Rusty But Trusty

Ever since people collected and restored Ford Model Ts, and possibly before that with the curved dash Olds, even “mundane” everyman cars were on their way to becoming collectible. When you’re buying one of those, it’s the automotive equivalent of comfort food – you’re not necessarily doing it because it expands your palate, or because it’s the best thing you ever tasted, but the memories it evokes are the most compelling reason. Unlike food, though, you might try out a different classic because it allows you to experience another time, perhaps one during which you weren’t even alive. For anyone under 40, that would be the case for today’s
1973 Ford Pinto Squire wagon with awesome faux wood siding, for sale in Los Angeles, CA with bidding at $3023 and just under 4 days to go.

This car is enthusiast owned (case in point), and is said to run as perfectly as a Pinto could. Before Ford and the US government bastardized the design with square sealed beam lights and giant impact bumpers, these were actually fairly attractive little cars. The blue California plates suggest it’s been there for all its 62,000 miles. And because of that, the owner needed to replace various trim bits, including the faux wood paneling.

Everything else is said to be in excellent condition. Interestingly, the seller does not go into ownership history, but on some level it doesn’t matter, given the condition of the car and the recent work done to it. On some level, it’s nice not to have to read through the usual drivel about “one original owner except me and the guy who parked it in his garage for 10 years without registering it so technically he didn’t own it right?”. The yellow works surprisingly well with the wood trim – what would it be like to drive a 5-year-old Pinto in 2014? Is it like flashing back to 1978?

The interior is stunning. You probably can’t count on those “bucket” seats to not throw you out the first time you go a little nuts with the steering wheel, but hey, with an old-school 2-liter four and an automatic transmission, you’re probably not in it for the cornering. While it would be sacrilege to ruin this car’s originality, and you’d probably go to some version of hell filled with Pintos, it’s interesting to think what this thing would be like with a Capri drivetrain – the V6 and a manual transmission, perhaps with some European-market performance modifications. Some well-chosen performance modifications might make for an interesting, stealthy car.

Tags: american, Feature, ford, pinto, squire, wagon

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