posted at the Cohort by Thomas Jarvis
Nowadays 21″ diameter wheels are commonplace, but once upon a time cars like this Pinto had 21″ diameter tires. I can’t tell exactly what the tire size is on this one, but Pintos came standard with 600-13 or A78-13 bias ply tires, and their diameter is all of 21.44″. They do look a bit lost in those wheel openings.
But then this Pinto wagon looks a bit lost in this parking lot.
Let’s take a closer look. Yes, there would have been room for something a wee bit bigger, but then that would have cost Ford a wee bit more.
It never fails to impress me when something like this 50 year old Pinto is still being used to go to the grocery store. Given that it’s parked in the disabled parking zone, it’s easy to imagine its owner being a bit elderly too. One can only speculate…surely it’s not its original owner. More likely one of their children or other relatives?
It’s sporting an aftermarket CHMSL (center high mounted stop lamp), which seems to have been effective in preventing any rear end crashes, unless it was under 5 mph, in which case the Pinto’s very sturdy bumper may well have shrugged the insult off.
Although the 2.8 L “Cologne” V6 was optional, I think it’s pretty safe to assume that the standard 2.3 L “Lima” four throbs away under the hood of this one. And most likely backed by the automatic, but that’s a guess.
I suppose it shouldn’t be too surprising that there’s a few of these Pinto wagons still at work, given that Ford claimed it was the best selling wagon in the world. Today’s counterpart would be a Toyota RAV4 or a Tesla Model Y. And yes, the Model Y is available with 21″ wheels.
Related CC reading:
Curbside Classic: 1980 Pinto Wagon: The Pinto’s Long Colorful End
I’d rather have this with the under powered 4 cylinder than a Tesla. But that’s just my opinion 🤪
Seconded!
i have fords next gen econobox. an 87 ford escort wgon. came from my cousin. who put 5280 miles on it in 23 years in & around arlington VA .since acquisiton, i have averaged about 1000/yr in summer driving. figuring it would not last long as 4 season driver in the northeast & salt. am surprised to see the pinto not having entirely succumbed to body rot in a snowy state. Am assuming that colorado salts their roads. so , yeah. an elderly owner. Perhaps even 2nd gen of same family elderly owner. neither the pinto or my escort sem to have any collector value, so i see the logic in extracting the utility from these uncoveted vintage rides. i have options tho, allowing me to keep mine clean and largely dry. unsalted. in last few summers am starting to receive many more comments on my extinct ride from parking lot & intersection observers. somewhat surprisingly, the escort is dead reliable when used in light/moderate summer situations
I imagine that this Pinto is being used as the functional equivalent of a mobility scooter or one of those golf carts favored by Seniors in Florida or Arizona. But of course, in Colorado one is going to need something a bit more (but just a bit more) robust to get down to the store. The 48 year old Pinto does the trick.
Still, the roll of toilet paper and pillow (?) on the dash hints at perhaps a less serene use of the vehicle. Which is kind of sad at the onset of winter…
I wonder if the cars in the Ford ad also had those 21″ tires, or if they were fitted with something optional. Maybe it’s just airbrushing and angles, but whatever’s on the cars in the ad certainly seems to do a better job filling the wheel wells than on this poor blue wagon.
My 73 wagon was the perfect around town and highway cruiser. For 20k miles then it fell apart. Not one of Fords best efforts, I actually had special ordered it. Perhaps that was a mistake. My family had a fleet of pintos a 72 with 1.6L a 74 and 78with 2.3 all were much longer lived and better built.
Of course, that reminds me of the four Pinto family ad:
Not that I can say anything. My family was a two Vega family at one time. Both were rusty oil burners. I did pizza delivery for a place with two old Pinto wagons. This one reminds me of the blue ’74 that had a rather lazy Cruise-O-Matic.
Used as a winter car which is normal in these parts. Inherited from a relative (deceased or gave up driving), kept at minimal expense, rear brake light included. Allows the leased SUV or Audi to sit in the garage sheltered from the salt, cold, moisture, etc.
