My old man bought a first year Pinto in basically Bullet green and the Euro 2.0 engine with intentions of auto crossing it. He lowered it, on black steel ten-hole rims, installed a rear sway bar from a mustang, built a Mach 1 style chin spoiler, fabbed a Shelby style ducktail spoiler (that looks awesome), and made an elevated airbox for the highly modded 2.0. engine that got raised compression (just under 12.0:1), ported head with larger Isky cam, Webber two-barrel carb on a Offy dual runner intake and a tri-Y header into 2.5 exhaust. The stock 4 speed has never had any problems, and the next mod is a Posi traction rear diff to keep the inside tire from wasting HP spinning when it gets lifted from cornering G's. Thought he was crazy for a portion of my youth, got some weird looks telling my friends and their parent that my dad built a hot rod Pinto, but having a hot Pinto in the extra parking space makes my old man is a visionary and the car is awesome. Proud of my dad for never giving an F about what others built or said about his build. Love ya dad.
I posted this comment above but thought you might get a kick out of it. My dad was also one of those guys that lacked the ability to care what others thought of him. Wish I could remember as you do all the mods he made to our Pinto but sadly that’s now lost in time. The majority of kit cars in the seventies and eighties were based on Pintos. My dad picked one up for that reason. He finished building the engine and some other upgrades but lost interest and moved onto the family station wagon and made a Pontiac El Camino with a super cab (not crew). I drove the Pinto for the summer when I was sixteen and sold it when we moved to AZ. My friends loved that Pinto and my dad got plenty of offers but he wouldn’t sell it to any of my friends. Some dude came to look it with his wife and handed my dad $500 cash. That guy left with the biggest grin on his face. I felt good for him.
@@THESLlCK He does still have it. Hasn't been off jackstands in about 10 years because we took on a 53 Studebaker Champion project for him, a 67 mustang to 5.0 HO EFI swap for my little sister, and a few of my junk projects have kept it on the back burner.
If you drove a Pangra and I did not watch this video first, I'd look at you funny too. Now that I've seen this video, I'd yell and scream and ask you to pull over so I can see your masterpiece! Congrats to you! You see what other people don't.
Back in the mid to late 70s I worked at a towing service. We took a jeep frame , a motor and transmission out of a Ranchero, and Pinto wagon body, threw it all together and called it Pinchero. Managed to take 3rd place at the car show we entered into.
I’m 70 years old and I have been a car guy forever. I had never heard of this car before and I am from Tucson Arizona and had family in So Cal. We traveled there nearly every summer during that period and I don’t remember ever seeing one, and I would have noticed. 👍🏼
How can you call yourself a car guy and never hear of the Ford pinto. That's ridiculous! I'm from Toledo Ohio and 45 minutes outside of the motor city. And I can look at any car and tell you what type of vehicle they are.
@@robertschooner1812 How can you call yourself an English speaker and not understand what his sentence meant? That's ridiculous! I'm an English speaker and I have read Shakespeare. And I can read any sentence and tell you what it means.
The Pinto and Mustang 2 shared the same chassis. I put a Boss 302 engine in my Pinto. Then added a B&M supercharger, ported the heads, upgraded cam and valve train, ARP, etc. Pulled the "explosive gas tank" and installed a fuel cell. Converted to E85 ethanol. 984 HP @7350 rpm on the chassis dyno. Fun stuff!
I owned several Pintos and never heard of the Pangra. I even put a 5.0 v8 in a pinto wagon and it was pretty fast and very fun to drive. I even took it to the local dragstrip and won first place first time out.
Not counting these gems the baddest one I ever saw was a pinto wagon that had the 2.3 Turbo from either a T-Bird TurboCoupe or possibly a Mustang SVO I'm not sure which...
You could just install the suspension, a V6, hydraulic clutch, & locking rear end on any 4 cylinder MT Pinto as it's the same as a Mustang II but lighter...
I'm 63 years old and consider my self a car enthusiast and I've never heard of that pinto I can remember when those cars were new definitely appreciate the great video
I was 18 yrs. old in 1976. My first new car was an 1976 Pinto wagon. Haha!! I was always attracted to the long roof style. I still miss that car. Being on the right coast i never heard about the Pangra. Oh my,,I wish that I kept it. With todays tech I could do SO much with that car. As you get older,,the more shoulda, woulda,coulda, oh well,that's long past. Thanks for the vid.
@@assininecomment1630genuinely curious how you figured this out. What were the signs? Every video I watch on UA-cam these days I am questioning whether it's staged and/or AI. This one didn't throw off any red flags for me aside from possibly the narration voice but I dismissed that as well.
I’m 70 and my first car was a 72 Pinto I bought from my dad. I have indeed heard about this car. I even sent away for some information about purchasing a kit from Huntington Ford. My best guess is that I saw an ad for it in maybe Road & Track magazine. Alas I was poor college student with virtually no mechanical skills so nothing came of it. Thanks for the walk down memory lane.
I'll be 70 next month and I've never seen or heard of one!! Back then I regularly every month read Hot Rod magazine,Road and Track magazine,and a few others and never saw this car reviewed,great video.!!! Thanks
I'm 74, and I'm absolutely gobsmacked with this one. I researched the Pinto, Vega, and Datsun 510 when buying a new car in 1971 . . . this "modified" Pinto never even made a blip on the radar . . . none of the mainstream or off the beaten path magazines (and I had a subscription to nealy all of them) ever mentioned it. It wouldn't have made any difference. As a newly wed college student in 1971, I couldn't have afforded it anyway . . . a $5,000 Pinto?
Saw the tapered nose and the name "Pangra" came to mind. Car magazine story of the '70s. Car Craft, Car & Driver? Don't remember. Not a Road & Track kind of story. Maybe Popular Hot Rodding. Btw, the turbo guy was "Ak" Miller, not "A.K." as A.I. says. Well-known Ford guy back then, especially with 6 cylinders.
My dad bought a brand new 1971 Pinto in late 1970. It had the Cortina 1600cc (before the 2000cc). It was the car which I got my license (1972). I went off to college at Cal Poly (San Luis Obispo) with the Pinto. While at Poly, I attend a local car show, where I saw an all black Pinto Pangra! It blew me away. I had never heard of it before. Took lots of pictures of it. Couldn't find the owner to ask questions. I wound up replacing my exhaust manifold with a header and the muffler with a performance unit, replaced the shocks with the performance suspension and stiffener kit. Other than that it was stock looking. That Cortina 1600 unit would really wind up the RPMs. The one weak spot on that car was the clutch. I changed it 7 or 8 times. The pressure plate would fracture easily and pop the springs out....Thanks for the video, it took me back.
When I was about 21, so 1991, I had a Pinto wagon.2.0 4speed. Fake wood vinyl sides etc. I cut the springs till it sat with about 4" suspension travel and only a little more clearance. Anyway, coming back from Yakima over Satus pass, I was just crossing the last summit when I saw in the mirror a red Porsche 911 coming up behind. The Pinto ran pretty good but handled even better, I do my own alignments, since I was over the pass I wound up the rubber bands going down the other side. Nice corners and straights for 15 miles or so before Goldendale. So theres a long straight after the pass I was coming up to the corners as he came over the top and was catching up quick down the straight. . Now the Pinto topped out at 95, pinned to the floor. I slung the corners at 70 or so, hard as I dared and when I got to the next straight was surprised that I had gained distance on him, but at 95 he was catching up again on the straight. But the next 3 miles of curves were coming up. Long sweepers only a few tight ones, so I just kept it wound out and at the next long straight I looked in the mirror at 1/2 mile or so behind me and still didn't see him. Now all I can figure is the driver didn't mind going fast on the straight but got nervous in corners because in the hands of the right person the Porsche should've caught me through the curves too, but not on that day. The world was once fun kids. I swear!
Awesome story! Sleepers rule! I used to do similar things with my dad's 76 Lincoln Coupe. Factory 4 wheel disc brakes, 460 with ported heads, 850 Holley, small cam etc. 4" lowered suspension with Addco sway bars and KYB shocks on 8" wide rims with 255/60/15 Michelins. Nobody saw it coming, especially in the early 80s when even cop cars were slow.
@@MrSpartanPaul Flock yeah! That's bad ass. . I'm a hot rod Lincoln guy from way back. I've had a 63' suicide door lowrider. A 67' a 72' all long ago and back in 09' a 1996 Mark 8 Lsc
I owned a 78 Pinto as my daily driver, .... for some 5 years (that includes 5 Canadian winters). With my wife, three kids and a Labrador mutt it never at any time let me down or stranded. I've enjoyed many cars and pick ups through 59 years and that Pinto was enjoyed. Now this is the first time I've heard of a 'Pangra' Pinto. Now that's twice a Pinto ! I'd sure love to own another Pinto today but to have a Pangra would be like the cherry on top ! Thanks for the video.
See, this is my favorite kind of car...something nobody could ever imagine could be a performance car, bonus points if it was actively hated during production. A true underdog, and I'm all about underdogs. Anybody can run a popular car and be smiled upon, but when you get some admiration for a car with a bad reputation, you've done something unique.
