He’s a Pinto man

The Springfield (Ill.) Journal-Register, previewing the International Route 66 Mother Road Festival this weekend, published a great story about car exhibitor Tony Peterson of nearby Staunton, who collects Ford Pintos.

Yes, Pintos. That car that safety advocates said was a fire trap. A model that contains as much infamy as the Edsel.

Peterson has nine Pintos. Peterson says with a straight face: “They’re probably one of the best-looking cars ever made. They’re a lot more stylish than a Mustang ever was.”

Then there’s this gem:

Peterson, however, disputes an assertion in Mother Jones magazine that as many as 900 people died because of faulty fuel tanks. The federal government, he said, documented only 27 cases of people burning to death in Pintos.

Well, that’s a relief. 😉

You can also read about Peterson driving a mint Pinto across the country only at night, because it tended to overheat.

It’s quite a story. Check it out.

2 thoughts on “He’s a Pinto man

  1. I had a 1975 Pinto, it was my first car. Got it in 1986. I’m not sure why, but I loved that stupid thing, with its 2300 cc engine and its trunk so shallow that a gallon of milk wouldn’t stand upright in it.

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