Today's car of the day is Wheeler's 1977 Ford Pinto Cruising Wagon.
The Ford Pinto is a subcompact automobile that was produced by the Ford Motor Company for the 1971–1980 model years. The car's name derives from the Pinto horse. Initially offered as a two-door sedan, Ford offered "Runabout" hatchback and wagon models the following year, competing in the U.S. market with the AMC Gremlin and Chevrolet Vega, as well as imported cars from Volkswagen, Datsun, and Toyota. By January 1971, the Pinto had sold over 100,000 units. In its last model year, Ford built 68,179 units.
A rebadged variant, the Mercury Bobcat, debuted in 1974 in Canada and in March 1975 in the US. The Pinto and the smaller, imported Ford Fiesta were ultimately replaced by the front-wheel-drive Ford Escort.
The Pinto's legacy was affected by controversy surrounding the safety of its gas tank design, Ford's 1978 recall of the car, and a later study concluding the Pinto was as safe or safer than other cars in its class.
For more information and pictures of the real car please visit: Ford Pinto
The Wheeler is the second best Pinto Cruising Wagon casting available in 1/64. First place would go to the Zylmex that currently eludes my grasp.
The Ford Pinto Cruising Wagon was marketed from 1977-1980 and styled to resemble a small conversion van or sedan delivery, complete with a round side panel "bubble windows". A Pinto Squire wagon featured faux wood side paneling similar to the Ford Country Squire. Ford offered appearance packages but not a factory performance package similar to the Cosworth Vega or the 304 V8 Gremlin X.
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