1979, I move to Bakersfield, CA from Riverside, CA. at 13yo & mowed lawns for cash to buy, fix up, and sell Pinto's. My parents bought a new lime green 1973 station wagon. Through the early 80s I flipped nearly 100 Pinto's and most were the desired station wagon's. I went to, school with Roger Mears, Jr. so the Mears gang & Penske boys used to show up at my house to buy extra Ford 2000cc engines from us as test engines for Rick's race cars. They'd rev them to nearly 12k RPM. I had, a chance to buy 3 Pangra's over those years and didn't because girls became more important at that time.
You were just the same as the rest of us at that time as far as girls went. You Dumb and Full of Chum!!! I hand the Mercury Bobcat which was just a dressed up Pinto and had a blast driving it. A fun little car to have.
Plural words do not get an apostrophe. No Pinto's - Pintos. Same with Pangras and wagons. Lawns, parents, boys, engines, cars, years and girls don't have one, nothing does, no plural apostrophe. Got some weird commas too but have a great day!
@@BariumCobaltNitrog3nI agree with Barium here. If you put a possessive in the place of a plural, you’re going to confuse people. That, along with only furthering the problem that’s already out of control across the English speaking world. This being horrible , or complete lack of, any sense of proper grammar. Look, I’m from the hills of East Tennessee, so it’s something I hear all the time. I was taught, then noticed, and have remained all too aware of how people perceive your intelligence based on your grammar and vocabulary. At my school this was drilled into our heads in the 3rd grade. I keep thinking it’s something the rest of the world will catch onto eventually, but I keep getting let down. I am so tired of hearing people say things like “she be goin’ to da sto”. I expect to hear this from some of elements in society. Typically, it’s from cultures that do not value education in the least. Yes, I’m referring to exactly the group you think I’m referring to. Now, I hear it from country kids, college graduates, and expect reporters to start it any day! We have to have, and respect, some standards. If we don’t, then where is the line? Do we just continue down the path of doing whatever we want with what was standard? Maybe just because it’s convenient, or because teachers don’t have the “time” to teach those fundamentals anymore. It’s not helping anyone to not teach them where they are making mistakes. It’s not an act of kindness to allow them to continue a bad habit, or to keep making a bad impression on others. I know to many it sounds petty. But, when poor grammar keeps you from getting a job, making a good impression on your girlfriend’s parents, or just being seen as intelligent enough to help your kids with their homework, it is NOT such a little thing then.
I owned both the hatch back and wagon versions of the Pinto, and I loved them both. They got me through my poor times. If I could find a Pangra I would seriously consider buying one
In 1972, after selling my 1970 Z28, I was in the market for a new performance car. This time I was prioritizing handling over shear power. In my research I discovered the Pangra. I loved the look of the front end, the hunkered down stance, the wide performance wheels and the turbo charged engine in this lightweight package. At the same time I drew a visual connection to the Pantera. Although a very different car, the Pantera had a similar front-end design treatment. A trip to my local Lincoln Mercury dealership gave me a first-hand look at the Pantera but the Pangra wasn't at any dealership close enough where I could go touch and feel one. Even at twice the cost of the Pangra the Pantera won that purchase decision and I soon became the owner of a beautiful green example. I've owned two additional Pantera's since then but have never gotten to see one of these Pangras in the flesh. Seeing this video has brought back lots of memories of those early car buying days for me as I had forgotten all about this car until now. Thanks for this brief trip down memory lane!
@@JeffDuncan-q4p You could just install the suspension, a V6, hydraulic clutch, & locking rear end on any 4 cylinder MT Pinto as it's the same as a Mustang II but lighter...
One of my best friends built a 351 mid engine Pinto with roll cage etc to race in our Fur Rondy GP in Anchorage Alaska many years ago. He also helped my other friend build a 350 powered Triumph TR 7 for the same race. I did the body modifications and both cars still exist.
I was more of a Ford Maverick fan myself. You could do various Shelby-mods to the Maverick as well (maybe the same could be done on a Pinto). I haven't forgiven Ford for the insult of slapping the "Maverick" name on some crappy sub-pickup.
I drove a 1975 Pinto Squire wagon in the late 80s while still in college. Even took it on a 1400 mile one-way cruise to Ft. Benning for training. The timing belt broke on the return trip, but despite free floating valves, nothing was bent or broke and after the timing belt was replaced, I continued on my way and drove it for a while after. It was a rust bucket with a shot front end held together with heavy duty shocks, and a rebuilt 2.3 with a new replacement carb that had the same issues as the one I replaced. Only saving grace was the four spoke Cragar SS mags that were apparently rare and everyone wanted to buy. The car handled very well despite the lack of power or the shot A-arm bushings and ball joints. The four speed was flawless. If the critter hadn’t been so rusty and the vinyl wood grain stickers weren’t the only thing holdin the body, it could have been a good candidate for a V-8, or at least a 2.3 turbo from a Mustang. Anyway, the Pintos were a lot better than their legacy and were very well balanced. In fact, probably the best RWD drive car I’ve ever run when there was a lot of snow on the streets. I’ve never heard of the Panera, but had the fire issues not been such a cloud over the car’s image, they’d have been a hit if offered as a factory option ( although might have cut into Mustang I and II sales).
I've seen Pinto wagons that were turned into head turners. It's an underrated vehicle. My mom got a pinto wagon when we were kids and we loved it. Me and my brother would get in the back and have a blast on long road trips. Fun little cars.
In 1977 I bought my first car -- a used 73 Pinto wagon from a Ford dealer. Nine months later the bondo started falling out of various places in the doors and body where it had rusted. Not very happy about that.
I had heard of them and seen some photos, but I had no idea they were so mechanically modified as well. I thought they were purely cosmetic. Great video.
When I was a teen, I owned a Mercury Bobcat station wagon. Orange with fake wood paneling. And real rectangular windows instead of those silly portholes on the cheaper Ford Pinto wagon. One day, I was stopped at a red light next to a 911, and even though we were only one block from the police station, I could not resist demonstrating to him that my cat had V6 horses crammed under the hood. I _really_ miss that car!
I lived in Cali as a little kid, and he always talked about how awesome the pinto was. I remember how bonkers he was when I was older. My mom found a picture of me playing in his driveway, and it was one of these in the driveway. No wonder he had a skewed idea of cars as a kid.
Well well we'll, it's been a minute, back in 1978 I was 17 and lived in Arcadia CA about 26 miles from Huntington Beach, i traded a 1968 firebird for a not street legal black Pangra it had held the land speed record for it's class at the time 204 miles an hr, it had an turbo that was putting out 22 pounds of boost, car was slammed to the ground and to turn it around we would have to jack it up and spin it around, cause it barely had any turn radius it was a very fun straight line car but other than that it was kinda useless in the setup it was made for , haven't seen any since that time period , cool video thanks for the memories
Oh man, I’m having child flashbacks to my mom’s orange Pinto, the back hatch up, laying on a blanket, watching drive in movies in ‘79, crazy I rode in the back everywhere
I have owned so many pintos and bobcats that some people used to C all me Joe Pinto. My first one was a wagon. I met an owner of a pangra once at Brookside Park in Pasadena California. The car had the different dash and the pop up headlamps were spring loaded and activated by a T handle type pull cable exactly where a hood release would be. Hood release could only be released when ignition was in accessory position and red pilot light on dash lit press the button next to light. Hood popped electrically. It had a set of polished 4 spoke American Racing torque thrust wheels. Also had the Miller turbo on it. All black and shaved door handles. Really nice car.
My first car was a 1979 Ford Pinto, maroon with a white Starsky and Hutch stripe, and all glass back hatch. Miss that car to this day. Only have a couple of pics lef of her, quit fadded over time and have never been able to find one in that color combo online, only a light blue with that strip. A silver dollar given to me by my Gradpa fit PERFECYLY in the center of the steering wheel, and is the only thing of her I still have. Many great memories and moments in that car.
You could just install the suspension, a V6, hydraulic clutch, & locking rear end on any 4 cylinder MT Pinto as it's the same as a Mustang II but lighter...
A regular at the auto parts store I worked at in the 80s, stuffed a big block in a Vega. The engine later found a home in a Camaro. I asked him what happened to the Vega? They said the car split and warped, splitting the windshield. I’m not sure the details but I always assumed the motor twisted the car.
I had a couple Pintos, including a cool station wagon. Never heard of the Pangra. Glad to know they existed. It was popular to put a Chevy V8 in a Vega, back then. A friend of mine did that, and rolled it the first time he took it for a drive.
My first car was a Ford Pinto, yes, that Bullit Green! I remember the dealership I took it to after some front end damage due to an accident had a Pengra on the showroom floor. I did have a job, but not much of one, and actually discussed getting the body kit! Lack of funds won out, and while I never modified the front end with Hideaway headlights, I did have an absolutely wonderful center console with gauges L O L.😊
Back in the day, I owned four Pintos - absolutely great little cars. A gent known as "Racer Walsh" had a lot of handling improvement info and parts, and those little critters were a hoot to drive in the twisties.
