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|length = 〔 |width = |height = |weight = (1971) |related = Mercury Bobcat Ford Mustang II }} The Ford Pinto is a subcompact that was manufactured and marketed by Ford for model years (MY) 1971–1980. The 1971 two-door sedan was followed by hatchback and wagon models for MY 1972. With over 3 million produced over a 10-year model run, the Pinto outproduced the combined totals of its domestic rivals, the Chevy Vega and the AMC Gremlin. In 1977 controversy surrounding the Pinto erupted after revelations that its structural design allowed its fuel tank filler neck to break off and the fuel tank to be punctured in a rear-end collision, resulting in serious and potentially deadly fires from spilled fuel. A lawsuit was won in 1978 over the matter and the car was recalled the same year. The Pinto has been covered extensively since as a landmark case in business ethics. A rebadged variant, the Mercury Bobcat, debuted in 1974 in Canada and in March 1975 in the US.〔Mays, James C. ''Ford and Canada: 100 Years Together'' (Montréal: Syam Publishing, 2003), p.116.〕 The Pinto/Bobcat and the smaller, imported Ford Fiesta were ultimately replaced by the front-wheel-drive Ford Escort and Mercury Lynx. Pintos were manufactured in St. Thomas, Ontario at St. Thomas Assembly; Edison, New Jersey at Edison Assembly; and in Milpitas, California at San Jose Assembly. The nameplate "Pinto" derives from the distinctive white and solid pattern of coloration common in horses. ==Background== U.S. automakers had first countered imports such as the Volkswagen Beetle with compact cars including the Ford Falcon, Chevrolet Corvair and Plymouth Valiant, although these cars featured six-cylinder engines and comprised a larger vehicle class. As the popularity of smaller Japanese imports from Toyota and Datsun increased throughout the 1960s, Ford North America responded by introducing the Ford Cortina from Ford of Europe as a captive import. U.S. automakers would soon introduce their own subcompacts. The Pinto was in compliance with Japanese regulations concerning vehicle length and engine displacement, but exceeded width dimensions by . The Pinto was introduced on September 11, 1970. The AMC Gremlin was the first to arrive on the market six months before the Pinto, and the Chevrolet Vega was introduced the day before the Pinto. Both the Pinto and the Vega were new, but the Pinto used powertrains proven in Europe from the European Ford Escort, while the Vega's innovative aluminum engine would prove troublesome. The Gremlin was designed around a six-cylinder engine, and was derived largely by truncating the rear body from the compact-class AMC Hornet to achieve its short length. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ford Pinto」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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