Our kind of Pinto driver

Driving a Pinto hatchback requires a good sense of humor, and we’d like to buy beer for the owner of this pristine tangerine-colored example.

For those who don’t know, the Ford Pinto went down in flames for bursting into flames. Some cost cutting around the gas tank in the hatchbacks caused the potential for a fire during a rear end collision. Ford then set fire to its reputation when it revealed that it did not recall the cars because a cost/benefit analysis said it would be cheaper to settle the resulting death and injury cases.

Ford would eventually recall the affected cars, but by then the image damage already turned the Pinto name into ashes. Time heals some wounds, and today there are die hard fans of cars with less than stellar reputations. Just like the DeLorean or the Yugo, there are a few Pinto lovers out there, and this one definitely knows how to have a good laugh.

Of course, this also reminds us of one of the funniest scenes from the Val Kilmer flick Top Secret!