In 1982 I was 16 years old, living in the Bronx, NY and driving a 76 Pinto trunk model. I drove 30 miles Upstate to Racer Walsh in "I think" West Nyack, NY and purchased a 4 barrel Offenhauser intake, a 390cfm Holley, a Crane camshaft and a Headman Header. That was a great setup and that car became the most fun car that I have ever driven. I just bought a near mint condition 1980 Pinto and I'm working on recreating the the same setup. I see that Racer Walsh is still around but is now in Florida!
@@lccdan1 Some other guys who knew of Racer Walsh! I also drove there and bought some items, what a great guy to talk to. I think his son kept the company going for a while, but it's been ages since I looked into whether they were still around. Glad to hear it is, wonder if it's still family running it.
Suffern NY We bought everything offered from Racer Walsh for our 1974 wagon Very nice guy - his son still runs the company for Mustangs now down in Florida@@lccdan1
My step father had a 76 Pinto when we lived in England in 83. He put a Mustang II engine in it, jacked the back end up slightly, painted it white with blue stripes down the side like the starsky and Hutch Torino. For a Pinto it looked pretty cool, and the brits loved it. Over the years we ended up having 3 Pintos. I saw a green one for sale several years ago with the green houndstooth interior. I wanted that car because it reminded me of my childhood.
Grew up in Glendale,AZ , never heard of it but my friends mom had a a/c wagon that couldn't run the air without pinging. We installed an add on water injection kit, cheap, simple. Really helped that car.
Wow!! I would want t put a worked and lightened 289 with a Mustang 2 front suspension....but you cannot even find one of these Pintos...I just saw where a guy bought one that had the 302 upgrade and drove it across country to get to his house in Maryland I believe...thanks for the cool video!!-John
I'm 71 and am a Pinto fan ... we had the 70 with the 1600 engine. It wouldn't get out of its own way but was a ball to drive. Yes, I knew about the Pangra back in the day and wanted one desperately.
I had heard that only 3 or 4 were ever built. Thanks for all of the updated information. Loved hearing more about this unique car. I learned how to drive 4 speed stick on the Pinto and Corvair. Great Memories!
I heard about the Pangra in the context of doing a lot of reading about Lima 4 engine mods, but this video definitely filled in some gaps in my knowledge of them.
This Ford Pinto / Pangra Car Reminds me of the 1989 Ford Fiesta Sho Gun Car with a 4 Speed Manual . It was a Ford Fiesta that had a Wider Rear End with Fender extensions . This Car was fitted with a 3.0 SHO Mustang Engine . Only about 5 of these Cars were ever made in 1989 . Jay Leno has Number 2
Good video. As a life-long car nut, I have indeed heard of the Pangra. But even having spent 40 years in southern California, I don't remember ever seeing one at any of the hundreds of car meets I attended down there. Mr. Stratton could certainly be classified as a "visionary". He did indeed see the future.
Out of the hundreds of thousands of vehicles in so-called and the tens (?) of thousands of those that may have been at a car show, it's doubtful that one of only 36 Pangra would have been seen but by a few people.
@@srt1749 Yea, but I was a car guy in LA for 40 years and got to see _many_ rarities like the Batmobile, Jay Leno's Chrysler Turbine, a prototype Maserati race car from the early sixties, a number of LeMans winners, three Vectors parked next to each other, and on and on. Dozens of cars made in the single digits - even down to one. 😁 Besides, the Pangra was a southern California thing!
I do remember the Pangra from the Hot Rod magazine feature story in 1973. In fact you show photos of it in question, the wagon with the paneled sides, backwards roof Super Scoop, and custom pinstriping. What was notable about that car, according to writer Corey Farley, was that Ford would not let them touch the engine or drivetrain in any way. All the new smog laws (this was in 1973) had the Suits worried about outsiders like a magazine tampering with the emissions gear, so the mods to the car was limited to cosmetics only.... But still, it was an interesting article, and Project Car; it showed hot rodders another way to play with cars after muscle cars were heading for the exits. Thanks for posting this story.
Great research. I had nearly forgotten all about the Pangra factory upgrade. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. I was just entering high school when these were built. I remember reading about them in Motor Trend and was thinking of getting one but they weren't around long enough and by the time I got my license, they were history and I got a 72 Ford Mustang Fast Back instead.
Growing up in SoCal, I grew up in my dad’s 1971 Pinto. It was forest green and had a custom skiing mural over the entire car, ala panel vans of the day. It was painted by a painter friend of my dad’s (he only consented to a few painted panels. My dad installed the Panera suspension kit, which he acquired through a racing buddy who was the performance parts manager at a SoCal Ford dealership. He also had a 351 Cleveland with a shallow oil pan installed in the car at some point before I can remember. The video wasn’t lying about weight distribution. My dad removed the V8 after spinning the Pinto in a turn on a wet freeway commute. He said it was always “twitchy” when coming over a rise with the V8. In the stock form, I don’t think the Cleveland V8 put out much more power than the turbo 2.0L claimed.
Not a lot more, but it was much heavier and had a lot more low-end torque. While I'm betting it could be a lot of fun, I'd be scared to drive something with a Pinto frame and a 351 Cleveland in it!
Awesome video! I have been a professional street rod builder for over 25 years and a avid Ford fan. I have never heard of this car and I really enjoyed adding to my knowledge of really unique vehicles.
I had a Normal Little Pinto that had been Restored Bumper to Bumper and Engine Rebuilt. It was a Great Little Car for me. 4 Speed 4 Banger. Great Gas Milage. Wish it had A/C but it didnt. This would have been a neat Transformation to do to it!!! Never Knew!😊
While I never heard of this, this does help me explain a weird-looking Pinto I saw 40+ years ago. Had always assumed it was some type of kit car and always wondered why anyone would bother to do that with a Pinto. (it helps I lived in the L.A. areal near Huntington Ford). My guess is it was one of these. I always wondered what it was as I had a Pinto in college and so was more prone to notice Pintos in general. Thanks for the video.
I'm nearly 74, saw all the Pangra articles in the motoring press, but if I ever saw one live, I don't remember it. The Pangra name references the Pantera, which the front end closely resembles. I like it with the headlamps closed, but with them open, the stock front is better looking. There is no reason that you can't get 200 hp out of the stock 2.0L, without a turbo, but no, it won't meet emissions, especially California standards. My cousin had a Grabber blue 2.0 Pinto coupe, '72 if I recall, that he autocrossed, with lowered springs, sway bars, wider aluminum wheels and 60 series tires, with header, cam, and 390cfm 4 barrel carb, and was champion of his local sports car club. I got to drive it in one of his club events, and it was great fun. His idea was, I would be a ringer, as a SCCA National driver, with lap records on my resume, to finish between him and and his biggest competitor, a full BRE equipped Datsun 510, to deprive the guy of second place points. It almost worked out as planned, but on my final lap, having never driven any Pinto before that morning, I dropped 1.5 seconds off my cousins time, and won the class! A month later, I got the Trophy in the mail, with a note from my cousin, suggesting "Next time, bring your own car!" I think the stock Pinto styling, was good a looking car, until the bumper standards ruined it, just like all its competitors.
Never saw one before and I had a 74 Pinto when I was stationed in England from 88-91. Mine was a metallic brown with a factory Starsky and Hutch style stripe. Really cool version of the infamous Pinto. Great video.
I had a 1972 Runabout, dark metallic green. It ran 340,000 miles with no trouble, including getting rear ended and did not burst into flames. It was a very reliable car. The Pangra is News to me. We never heard of it here in Florida, I wish I had.
The Pangra suspension and engine kits were later transferred to the Ford Mustang Fox platform of 1979 and a fleet of these Mustangs were built by Ford in 1984-86 at the Special Vehicle Operations office and sold as the Ford Mustang SVO. The Pangra 2.0-liter engine was raised to 2.3 liters and the same idea as the Pangra Pinto also found its way into the Ford Thunderbird as the Thunderbird Turbo Coupe.
Fox chassis has different suspension. The 2.3 is based on the 2.0 in general, not that car specifically. The engine is from europe, and the fox chassis was to bring european performance to america.
I had an 86 SVO and an 89 TBird Turbo Coupe. Both a TON of fun! I remember when the the GT Turbos came out in 82 or 83, and then the SVOs in 84. We knew then that the 2.3 had been based on a European motor (the Mercury XR4Ti, if I recall correctly), and that it was BULLETPROOF in Pintos for the same reason Honda motors were bulletproof in Civics. They were very tame naturally aspirated motors built in blocks that had been designed for the higher pressures of charged performance engines. With very few mods we had my Mustang up to about 250 hp, and I always knew that stuff would make for a sweet sleeper Pinto. I too have never heard of a Pangra. In this vid, aside from the Turbo and upgraded shocks/suspension, it mentioned the Recaro seats. The SVO Mustang got those too, and mine had them. Now I'm kinda wanting an original Pangra......
I learned to drive in a 1979 Mustang Pace Car (fox body) which was 2.3 L Turbo 4 speed carbureted. The SVO, T-bird and XR4TI were far more advanced port fuel injected engines but still not nearly as bad ass as the Cosworth version available in Europe which had 4 valves and plugged holes on the bottom of the intake for a second set of injectors. P.S. Jeff's are you my brother? The cars line up.
