do. I LOVE your videos. And the GRATEFUL DEAD stickers are always FUN to see. Peace & Safety to all.
I have owned and driven a '72 Vega and a '78 Pinto. The Vega was the better performance handling but the Pinto had the better motor. If I had my way it would be a Vega with a Buick 3.8L engine( worked on one). A Pinto would be nice, but only if I can hotrod the motor. Neither car had even mediocre performance on the motors.
My oldest brother had the ugliest orange colored Pinto back in the mid 1980's. It once blew a tire out; that's it one tire. He never had any issues with it. We both kept up her maintenance and I was only 10 or 11 yrs old at the time. He let her go so he could by a 68 Mustang which he still has today. It does need some body restoration but it's a numbers matching car. It's kept in our Dad's garage and we take her for a spin every once in a while. She's painted Canary Yellow. I need to do research to see if that was a Ford Factory Original Color Option. I know the build sheet is still in the car. I just don't want to rip the back of the front seats to find it. Maybe if I send the VIN to a Mustang Collectors' Community they can give me the info we need.
I had a 1971 Pinto with 50 series tires, air dams, three pedals and a mild built 1600 push rod engine. It was a blast to drive. I used to pick on baby Porsches (914s) for fun.
not gonna lie i enjoyed your visit here in the uk BUT the episodes are far better in the states it just aint the same unfortunately👍
We had 2.0 pinto engines in our Australian Ford Escorts and Cortinas. They were great engines and the basis for the Cosworth YB engines that dominated racing in Europe and Australia in the late 80s. Love these engines. I currently have two powering an Escort van and a European mk3 Capri.
I bought a 1976 Capri when I lived in Germany and it turned out to be a wonderful car. Wish I would have kept it. I keep looking for them at car shows, but haven't seen one yet.
Funny story, my mother told me stories of light to light racing her pinto while she was pregnant with back in 1980 lol. It seems the pinto was another one of those under-appreciated cars due to poor public relations and early safety issues. Though, It appeared that most, if not all, of the eco compact cars of the late 70s and early 80s had poor safety designs in some form or fashion.
Tom, I love what you are doing with this series!
I had a 70 or 71 Pinto when I was 16 years old. Great running car with a four speed manual transmission. No AC, carpeting or FM radio in mine.
I had a 1974 Pinto wagon through high school and college - the car had more fiberglass in it than a corvette but ran like a champ especially through upstate NY snow
Tom, love the series.... I think you need to do some wandering around the Northwest, and the Southern Lane County of Oregon specificaly . I know where there are lots of cars in our area and some I bet you've never heard of or seen. How do I contact you with more info. I've watched this series for years and I don't believe you've been up here. Hell I'll even put you up. Keep em rolling Tom. thanks Doug Horvath Cottage Grove Oregon.
Tom for the love of God please don't just walk past old motorcycles. I bet if you quiz all the gear heads you meet they had a bike at one time. Bikes are barn finds too.
Throw a 2.7 liter ecoboost and a manual transmission in a Pinto and you've got yourself a good time there!!😎
I loved seeing that black pinto race car with the Waterford hills track stickers on it since that track is local to me! Keep up the great work guys
Awww cmon... I was waiting for the BMW standing beside the Pintos :(
i like the pinto :) the desing is not bad on them and a two liter engine in those is a good powerful lump :) and the modern 2.3 ecoboost engine is modernaized pinto motor :)
Could not miss the very large grassroots motor sports magazine banner hanging on the wall. Nice to see. Cool that dad after he denied still gets to ride along in the car at races.
he should put a chip or scan code on the container with all his dads racing history , then future racers will know who's ashes they are and why they need to be I a race car :)
The Skinto ! You know why I call them that? Because you bust your knuckles on em.