The Ford Pinto, the thrifty subcompact reviled for its tendency to explode when rear-ended, is on the leading edge of a renaissance of 1970s-era cars.
“It’s a shock to see them,” said Norm Bagi, Pinto owner and organizer of the 1,600-mile Pinto Stampede that will leave Denver on Sunday to celebrate the debut of the car 40 years ago.
“People stop to look. They take out their phones to take a picture at stop lights. I think you get more attention in a Pinto than in a Lamborghini.”
Once among the most popular cars in America, the Pinto is an endangered species. Of the 3 million Pintos manufactured, experts estimate that fewer than 10,000 are still on the road.
Most Pintos ended up in junkyards, but some were stashed in grandparents’ garages, preserving the contemporary collector’s dream, right down to the original bucket seats and 8-track tape players.
“You get thumbs up, smiles, waves,” said Brian Campbell of Hibbing, Minn., who owns eight Pintos. “You can be driving an old Camaro or Mustang, but people have seen tons of those. When you drive around in a Pinto, the reaction is unbelievable.”
A few years ago, driving down the highway in his Pinto, he got beeps, waves and smiles, he said. “And then, when I got off to go to a gas station, five people followed me, and the whole gas station parking lot filled up.”
That same phenomenon is expected in Denver this afternoon, when at least six polished Pintos will gather at Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum to launch the 40th anniversary celebration of the Ford Pinto.
It’s the start of the five-day Pinto Stampede, which will end June 2, when about 50 classic Pintos will cruise into Carlisle, Pa., the day before the 2011 Carlisle Ford Nationals.
The rally will include a Memorial Day service at Fort Riley in Kansas and is being promoted by NASCAR, with the Pintos doing laps at the Kansas Speedway a few days before the June 5 NASCAR Sprint Cup races.
Pinto owners in the rally are collecting pledges to benefit the Wounded Warriors Project, so far raising $1,900 for the organization that helps injured soldiers transition back to civilian life.
Fascination with Pintos is part of a larger trend that’s seen ’70s cars booming back into popularity.
“When you think of the ’70s, you think disco balls, shag carpeting and bell-bottoms,” said Jeff Koch, West Coast associate editor of the car-collector magazine Hemmings Motor News. “Cars like the Pinto act like shorthand for those kinds of things.”
Take for example, the Disco Ball Pinto — covered with 22,000 mirror tiles — which showed up this year at the Fabulous Fords Forever show in Southern California.
“It was the talk of the show,” said Tony Peterson of Staunton, Ill., a self-described “Pinto fanatic” who owns 11 of the sporty little cars introduced to challenge imports such as the Volkswagen Beetle.
The Ford Pinto hit the market on Sept. 11, 1971, and with the Chevy Vega and the AMC Gremlin was part of the first wave of American subcompact cars. All three models were introduced just a few years before the 1973 oil crisis triggered long lines at gas stations across the country.
The Ford Pinto — advertised as “The Little Carefree Car” and claiming 39 mpg on the highway — was the least expensive of the gas-saving subcompacts and was an instant success.
By the end of the decade, however, exploding gas tanks had ruined its reputation.
Now, the Pinto is earning new respect.
“There are so few left that the ones that remain gain slightly more appreciation in reflection than when they were new,” Koch said.
Bagi, a former Boulderite, and his wife will be at the start of the rally in Denver. He said he is particularly proud of her car, which he calls “the Cadillac of Pintos.”
Unlike most Pintos, which were sold bare-bones, his wife’s was a luxury version, painted silver metallic, with chrome around the racing rims, and blue-and orange plaid seats.
“Almost everyone in that day and age had a Pinto,” he said. “At the gas station, people are drawn to you like moths to a flame. Out on the road, no one cuts you off or flips you off. The only thing you really have to watch out for is getting hit — people drifting into you because they’re so busy staring.”
Colleen O’Connor: 303-954-1083 or coconnor@denverpost.com
Pinto posse rides
Pinto Stampede organizer Norm Bagi promises at least six Pintos will be on display from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. today in the circle drive at Wings over the Rockies Air & Space Museum, 7711 E. Academy Boulevard in Denver.
While the collector cars will be the jewels of the show, he’s inviting anyone with a Pinto to bring it along — regardless of the condition. “If you have a Pinto, bring it,” he said Friday. “It’s the 40th anniversary, and we want to see it.”
There’s no charge to ogle the Pintos, but if you want to take a peek at the collection inside the former Air Force hangar, you’ll have to pay admission to get in.
Info: wingsmuseum.org