In 1973, I drove with three of my friends from Miami to Sebring, FL to watch the 12-hr race which is where I saw a Pangra. The brother of my best friend was a professional driver whose sponsor owned the Pangra who brought it to Sebring to sell it.
Never heard of this, but a good high school friend took a station wagon remove the suspension and bolted up the original Bronco axles to his Pinto Wagon, the springs bolted in. A perfect match front and rear with custom drive shafts. modified the floorpan for the transfer case.
This is so cool. I learned how to drive in a 1974 Pinto Wagon, and while that car had flaws, one thing I loved about it was its steering and overall handling. Of course, the engine was so feeble that you could never really push the suspension and steering hard, but it really was a fun car to drive. Making a performance verison of this is so great.
I first learned of the Pangra back in the mid 1980s when doing research on the Porsche 914. I'd bought a book of old magazine articles that featured the 914, and the Pangra appeared in a comparison article. The article, however, did not explain the Pangra's existence nearly as well as this video. Ultimately, I bought a pretty decent 914, but I never forgot about the Pangra. I have a vague memory of seeing an ad for one for sale a few years ago, but to this day, I've never seen a Pangra in person.
Around 86' or 87' I was out "crusin'" with a buddy or two from high school. We mostly had leftovers from the 70's. You know chevelle, gto, cutlasses, muscles for practically free. Anyway, one night we saw one of these pintos kick the crap outta the Porsche and a few other cars that "blew our minds". I guess now this finally makes sense. Cool video !
I had a 76 Pinto and would have loved to have just the suspension of the Pangra. My brother and I decided it would be a good idea to push our Pinto to 100 mph since it was on the speedo. It took 5 miles of straight highway and the suspension gave us the sensation of being in the opening sequence of the 6 Million Dollar Man. The whole time we were hollering, "SHE'S BREAKING UP, SHE'S BREAKING UP!" We only did that once.
When I was in high school in the 80s a couple of us in auto shop dropped a 283 into a Pinto and modified the suspension to hadle the weight and improve the handling. That thing was unbelievable.
I had a 72 while in college. I ported the head and some cam advance on it. It was a hast little car and it also kicked butt on that boxy Porsche, Vegas, 240z, also 0 to 60 I could keep up with my friends 289 mustang. The weak part was the four speed transmission, once while power shifting at full throttle, I snapped off the shifter. That 2000cc engine had great flow through design and knew a few people who raced them in certain classes. Loved that little car.
It was OHC but still only 8-valve. Still not a disaster and certainly better than OHV engines. Cosworth made a 16v aluminum head for Ford UK, and with turbo was 205hp in 1980-1987 out of 2L. I don't know another engine of that era that made more than 100hp/L though maybe the fastest Saabs? Not even sure if a Porsche 911 Turbo exceeded that in that era. But they only made the 205hp car to homologate the engine for racing where they used it for 550hp. The iron block is way too heavy (the Buick 3.5L V-8 was lighter than the Pinto 2L!) but I don't know if aluminum from that era could withstand 275hp/L...
Little brother here. You said you bought it to save on gas, so I figured you left it as it. But it makes sense that would've tuned and see how fast it could go. Did you ever take it to Orange County International Speedway?
I'm a car guy. Worked in repair shops, towing, rental, and 25 years as an assembler for Ford. Today is the first I've heard of this sub model. I owned a Pinto wagon a long time ago. I loved it. I'd have loved it more as a Prangra.
Went to high school in the 70s with a guy who had a Pinto with the Pangra kit that he and his father built. His dad was in to 4 cylinders, he claimed that the turbocharged 4 cylinder was the future of performance cars and he wasn't wrong. He ended up crunching the front end so they put the original back on. It was a total sleeper at that point. Absolutely fun little car.
My first car was a 1980 Pinto hatchback standard. Maroon and orange with a fair amount of bondo. I dropped in a Pioneer tape deck and equalizer with a couple Sound Design mid-range speakers and it was good to go. I put 212000 miles on that car...it just went and went and went. It was known around campus as The Boogie-Woogie Machine, The Screaming Maroon Messiah and The Great Booga Wooga from Arooga. To me, it was Lloyd. Lloyd got me through five rugged Maine winters, got me all over Maine and everywhere throughout New England, been up and down the eastern seaboard a few times and down to Pensacola for a spell. I ended up selling it to my fraternity's cook who gave it to his kids. I told him they can't hammer on it...gotta rub it just right and talk dirty to it every now and then and it will be fine. Do right by Lloyd and it'll do right by you. Well, about two weeks later, they were screwing around and threw a rod. Ended up selling it to a guy who gutted it out, painted purple, dropped a small block V8 in it and ran it in the mini-stack car races at Unity Raceway. What a way to go. I still kind of miss that car, as ugly and underwhelming as it was. Lots of good times and adventures were had. Good to see some love for them here.
When this came across my UA-cam algorithm with only partial title, I told my wife…I bet this is going to be on the Pangra! As a Ford kid in the 70s, I routinely bought Petersen’s Ford Yearbook and the Pangra is covered in an edition from the mid-70s…blue or brown cover.
My '72 Pinto had a 1600 Cortina GT engine under the hood that had been built for mini-stock racing, and I had several people who wanted to see it on the track. I never did though just used it as a daily driver.
I'm 68 and worked on a LOT of Pintos over the years, but this is the first time I've heard of these.🤔 I built up a '74 Pinto for a friend of mine back in the late 1980's. We pulled a 2.8 V6 along with the 4 speed manual trans. from a wrecked Ford Ranger, and I went completely through the V6 and reworked the heads and built a solid bottom end with good rods, pistons, and a performance cam. We actually found a source for an intake that would take a 4 bbl. carb. and fired the whole thing with MSD igniton. When we got through with it, it was making around 190 hp. N/A on pump gas, and with the suspension mods my buddy did, it handled like it was on rails! Fun little car..😉👍👍
I've been a car guy all my life, I'm 61 now and this is my first time hearing about this car!
I feel the same way at 51 years old ! I've never ever heard of this car
Same here.
I’m right there with you, but I guess that is his whole schtick.
Going on 50, car nut too, same .
67, car nut too, never heard of it. Excellent UA-cam channel!
My old man bought a first year Pinto in basically Bullet green and the Euro 2.0 engine with intentions of auto crossing it. He lowered it, on black steel ten-hole rims, installed a rear sway bar from a mustang, built a Mach 1 style chin spoiler, fabbed a Shelby style ducktail spoiler (that looks awesome), and made an elevated airbox for the highly modded 2.0. engine that got raised compression (just under 12.0:1), ported head with larger Isky cam, Webber two-barrel carb on a Offy dual runner intake and a tri-Y header into 2.5 exhaust. The stock 4 speed has never had any problems, and the next mod is a Posi traction rear diff to keep the inside tire from wasting HP spinning when it gets lifted from cornering G's. Thought he was crazy for a portion of my youth, got some weird looks telling my friends and their parent that my dad built a hot rod Pinto, but having a hot Pinto in the extra parking space makes my old man is a visionary and the car is awesome. Proud of my dad for never giving an F about what others built or said about his build. Love ya dad.
does he still have it?
I posted this comment above but thought you might get a kick out of it. My dad was also one of those guys that lacked the ability to care what others thought of him. Wish I could remember as you do all the mods he made to our Pinto but sadly that’s now lost in time.
The majority of kit cars in the seventies and eighties were based on Pintos. My dad picked one up for that reason. He finished building the engine and some other upgrades but lost interest and moved onto the family station wagon and made a Pontiac El Camino with a super cab (not crew).
I drove the Pinto for the summer when I was sixteen and sold it when we moved to AZ. My friends loved that Pinto and my dad got plenty of offers but he wouldn’t sell it to any of my friends. Some dude came to look it with his wife and handed my dad $500 cash. That guy left with the biggest grin on his face. I felt good for him.
That had to be a great car!
@@THESLlCK He does still have it. Hasn't been off jackstands in about 10 years because we took on a 53 Studebaker Champion project for him, a 67 mustang to 5.0 HO EFI swap for my little sister, and a few of my junk projects have kept it on the back burner.
@@Knards Still is, sitting on Jackstands exactly how it left its last SCCA event.
Never too old to learn. The Pangra is a new one on me. Cheers 🇨🇦
Pray for Pierre Poilievre. ❤👍👍
I have three. 2 are add-on Pangra's, 2 are running and 1 is a full-on complete Pangra. I get the funniest looks everywhere I go. lol
that made me laugh
If you drove a Pangra and I did not watch this video first, I'd look at you funny too. Now that I've seen this video, I'd yell and scream and ask you to pull over so I can see your masterpiece! Congrats to you! You see what other people don't.
I've been balls deep in Fords my entire life and i have never heard of it. I've owned a 79 bubble back wagon. Great video.
Pervert ⬆️
Ayo…😂
How deep?? haha…..
Balls deep lol
You don't know much about cars.
Back in the mid to late 70s I worked at a towing service. We took a jeep frame , a motor and transmission out of a Ranchero, and Pinto wagon body, threw it all together and called it Pinchero. Managed to take 3rd place at the car show we entered into.
