> In this case, he is talking about a Ford car, manufactured (I
> think, someone correct me if I'm wrong) in the late seventies
> or early eighties,

Ford started making the Pinto in the very early 1970's.  A
friend of mine got one when we were in high school or very
early college.  That could be as early as 1971 or 1972; I
know he had it by the end of 1973 or 1974; I just don't
remember exactly.  I don't know when Ford stopped making it.

Ford's up-scale Mercury division made a Pinto-variant.  The
only difference that I know of is the tail lights.  The Ford
Pinto was a D shape on each side.  The Mercury variant had 2
D shapes back-to-back to form a rounded rectangle on each side.

Anyone remember what marketing name Mercury used?  (I don't.)

More trivia.  The Pinto came in a hatchback and a little
bitty station wagon.


> which supposedly had a problem with its gas tank so that it
> would sometimes bust into flames when hit from behind.

The one my friend owned was never hit from any direction that
I know of.  However, the rear was light enough that 2 teenage
boys (me and a friend) could lift it up over a curb onto the
sidewalk.  The owner was ticked but everybody else thought it
was really funny.

                                                Lee Jones

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