The Ford Pinto is one of those vehicles that conjures up plenty of mixed emotions anytime it’s brought up, and this is particularly true among Blue Oval fans. Some people love the little economy car, others hate it, and some like to poke fun at the fact that it could catch fire when struck from behind, a revelation that prompted a massive recall. For those that appreciate this thrifty ride from FoMoCo history, however, a few nice ones do occasionally pop up for sale, a list that now includes this stellar 1979 Ford Pinto Squire wagon up for grabs at Bring a Trailer.
Finished in orange with woodgrain appliqués, this 1979 Ford Pinto Squire wagon is certainly period-correct, and looks quite nice following a bit of a refurbishment competed by its previous owner that included a repaint and replacement wood-like panels. Otherwise, the vintage wagon features a chrome roof rack, safety bumpers, and a set of 13-inch slotted aluminum wheels wrapped with 175/70 tires.
The interior of this Pinto wagon is equally clean and sanitary, featuring a mixture of orange vinyl and woodgrain accents, along with patterned cloth inserts for the seats. Amenities include a push-button AM/FM radio, rubber floor mats, an overhead map light, pop-out quarter windows, and air conditioning, though the latter feature is currently not working properly.
Power for this 1979 Ford Pinto Squire comes from a replacement 2.3L I-4 that was supplied by Jasper Engines and is mated to a three-speed Cruise-O-Matic automatic transmission. A set of ventilated disc brakes up front and drums in the rear handle stopping duties, while this particular Pinto is also equipped with power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering.
As one of the nicer Pintos we’ve seen in some time, we wouldn’t be surprised to see this one conjure up some interest at auction, though it’ll be interesting to see just how much someone is willing to pay for it.
We’ll have more cool auction finds like this to share soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for more Ford Pinto news and around-the-clock Ford news coverage.
Comments
Everyone carps about the Pinto safety record. Those who do a bit of research find that the Chevrolet Vega had a very similar record as far as vehicle fire fatalities.
FWIW, the wagon was not recalled for the fuel tank plastic apron, apparently having more crush room to decrease tank damage in a rear-end collision.
tom
I would like to bid on these older wagons
Wagons were not part of recall and the amount of fires were exaggerated..I had a notch back in my teens and for what it cost back then was a relative nice car