Pinchero! That’s freaking awesome man, great comment!
I’m 70 years old and I have been a car guy forever. I had never heard of this car before and I am from Tucson Arizona and had family in So Cal. We traveled there nearly every summer during that period and I don’t remember ever seeing one, and I would have noticed. 👍🏼
How can you call yourself a car guy and never hear of the Ford pinto. That's ridiculous! I'm from Toledo Ohio and 45 minutes outside of the motor city. And I can look at any car and tell you what type of vehicle they are.
@@robertschooner1812he meant this particular model/modded version
@@robertschooner1812 How can you call yourself an English speaker and not understand what his sentence meant? That's ridiculous! I'm an English speaker and I have read Shakespeare. And I can read any sentence and tell you what it means.
@@robertschooner1812Bobby did your parents have any other children that lived ?
Guess you never heard of a Cosworth Vega either eh bobby @@robertschooner1812
The Pinto and Mustang 2 shared the same chassis. I put a Boss 302 engine in my Pinto. Then added a B&M supercharger, ported the heads, upgraded cam and valve train, ARP, etc. Pulled the "explosive gas tank" and installed a fuel cell. Converted to E85 ethanol. 984 HP @7350 rpm on the chassis dyno. Fun stuff!
I owned several Pintos and never heard of the Pangra. I even put a 5.0 v8 in a pinto wagon and it was pretty fast and very fun to drive. I even took it to the local dragstrip and won first place first time out.
Even ...
Not counting these gems the baddest one I ever saw was a pinto wagon that had the 2.3 Turbo from either a T-Bird TurboCoupe or possibly a Mustang SVO I'm not sure which...
A friend of mine put a 302 in one. Stupid fast! It made me believe in Jesus because I thought we were going to die 😂
Pintera!
cool
Actually that small change to the front end makes it look so much better.
I agree. They did a good job designing the Pangra.
If I were buying the kits to mod an existing Pinto, I'd bypass the body kit and just go for suspension and engine. I don't mind the Pinto front end.
And, it makes it more of a sleeper, q car
The dropped nose is incompatible with the rest of the car's lines. Will always look like a hurried add-on.
You could just install the suspension, a V6, hydraulic clutch, & locking rear end on any 4 cylinder MT Pinto as it's the same as a Mustang II but lighter...
Depends on the year. Some look good, some don’t
@@d4l3d Looks fine to me, like a 944.
I'm 63 years old and consider my self a car enthusiast and I've never heard of that pinto I can remember when those cars were new definitely appreciate the great video
I was 18 yrs. old in 1976. My first new car was an 1976 Pinto wagon. Haha!! I was always attracted to the long roof style. I still miss that car. Being on the right coast i never heard about the Pangra. Oh my,,I wish that I kept it. With todays tech I could do SO much with that car. As you get older,,the more shoulda, woulda,coulda, oh well,that's long past. Thanks for the vid.
I had the Poison Pinto Hot Wheels car, never got a real Pinto sadly.
I know the "As you get older" thing as well. 👍
Thanks for the vid? It was made by a 'bot.
No humans involved - which explains most of the errors.
@@assininecomment1630genuinely curious how you figured this out. What were the signs? Every video I watch on UA-cam these days I am questioning whether it's staged and/or AI. This one didn't throw off any red flags for me aside from possibly the narration voice but I dismissed that as well.
I’m 70 and my first car was a 72 Pinto I bought from my dad. I have indeed heard about this car. I even sent away for some information about purchasing a kit from Huntington Ford. My best guess is that I saw an ad for it in maybe Road & Track magazine. Alas I was poor college student with virtually no mechanical skills so nothing came of it. Thanks for the walk down memory lane.
I'll be 70 next month and I've never seen or heard of one!! Back then I regularly every month read Hot Rod magazine,Road and Track magazine,and a few others and never saw this car reviewed,great video.!!! Thanks
I'm 74, and I'm absolutely gobsmacked with this one. I researched the Pinto, Vega, and Datsun 510 when buying a new car in 1971 . . . this "modified" Pinto never even made a blip on the radar . . . none of the mainstream or off the beaten path magazines (and I had a subscription to nealy all of them) ever mentioned it. It wouldn't have made any difference. As a newly wed college student in 1971, I couldn't have afforded it anyway . . . a $5,000 Pinto?
Saw the tapered nose and the name "Pangra" came to mind. Car magazine story of the '70s. Car Craft, Car & Driver? Don't remember. Not a Road & Track kind of story. Maybe Popular Hot Rodding. Btw, the turbo guy was "Ak" Miller, not "A.K." as A.I. says. Well-known Ford guy back then, especially with 6 cylinders.
My dad bought a brand new 1971 Pinto in late 1970. It had the Cortina 1600cc (before the 2000cc). It was the car which I got my license (1972). I went off to college at Cal Poly (San Luis Obispo) with the Pinto. While at Poly, I attend a local car show, where I saw an all black Pinto Pangra! It blew me away. I had never heard of it before. Took lots of pictures of it. Couldn't find the owner to ask questions. I wound up replacing my exhaust manifold with a header and the muffler with a performance unit, replaced the shocks with the performance suspension and stiffener kit. Other than that it was stock looking. That Cortina 1600 unit would really wind up the RPMs. The one weak spot on that car was the clutch. I changed it 7 or 8 times. The pressure plate would fracture easily and pop the springs out....Thanks for the video, it took me back.
In 71 the 1.6 was standard. The 2.0 was an option.
@@srt1749 Correct. I had a '71 with the 2.0.
When I was about 21, so 1991, I had a Pinto wagon.2.0 4speed. Fake wood vinyl sides etc. I cut the springs till it sat with about 4" suspension travel and only a little more clearance. Anyway, coming back from Yakima over Satus pass, I was just crossing the last summit when I saw in the mirror a red Porsche 911 coming up behind. The Pinto ran pretty good but handled even better, I do my own alignments, since I was over the pass I wound up the rubber bands going down the other side. Nice corners and straights for 15 miles or so before Goldendale. So theres a long straight after the pass I was coming up to the corners as he came over the top and was catching up quick down the straight. . Now the Pinto topped out at 95, pinned to the floor. I slung the corners at 70 or so, hard as I dared and when I got to the next straight was surprised that I had gained distance on him, but at 95 he was catching up again on the straight. But the next 3 miles of curves were coming up. Long sweepers only a few tight ones, so I just kept it wound out and at the next long straight I looked in the mirror at 1/2 mile or so behind me and still didn't see him. Now all I can figure is the driver didn't mind going fast on the straight but got nervous in corners because in the hands of the right person the Porsche should've caught me through the curves too, but not on that day. The world was once fun kids. I swear!
Awesome story! Sleepers rule!
I used to do similar things with my dad's 76 Lincoln Coupe. Factory 4 wheel disc brakes, 460 with ported heads, 850 Holley, small cam etc. 4" lowered suspension with Addco sway bars and KYB shocks on 8" wide rims with 255/60/15 Michelins. Nobody saw it coming, especially in the early 80s when even cop cars were slow.
Great story! I bet it was a thrill!
He didn’t know he was racing 😂
@@MrSpartanPaul Flock yeah! That's bad ass. . I'm a hot rod Lincoln guy from way back. I've had a 63' suicide door lowrider. A 67' a 72' all long ago and back in 09' a 1996 Mark 8 Lsc
@@ShaunHensley Probably so. lol
I owned a 78 Pinto as my daily driver, .... for some 5 years (that includes 5 Canadian winters). With my wife, three kids and a Labrador mutt it never at any time let me down or stranded. I've enjoyed many cars and pick ups through 59 years and that Pinto was enjoyed.
Now this is the first time I've heard of a 'Pangra' Pinto. Now that's twice a Pinto ! I'd sure love to own another Pinto today but to have a Pangra would be like the cherry on top !
Thanks for the video.
See, this is my favorite kind of car...something nobody could ever imagine could be a performance car, bonus points if it was actively hated during production. A true underdog, and I'm all about underdogs. Anybody can run a popular car and be smiled upon, but when you get some admiration for a car with a bad reputation, you've done something unique.
1979, I move to Bakersfield, CA from Riverside, CA. at 13yo & mowed lawns for cash to buy, fix up, and sell Pinto's. My parents bought a new lime green 1973 station wagon. Through the early 80s I flipped nearly 100 Pinto's and most were the desired station wagon's. I went to, school with Roger Mears, Jr. so the Mears gang & Penske boys used to show up at my house to buy extra Ford 2000cc engines from us as test engines for Rick's race cars. They'd rev them to nearly 12k RPM. I had, a chance to buy 3 Pangra's over those years and didn't because girls became more important at that time.
You were just the same as the rest of us at that time as far as girls went. You Dumb and Full of Chum!!! I hand the Mercury Bobcat which was just a dressed up Pinto and had a blast driving it. A fun little car to have.
Plural words do not get an apostrophe. No Pinto's - Pintos. Same with Pangras and wagons. Lawns, parents, boys, engines, cars, years and girls don't have one, nothing does, no plural apostrophe. Got some weird commas too but have a great day!