If I was still living in the north, I would prefer a winter car with airbags which became common by the mid to late 90’s. Seen too many winter crashes with light poles and ditches.
Being a Colorado car with “Collector Vehicle” plate, not so much road salt in the Mountain West as in Minnesota-to-Maine, which is a plus.
I loved my dead-reliable ’80 Pinto wagon with the 2.3 engine—started down to 30 below—though I wonder what it’d be like to get in and out of it today, or to deal with its modest acceleration on on-ramps, etc. But still, an easy-to-maintain utility vehicle even in 2024…I hope this one lives on a good while longer!
I Drove 2 Ford Pinto,s So far in my 64 years. 1977 sedan 2.3 Liter, ( My parents car) later given to me as my first car. And a 1980 sedan 2.3 Liter, after my divorce, as a daily driver. I enjoyed both. I appreciated the 1980 more as it was a very dependable car, until it was totalled by a driver running a stop sign, hitting me almost head on. Reading these articles, brings back good memories. Ty Mike.
I drove a Pinto as a teenager, the trunk version. I always wanted one of the wagons!
It’s remarkable how low you sat in one of these. If you drove one in traffic today, Accords and Civics and the like would tower over you.
’77 Pinto Wagon for sale in rust-free New Mexico. It’s a 4-cylinder ‘Manuel’.
https://santafe.craigslist.org/cto/d/glorieta-ford-pinto-wagon-the-pinto-bean/7806091077.html
That chewing-gum green is quite the color!
The ad says “odometer: 8,770” while the photo shows 87,704 miles.
On the other hand, the price is $7,500 when it should be $750.
Oh my…. I spent a fair bit of time in the 2-door version of that car. Same color, same upholstery, manuel (Qué?) transmission. It was the car of one of my high school friend’s dad. For reasons that soon became apparent, it was nearly always available for my friend to drive.
Whenever there were more than 2 of us who wanted to go somewhere, someone (or 2, or even sometimes 3) of us would have to ride in the back seat…and I have to say that it was one of the most miserable ways to travel in a motor vehicle. Pretty much instant motion-sickness, crammed into that green vinyl covered alcove. Even worse in DC-area summers.
Of course, no air conditioning.
I am feeling kind of nauseous just thinking about it.
A jelly bean and a manual! $750? No, I’d place it somewhere around $4000 as there is a dedicated following for the Pinto and this looks to be in good condition. Does have the typical sun damaged paint seen in the southwest otherwise I’d put it at $4500. Only negative, for the seller, it is in New Mexico.
Amazing sight! Wonder if the motor is a “replacement”? Rather roomy (relatively speaking) car.
We had several Pinto wagons at the Rent-A-Wreck I pulled wrenches at in the early ’80s, including one that looked just like this one. It was an ex-Sears delivery vehicle. They were popular as renters and held up well for the times. They were dirt cheap to buy, easy and cheap to keep running and got decent mileage. Not much fun to drive, but they did the job.
I do recall that the metric tire size was P165/75R13. I don’t even want to think about how old the tires on this car must be, given the almost total lack of availability of 13 inch tires for quite some time now.
I don’t recall the last time I saw a Pinto on the road, nice find. If a bit sad looking……
The least expensive tire on Tire Rack in 165-13 size (their recommendation for Pintos) is a $229 Michelin. Yikes. If I needed new tires for my Pinto I’d consider a close 155/80R13 or 175/70R13 Kumho TA51a (a new design less than a year old) for about $80.
It always makes me a little sad to see an almost 50-year-old survivor pressed into year-round daily-driver duty; the poor thing’s days are probably numbered. Years back, there was a fairly-solid Pinto wagon in town year-round. Every time I saw it it was a little less solid, until it disappeared.
I’m with you there and am I glad I don’t live in snow country. Just looking at the underside…Ugh!
Cars are heavier now, mostly due to the addition of mandated equipment and safety standards. Heavier cars need better brakes, which are bigger and therefore require bigger wheels. 15″ is the smallest wheel you’ll see on a new car, and that’s for cars like the Versa and (recently departed) Mirage. Base Versa comes with 195/65R15, which would have been considered a high-performance tire when this Pinto was new.
