1979 Ford Pinto

The 1979 Ford Pinto is a subcompact car offered in multiple body styles, including a two-door fastback sedan, a three-door hatchback, and a two-door station wagon. Notable engine options for this model year feature a 2.3-liter inline-four and a 2.8-liter V6, the latter producing 102 horsepower and 137 lb-ft of torque. The V6 model was paired with a three-speed automatic transmission. Design updates for 1979 included rectangular headlamps, inboard vertical parking lamps, and a taller slanted back grille, along with a new rectangular instrument cluster in the interior. The Pinto maintained a wheelbase of 94.49 inches, a length of 169.29 inches, a width of 69.41 inches, and a height of 50.59 inches. However, it faced ongoing safety controversies related to its fuel tank design, which posed a risk of fires in rear-end collisions, and it delivered approximately 13 MPG in the city and 16 MPG on the highway.