Thanks teach, that's very informative and important to the conversation. NOT...
@@miketwomey4923 Sarcasm in defense of ignorance doesn't help anyone or add to the conversation
@@BariumCobaltNitrog3nI agree with Barium here. If you put a possessive in the place of a plural, you’re going to confuse people. That, along with only furthering the problem that’s already out of control across the English speaking world. This being horrible , or complete lack of, any sense of proper grammar. Look, I’m from the hills of East Tennessee, so it’s something I hear all the time. I was taught, then noticed, and have remained all too aware of how people perceive your intelligence based on your grammar and vocabulary. At my school this was drilled into our heads in the 3rd grade. I keep thinking it’s something the rest of the world will catch onto eventually, but I keep getting let down. I am so tired of hearing people say things like “she be goin’ to da sto”. I expect to hear this from some of elements in society. Typically, it’s from cultures that do not value education in the least. Yes, I’m referring to exactly the group you think I’m referring to. Now, I hear it from country kids, college graduates, and expect reporters to start it any day!
We have to have, and respect, some standards. If we don’t, then where is the line? Do we just continue down the path of doing whatever we want with what was standard? Maybe just because it’s convenient, or because teachers don’t have the “time” to teach those fundamentals anymore. It’s not helping anyone to not teach them where they are making mistakes. It’s not an act of kindness to allow them to continue a bad habit, or to keep making a bad impression on others. I know to many it sounds petty. But, when poor grammar keeps you from getting a job, making a good impression on your girlfriend’s parents, or just being seen as intelligent enough to help your kids with their homework, it is NOT such a little thing then.
I remember the Pangra. I had an AK Miller turbo kit on my 73 wagon. It was faster than corvettes of the late 70"s/ 80's. It was a very fast, fun car.
What year did you buy the car?
Dang. I posted a sarcastic request for a 1973 Yellow Ford Pinto a while ago, and you blast me with a beast of a Pinto. Bravo!
My sister had a yellow 73 Pinto wagon, with the fake wood sides.
I owned both the hatch back and wagon versions of the Pinto, and I loved them both. They got me through my poor times. If I could find a Pangra I would seriously consider buying one
In 1972, after selling my 1970 Z28, I was in the market for a new performance car. This time I was prioritizing handling over shear power. In my research I discovered the Pangra. I loved the look of the front end, the hunkered down stance, the wide performance wheels and the turbo charged engine in this lightweight package. At the same time I drew a visual connection to the Pantera. Although a very different car, the Pantera had a similar front-end design treatment. A trip to my local Lincoln Mercury dealership gave me a first-hand look at the Pantera but the Pangra wasn't at any dealership close enough where I could go touch and feel one. Even at twice the cost of the Pangra the Pantera won that purchase decision and I soon became the owner of a beautiful green example. I've owned two additional Pantera's since then but have never gotten to see one of these Pangras in the flesh. Seeing this video has brought back lots of memories of those early car buying days for me as I had forgotten all about this car until now. Thanks for this brief trip down memory lane!
63 years here. Never heard of this either. My boss built one with a 351c , narrowed 9 inch back in the day, but nothing like this. Pretty cool.
Now that sounds more doable.
@@JeffDuncan-q4p You could just install the suspension, a V6, hydraulic clutch, & locking rear end on any 4 cylinder MT Pinto as it's the same as a Mustang II but lighter...
One of my best friends built a 351 mid engine Pinto with roll cage etc to race in our Fur Rondy GP in Anchorage Alaska many years ago. He also helped my other friend build a 350 powered Triumph TR 7 for the same race. I did the body modifications and both cars still exist.
You're right. Never heard of it. I always liked the Pintos and Vegas, but , of course, there were some issues....
I was more of a Ford Maverick fan myself. You could do various Shelby-mods to the Maverick as well (maybe the same could be done on a Pinto). I haven't forgiven Ford for the insult of slapping the "Maverick" name on some crappy sub-pickup.
I drove a 1975 Pinto Squire wagon in the late 80s while still in college. Even took it on a 1400 mile one-way cruise to Ft. Benning for training. The timing belt broke on the return trip, but despite free floating valves, nothing was bent or broke and after the timing belt was replaced, I continued on my way and drove it for a while after. It was a rust bucket with a shot front end held together with heavy duty shocks, and a rebuilt 2.3 with a new replacement carb that had the same issues as the one I replaced. Only saving grace was the four spoke Cragar SS mags that were apparently rare and everyone wanted to buy. The car handled very well despite the lack of power or the shot A-arm bushings and ball joints. The four speed was flawless. If the critter hadn’t been so rusty and the vinyl wood grain stickers weren’t the only thing holdin the body, it could have been a good candidate for a V-8, or at least a 2.3 turbo from a Mustang. Anyway, the Pintos were a lot better than their legacy and were very well balanced. In fact, probably the best RWD drive car I’ve ever run when there was a lot of snow on the streets. I’ve never heard of the Panera, but had the fire issues not been such a cloud over the car’s image, they’d have been a hit if offered as a factory option ( although might have cut into Mustang I and II sales).
I've seen Pinto wagons that were turned into head turners. It's an underrated vehicle. My mom got a pinto wagon when we were kids and we loved it. Me and my brother would get in the back and have a blast on long road trips. Fun little cars.
In 1977 I bought my first car -- a used 73 Pinto wagon from a Ford dealer. Nine months later the bondo started falling out of various places in the doors and body where it had rusted. Not very happy about that.
I had heard of them and seen some photos, but I had no idea they were so mechanically modified as well. I thought they were purely cosmetic. Great video.
When I was a teen, I owned a Mercury Bobcat station wagon. Orange with fake wood paneling. And real rectangular windows instead of those silly portholes on the cheaper Ford Pinto wagon.
One day, I was stopped at a red light next to a 911, and even though we were only one block from the police station, I could not resist demonstrating to him that my cat had V6 horses crammed under the hood.
I _really_ miss that car!
Yeah, I know of the Pangra, have some old C&D and MT mags with the write-ups from the day. Always loved 'em. Thanks for the memories.
I lived in Cali as a little kid, and he always talked about how awesome the pinto was. I remember how bonkers he was when I was older. My mom found a picture of me playing in his driveway, and it was one of these in the driveway. No wonder he had a skewed idea of cars as a kid.
That's pretty sweet almost looks like an AMC. 🤘
Like maybe the AMX?
Well well we'll, it's been a minute, back in 1978 I was 17 and lived in Arcadia CA about 26 miles from Huntington Beach, i traded a 1968 firebird for a not street legal black Pangra it had held the land speed record for it's class at the time 204 miles an hr, it had an turbo that was putting out 22 pounds of boost, car was slammed to the ground and to turn it around we would have to jack it up and spin it around, cause it barely had any turn radius it was a very fun straight line car but other than that it was kinda useless in the setup it was made for , haven't seen any since that time period , cool video thanks for the memories
Oh man, I’m having child flashbacks to my mom’s orange Pinto, the back hatch up, laying on a blanket, watching drive in movies in ‘79, crazy I rode in the back everywhere
I have owned so many pintos and bobcats that some people used to C all me Joe Pinto. My first one was a wagon. I met an owner of a pangra once at Brookside Park in Pasadena California. The car had the different dash and the pop up headlamps were spring loaded and activated by a T handle type pull cable exactly where a hood release would be. Hood release could only be released when ignition was in accessory position and red pilot light on dash lit press the button next to light. Hood popped electrically. It had a set of polished 4 spoke American Racing torque thrust wheels.
Also had the Miller turbo on it. All black and shaved door handles.
Really nice car.
That light blue Pinto with the white vinyl top was sweet! Now that was a good looking car.
My first car was a 1979 Ford Pinto, maroon with a white Starsky and Hutch stripe, and all glass back hatch. Miss that car to this day. Only have a couple of pics lef of her, quit fadded over time and have never been able to find one in that color combo online, only a light blue with that strip. A silver dollar given to me by my Gradpa fit PERFECYLY in the center of the steering wheel, and is the only thing of her I still have. Many great memories and moments in that car.
Back in the day, my friend put a 429 crbra jet motor in a Pinto. Scary fast.
You could just install the suspension, a V6, hydraulic clutch, & locking rear end on any 4 cylinder MT Pinto as it's the same as a Mustang II but lighter...
A regular at the auto parts store I worked at in the 80s, stuffed a big block in a Vega. The engine later found a home in a Camaro. I asked him what happened to the Vega? They said the car split and warped, splitting the windshield. I’m not sure the details but I always assumed the motor twisted the car.
@@davidhollenshead4892 who wanted a v6? 302 or go home.
@@davidhollenshead4892 why a v6? My '76 302 4spd wasnt a hydraulic clutch.
I doubt it. A 302 could fit fine, because the chassis was shared with the Mustang II, but nothing bigger would have fit.
I had a couple Pintos, including a cool station wagon. Never heard of the Pangra. Glad to know they existed. It was popular to put a Chevy V8 in a Vega, back then. A friend of mine did that, and rolled it the first time he took it for a drive.