These tires are small but not 21” small. After reading the post, I was curious about the diameter of the original 155-12 tires on my ‘78 Fiesta, so I looked it up: 22”. Hmm, more than 21”. Assuming a similar 78-80% aspect ratio the Pinto tires would be an inch bigger (13” rims). Although 6.00” is just 150mm, I think the Pinto 600-13 or A78-13 tires were closer to 165’s in a nominal size. I checked the specs on those and the diameter is almost 24”. So bigger than a Tesla wheel, but in fact 24” wheels are fitted to some current GM trucks including the Silverado EV. I guess you need those to clear the big brakes needed to slow all that weight, although the Hummer EV is more modest with “only” 22’s.
Oops. I asked Google what the diameter of a 165 – 13 tire was and that was the answer I got. But I should know better, as it wasn’t from a reliable source but its own answer, most likely generated via AI.
Coker tire shows 23 3/4″ for their 6.00-13 reproduction. https://cokertire.com/tires/600-13-bf-goodrich-1-whitewall-tire.html Meanwhile you can still get an A78-13 in some trailer tires which they list as a nominal 24″ https://www.northerntool.com/products/rubbermaster-a78-13-6p-tl-st165-80d13-tire-only-tire-size-a78-13-model-489200-5084813#hotbar-keyspecs
There are several positive sides to using small wheels – less unsprung weight, easier to change a flat (but when did you last have to do that?) and potential for greater space utilisation within the body. Alec Issigonis famously specified 10 inch wheels on the MIni for this reason. Downsides would include shorter tyre life (more revolutions per mile) and less room for larger brakes, as Evan referred to above. Plus the 13s on this just look undersized, like it’s rolling on four temporary spares. While I know 13s weren’t uncommon back in the day (my Cortina had 13s), on this car they look too small.
Concur, on all points. Plus, this example appears to have summer (or all-season) tires. Offering poorer traction, in the present snow and ice conditions. Rendering this Pinto, a safety risk, for winter driving. Besides, the lack of modern safety features, while being rear wheel drive.
I changed a flat yesterday on a 185/70×14 tire. First in many a year and I wasn’t happy. The only advantage is that it was on the pier next to the USS Hornet and my Chief Warrant Officer friend was there in his 83 GLC and he carries everything in the back. My cars cheesy jack stand but Milwaukee electric impact wrench made quick work of it.
I still have my 1975 Ford F-250 Super cab. My father bought new i still love it and would never give it up. Should have never gotten rid of my Maverick, I would love a pinto. Always wanted a Bronco there was one in the dealer show room in 75 to a 13 year old it will always be in my heart, yeah well heart got old the truck is still my love
The 1976 Pinto was the only year Pinto that used the egg crate grille. That grille originated from the 1974 Canadian Mercury Bobcat.
My parents had a light green metallic 73 Pinto Squire wagon with the 2L. I later owned 3 different Pintos, a 75 hatchback, a 77 sedan, and a 78 sedan… all had the 2 3, and the 77 was ax4 speed, the others were all automatics. Loved them all.
Had MANY Pinto wagons in my (ahem) “stable”. Was always a fan of the Squire wagon, esp with the woodgrain rear window air deflector. I usually got over 100k miles out of them (albeit SLOW miles!). Still have an original ROAD TEST magazine from 1972 with the Pinto wagon test analysis too. I currently have a ’78 “PintCat” (Pinto with a Bobcat front end), after a night deer collision years ago caused some damage. I was on the Pa Tpk Extension near the Pocono exit when a deer ran out right in front of me. Must have hit it at about 60mph, & it went OVER the car. The poor deer was killed but the Pinto only received a bent hood & broken grille, and both front fenders were shoved rearward an inch (easily reset later). I had a spare Bobcat hood, grille, & headlight bezels which fit nicely; the 1 structural difference being that the Bobcat uses a longer remote hood release latch & bracket, which can be hard to find.
My oldest sister and I both had Pintos. What great cars. Never any issues.