My first car was a Ford Pinto, yes, that Bullit Green! I remember the dealership I took it to after some front end damage due to an accident had a Pengra on the showroom floor. I did have a job, but not much of one, and actually discussed getting the body kit! Lack of funds won out, and while I never modified the front end with Hideaway headlights, I did have an absolutely wonderful center console with gauges L O L.😊
My mom, uncle, and nana survived a pinto accident in which they were slammed by a bronco. Miracle that I’m here.
That sucks, what a bucking i d i 0 t
Back in the day, I owned four Pintos - absolutely great little cars. A gent known as "Racer Walsh" had a lot of handling improvement info and parts, and those little critters were a hoot to drive in the twisties.
In 1982 I was 16 years old, living in the Bronx, NY and driving a 76 Pinto trunk model. I drove 30 miles Upstate to Racer Walsh in "I think" West Nyack, NY and purchased a 4 barrel Offenhauser intake, a 390cfm Holley, a Crane camshaft and a Headman Header. That was a great setup and that car became the most fun car that I have ever driven. I just bought a near mint condition 1980 Pinto and I'm working on recreating the the same setup. I see that Racer Walsh is still around but is now in Florida!
@@lccdan1 Some other guys who knew of Racer Walsh! I also drove there and bought some items, what a great guy to talk to. I think his son kept the company going for a while, but it's been ages since I looked into whether they were still around. Glad to hear it is, wonder if it's still family running it.
Suffern NY
We bought everything offered from Racer Walsh for our 1974 wagon
Very nice guy - his son still runs the company for Mustangs now down in Florida@@lccdan1
It is still in business & still family run
@@srt1749 Thanks for the confirmation!
My step father had a 76 Pinto when we lived in England in 83. He put a Mustang II engine in it, jacked the back end up slightly, painted it white with blue stripes down the side like the starsky and Hutch Torino. For a Pinto it looked pretty cool, and the brits loved it. Over the years we ended up having 3 Pintos. I saw a green one for sale several years ago with the green houndstooth interior. I wanted that car because it reminded me of my childhood.
Thanks, theres a pinto with a pangora kit in my home town. Likely just the body but now ill have to check the suspension, motor and dash out.
I am 70. I had heard of the Pangra but never knew the details or have ever seen one until now. Great video, thanks.
I’m 55 years old and remember the pinto …. I have always loved the pinto ❤😊
Grew up in Glendale,AZ , never heard of it but my friends mom had a a/c wagon that couldn't run the air without pinging. We installed an add on water injection kit, cheap, simple. Really helped that car.
Never heard of it. Interesting.
Nice documentary. Never knew this car existed. With all the mods, it def was a special car.
I've been in to cars since I was a kid. I now have kids of my own. I have never heard of a Pangra until this video. I like it. Thanks for sharing!
Wow!! I would want t put a worked and lightened 289 with a Mustang 2 front suspension....but you cannot even find one of these Pintos...I just saw where a guy bought one that had the 302 upgrade and drove it across country to get to his house in Maryland I believe...thanks for the cool video!!-John
Never heard of it before this video.
I'm 71 and am a Pinto fan ... we had the 70 with the 1600 engine. It wouldn't get out of its own way but was a ball to drive. Yes, I knew about the Pangra back in the day and wanted one desperately.
Seems like every year, for the last 5 years or so, I learn about a new classic car I was previously unaware of. Great video.
I had heard that only 3 or 4 were ever built. Thanks for all of the updated information. Loved hearing more about this unique car. I learned how to drive 4 speed stick on the Pinto and Corvair. Great Memories!
I heard about the Pangra in the context of doing a lot of reading about Lima 4 engine mods, but this video definitely filled in some gaps in my knowledge of them.
This Ford Pinto / Pangra Car Reminds me of the 1989 Ford Fiesta Sho Gun Car with a 4 Speed Manual . It was a Ford Fiesta that had a Wider Rear End with Fender extensions . This Car was fitted with a 3.0 SHO Mustang Engine . Only about 5 of these Cars were ever made in 1989 . Jay Leno has Number 2
They were powered by the 3.0 liter SHO Yamaha and had the same Mazda 5 speed from the Taurus.
that car is a stunner
Good video. As a life-long car nut, I have indeed heard of the Pangra. But even having spent 40 years in southern California, I don't remember ever seeing one at any of the hundreds of car meets I attended down there.
Mr. Stratton could certainly be classified as a "visionary". He did indeed see the future.
Out of the hundreds of thousands of vehicles in so-called and the tens (?) of thousands of those that may have been at a car show, it's doubtful that one of only 36 Pangra would have been seen but by a few people.
@@srt1749 Yea, but I was a car guy in LA for 40 years and got to see _many_ rarities like the Batmobile, Jay Leno's Chrysler Turbine, a prototype Maserati race car from the early sixties, a number of LeMans winners, three Vectors parked next to each other, and on and on. Dozens of cars made in the single digits - even down to one. 😁 Besides, the Pangra was a southern California thing!
I do remember the Pangra from the Hot Rod magazine feature story in 1973. In fact you show photos of it in question, the wagon with the paneled sides, backwards roof Super Scoop, and custom pinstriping.
What was notable about that car, according to writer Corey Farley, was that Ford would not let them touch the engine or drivetrain in any way. All the new smog laws (this was in 1973) had the Suits worried about outsiders like a magazine tampering with the emissions gear, so the mods to the car was limited to cosmetics only.... But still, it was an interesting article, and Project Car; it showed hot rodders another way to play with cars after muscle cars were heading for the exits. Thanks for posting this story.
Never heard of it. But it seems like something I would have done if I was around back then. Good looking car
Great research. I had nearly forgotten all about the Pangra factory upgrade. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. I was just entering high school when these were built. I remember reading about them in Motor Trend and was thinking of getting one but they weren't around long enough and by the time I got my license, they were history and I got a 72 Ford Mustang Fast Back instead.
Didn't know these existed, good looking conversion. Great vid bro, keep em coming 👌🤘👍
Been a car guy my whole life since the mid to late 80’s. Never heard of this nor seen anything like it.
Amazing work and great video
I own the green one at 4:13 😊
My dad towed our sailboat with our Pinto. Thing was a beast!
I actually like the Pinto. It's a shame I can't find any in Europe
Growing up in SoCal, I grew up in my dad’s 1971 Pinto. It was forest green and had a custom skiing mural over the entire car, ala panel vans of the day. It was painted by a painter friend of my dad’s (he only consented to a few painted panels. My dad installed the Panera suspension kit, which he acquired through a racing buddy who was the performance parts manager at a SoCal Ford dealership. He also had a 351 Cleveland with a shallow oil pan installed in the car at some point before I can remember. The video wasn’t lying about weight distribution. My dad removed the V8 after spinning the Pinto in a turn on a wet freeway commute. He said it was always “twitchy” when coming over a rise with the V8. In the stock form, I don’t think the Cleveland V8 put out much more power than the turbo 2.0L claimed.
Not a lot more, but it was much heavier and had a lot more low-end torque. While I'm betting it could be a lot of fun, I'd be scared to drive something with a Pinto frame and a 351 Cleveland in it!
Im 57 and a car guy, never heard if it untill now. 😎👍
I’ve bled Blue for over 50 years and you got me on this one. Very cool.
I like how you find these mostly unknown cars
Awesome video! I have been a professional street rod builder for over 25 years and a avid Ford fan. I have never heard of this car and I really enjoyed adding to my knowledge of really unique vehicles.
While remaining EPA compliant... This is what you can do when using brains instead of truck nuts.
I had a Normal Little Pinto that had been Restored Bumper to Bumper and Engine Rebuilt. It was a Great Little Car for me. 4 Speed 4 Banger. Great Gas Milage. Wish it had A/C but it didnt. This would have been a neat Transformation to do to it!!! Never Knew!😊
Wonder if any of Those Mod's still Exist ? Just Add a 260-289-302 V8 to the Kit and Boom, You have a Street Screamer!!!😊
While I never heard of this, this does help me explain a weird-looking Pinto I saw 40+ years ago. Had always assumed it was some type of kit car and always wondered why anyone would bother to do that with a Pinto. (it helps I lived in the L.A. areal near Huntington Ford). My guess is it was one of these. I always wondered what it was as I had a Pinto in college and so was more prone to notice Pintos in general. Thanks for the video.
I'm nearly 74, saw all the Pangra articles in the motoring press, but if I ever saw one live, I don't remember it. The Pangra name references the Pantera, which the front end closely resembles. I like it with the headlamps closed, but with them open, the stock front is better looking. There is no reason that you can't get 200 hp out of the stock 2.0L, without a turbo, but no, it won't meet emissions, especially California standards. My cousin had a Grabber blue 2.0 Pinto coupe, '72 if I recall, that he autocrossed, with lowered springs, sway bars, wider aluminum wheels and 60 series tires, with header, cam, and 390cfm 4 barrel carb, and was champion of his local sports car club. I got to drive it in one of his club events, and it was great fun. His idea was, I would be a ringer, as a SCCA National driver, with lap records on my resume, to finish between him and and his biggest competitor, a full BRE equipped Datsun 510, to deprive the guy of second place points. It almost worked out as planned, but on my final lap, having never driven any Pinto before that morning, I dropped 1.5 seconds off my cousins time, and won the class! A month later, I got the Trophy in the mail, with a note from my cousin, suggesting "Next time, bring your own car!" I think the stock Pinto styling, was good a looking car, until the bumper standards ruined it, just like all its competitors.
I am old and grew up going to local car shows never heard of it
Never saw one before and I had a 74 Pinto when I was stationed in England from 88-91. Mine was a metallic brown with a factory Starsky and Hutch style stripe. Really cool version of the infamous Pinto. Great video.
1:25 *stringent
I had a 1972 Runabout, dark metallic green. It ran 340,000 miles with no trouble, including getting rear ended and did not burst into flames. It was a very reliable car. The Pangra is News to me. We never heard of it here in Florida, I wish I had.
The Pangra suspension and engine kits were later transferred to the Ford Mustang Fox platform of 1979 and a fleet of these Mustangs were built by Ford in 1984-86 at the Special Vehicle Operations office and sold as the Ford Mustang SVO. The Pangra 2.0-liter engine was raised to 2.3 liters and the same idea as the Pangra Pinto also found its way into the Ford Thunderbird as the Thunderbird Turbo Coupe.
Fox chassis has a different suspension.
Fox chassis has different suspension. The 2.3 is based on the 2.0 in general, not that car specifically. The engine is from europe, and the fox chassis was to bring european performance to america.
@ItsDaJax But the idea was the same though the parts used are different from the Pangras.
I had an 86 SVO and an 89 TBird Turbo Coupe. Both a TON of fun! I remember when the the GT Turbos came out in 82 or 83, and then the SVOs in 84. We knew then that the 2.3 had been based on a European motor (the Mercury XR4Ti, if I recall correctly), and that it was BULLETPROOF in Pintos for the same reason Honda motors were bulletproof in Civics. They were very tame naturally aspirated motors built in blocks that had been designed for the higher pressures of charged performance engines. With very few mods we had my Mustang up to about 250 hp, and I always knew that stuff would make for a sweet sleeper Pinto.
I too have never heard of a Pangra. In this vid, aside from the Turbo and upgraded shocks/suspension, it mentioned the Recaro seats. The SVO Mustang got those too, and mine had them.
Now I'm kinda wanting an original Pangra......
I learned to drive in a 1979 Mustang Pace Car (fox body) which was 2.3 L Turbo 4 speed carbureted. The SVO, T-bird and XR4TI were far more advanced port fuel injected engines but still not nearly as bad ass as the Cosworth version available in Europe which had 4 valves and plugged holes on the bottom of the intake for a second set of injectors.
P.S. Jeff's are you my brother? The cars line up.
No man, I've never heard of a Pangra until your video....amazing!!
In 1973, I drove with three of my friends from Miami to Sebring, FL to watch the 12-hr race which is where I saw a Pangra. The brother of my best friend was a professional driver whose sponsor owned the Pangra who brought it to Sebring to sell it.
Never heard of this, but a good high school friend took a station wagon remove the suspension and bolted up the original Bronco axles to his Pinto Wagon, the springs bolted in. A perfect match front and rear with custom drive shafts. modified the floorpan for the transfer case.
This is so cool. I learned how to drive in a 1974 Pinto Wagon, and while that car had flaws, one thing I loved about it was its steering and overall handling. Of course, the engine was so feeble that you could never really push the suspension and steering hard, but it really was a fun car to drive. Making a performance verison of this is so great.
I first learned of the Pangra back in the mid 1980s when doing research on the Porsche 914. I'd bought a book of old magazine articles that featured the 914, and the Pangra appeared in a comparison article. The article, however, did not explain the Pangra's existence nearly as well as this video. Ultimately, I bought a pretty decent 914, but I never forgot about the Pangra. I have a vague memory of seeing an ad for one for sale a few years ago, but to this day, I've never seen a Pangra in person.
I had a pinto in the early 70s and Loved It. Packet it full of hippies and headed to concerts. It was a wonderful little toy.
Around 86' or 87' I was out "crusin'" with a buddy or two from high school. We mostly had leftovers from the 70's. You know chevelle, gto, cutlasses, muscles for practically free.
Anyway, one night we saw one of these pintos kick the crap outta the Porsche and a few other cars that "blew our minds". I guess now this finally makes sense. Cool video !
I had a 76 Pinto and would have loved to have just the suspension of the Pangra. My brother and I decided it would be a good idea to push our Pinto to 100 mph since it was on the speedo. It took 5 miles of straight highway and the suspension gave us the sensation of being in the opening sequence of the 6 Million Dollar Man. The whole time we were hollering, "SHE'S BREAKING UP, SHE'S BREAKING UP!" We only did that once.
When I was in high school in the 80s a couple of us in auto shop dropped a 283 into a Pinto and modified the suspension to hadle the weight and improve the handling. That thing was unbelievable.
Why a small block Chevy?
@rocknrolljesus3197 it was what was on hand
I had a 72 while in college. I ported the head and some cam advance on it. It was a hast little car and it also kicked butt on that boxy Porsche, Vegas, 240z, also 0 to 60 I could keep up with my friends 289 mustang. The weak part was the four speed transmission, once while power shifting at full throttle, I snapped off the shifter. That 2000cc engine had great flow through design and knew a few people who raced them in certain classes. Loved that little car.
It was OHC but still only 8-valve. Still not a disaster and certainly better than OHV engines. Cosworth made a 16v aluminum head for Ford UK, and with turbo was 205hp in 1980-1987 out of 2L. I don't know another engine of that era that made more than 100hp/L though maybe the fastest Saabs? Not even sure if a Porsche 911 Turbo exceeded that in that era. But they only made the 205hp car to homologate the engine for racing where they used it for 550hp. The iron block is way too heavy (the Buick 3.5L V-8 was lighter than the Pinto 2L!) but I don't know if aluminum from that era could withstand 275hp/L...
Little brother here. You said you bought it to save on gas, so I figured you left it as it. But it makes sense that would've tuned and see how fast it could go. Did you ever take it to Orange County International Speedway?
I'm a car guy. Worked in repair shops, towing, rental, and 25 years as an assembler for Ford. Today is the first I've heard of this sub model. I owned a Pinto wagon a long time ago. I loved it. I'd have loved it more as a Prangra.
Went to high school in the 70s with a guy who had a Pinto with the Pangra kit that he and his father built. His dad was in to 4 cylinders, he claimed that the turbocharged 4 cylinder was the future of performance cars and he wasn't wrong. He ended up crunching the front end so they put the original back on. It was a total sleeper at that point. Absolutely fun little car.
My first car was a 1980 Pinto hatchback standard. Maroon and orange with a fair amount of bondo. I dropped in a Pioneer tape deck and equalizer with a couple Sound Design mid-range speakers and it was good to go. I put 212000 miles on that car...it just went and went and went. It was known around campus as The Boogie-Woogie Machine, The Screaming Maroon Messiah and The Great Booga Wooga from Arooga. To me, it was Lloyd. Lloyd got me through five rugged Maine winters, got me all over Maine and everywhere throughout New England, been up and down the eastern seaboard a few times and down to Pensacola for a spell. I ended up selling it to my fraternity's cook who gave it to his kids. I told him they can't hammer on it...gotta rub it just right and talk dirty to it every now and then and it will be fine. Do right by Lloyd and it'll do right by you. Well, about two weeks later, they were screwing around and threw a rod. Ended up selling it to a guy who gutted it out, painted purple, dropped a small block V8 in it and ran it in the mini-stack car races at Unity Raceway. What a way to go. I still kind of miss that car, as ugly and underwhelming as it was. Lots of good times and adventures were had. Good to see some love for them here.
Sounds like it should have been a cross between a Pantera and an Integra.
I'm 65. I learned to drive in my moms '74 Pinto wagon. Loved that car! I've never heard of a Pangra till now.
When this came across my UA-cam algorithm with only partial title, I told my wife…I bet this is going to be on the Pangra! As a Ford kid in the 70s, I routinely bought Petersen’s Ford Yearbook and the Pangra is covered in an edition from the mid-70s…blue or brown cover.
My '72 Pinto had a 1600 Cortina GT engine under the hood that had been built for mini-stock racing, and I had several people who wanted to see it on the track. I never did though just used it as a daily driver.
I had a 77 that I loved 2.3 OHC that had no problem keeping up with traffic.They look nice, white with aluminum mags.
I'm 68 and worked on a LOT of Pintos over the years, but this is the first time I've heard of these.🤔 I built up a '74 Pinto for a friend of mine back in the late 1980's. We pulled a 2.8 V6 along with the 4 speed manual trans. from a wrecked Ford Ranger, and I went completely through the V6 and reworked the heads and built a solid bottom end with good rods, pistons, and a performance cam. We actually found a source for an intake that would take a 4 bbl. carb. and fired the whole thing with MSD igniton. When we got through with it, it was making around 190 hp. N/A on pump gas, and with the suspension mods my buddy did, it handled like it was on rails! Fun little car..😉👍👍