Cars that used the Ford Pinto engine
Ford’s long-lasting Pinto engine has powered everything from pick-up trucks to performance cars, as well as plenty of mainstream saloons along the way.
It first saw the public road in 1970 and continued in production in various forms all the way to 2001, and was used in many of the most popular Ford classic cars.
Here’s our look at the variety of Ford models, and some from other brands, that used the Pinto engine, presented in chronological order.
1. 1970 Ford Pinto
This is the car that not only gave the world its first taste of Ford’s new four-cylinder engine, but also lent its Pinto name to the motor.
Sold as a sub-compact car in the US, the Pinto arrived in September 1970 with the 2-litre engine, as well as the 1.6-litre Kent crossflow motor as a cheaper version. A 2.3-litre Pinto version was added in 1974 when the 1.6 was dropped from the range.
The 2-litre engine was a little more powerful than the 2.3-litre, and both offered good fuel economy compared to the Ford’s main rivals. It appeared to be a canny model addition as the fuel crisis loomed.
However, through no fault of the engine, the Pinto earned a bad reputation, first for a major recall just after its launch for a jamming throttle pedal.
Then reports came in of Pintos bursting into flames in rear-end collisions, which Ford initially refused to acknowledge, until it ended in legal action and the recall of 1.5 million cars.
2. 1970 Ford Cortina
The Ford Cortina was just pipped to the post of launching the Pinto engine by its US relative. However, the Cortina was a much happier-looking car and made the most of its new engine to give a reliable and even sporting drive.
Joining the old four-cylinder units of the previous Mk2 Cortina, the Mk3 that arrived in October 1970 used both 1.6- and 2-litre Pinto motors.
The 1.6 was the mainstay of sales, but the 2-litre was at its best in the 2000E of 1973 that revived the mix of sporty looks and luxury last seen in the Mk2 1600E.
Ford sold 1,126,559 Mk3 Cortinas, mostly with the Pinto engine, and the subsequent Mk4 and Mk5 models that used the same engines added another 1,131,850 to that tally.
3. 1970 Ford TC1
Germany’s Taunus was a Continental take on the Cortina, but as part of Ford’s rationalisation its TC1 replacement came with the Pinto engines in place of the earlier V4 motors.
The 2-litre Pinto engine was joined by 1.3- and 1.6-litre versions of the same motor, though the Taunus also continued to be offered with 2- and 2.3-litre V6 engines.
Although the TC1 shared the Cortina’s platform and Pinto engines, it distinguished itself from its British cousin with the option of a two-door coupé model.
The TC2 arrived in 1976 to coincide with the Mk4 Cortina, retaining the option of a two-door body in some markets. This remained the case when the TC3 was launched in 1979.
4. 1971 Ford P100
The P100 name was first used in 1971 for Ford’s South African-market pick-up that employed either a 1.6-litre Pinto engine or a 2.5-litre V6.
It featured a front cab similar in style to the Mk3 Cortina, but with an extended rear load bed.
Later generations of P100 followed the shift to newer versions of the Cortina and subsequently the Sierra, with later Mk5 Cortina-based models also offering the 2-litre Pinto engine.
The P100 was first available to European buyers in 1982, and this Cortina-styled model continued until 1987 when a Sierra-based cab was used.
This model used a low-compression version of the 2-litre Pinto ‘205’ motor that was also the basis for the Sierra Cosworth’s turbocharged engine.
5. 1973 Ford Escort RS 2000 Mk1
If the exotic and rapid Escort Mk1 Twin Cam or RS 1600 models were beyond your budget, Ford had an answer for fast-car fans with its RS 2000.
Fitting the 2-litre Pinto engine into its compact two-door Escort instantly created an affordable performance model that was only marginally slower from 0-60mph than its rare-breed stablemates.
Where the RS 1600 took 8.3 secs for this dash, the RS 2000 needed 9 secs, but it felt as quick and the engine’s 108lb ft of torque also made it much easier to live with.
Where Ford sold 1200 RS 1600 Mk1s, it found 4324 willing buyers for the RS 2000 and plenty went on to be used in motorsport, as well as for fun on the road.
6. 1974 Ford Capri Mk2
By far the biggest change for the Ford Capri Mk2 was the shift from the previous generation’s V4 engine to the new inline, four-cylinder Pinto motor.
To begin with, the Pinto was offered in 1.6-litre capacity, with the standard model or the GT and S variants offering different amounts of power.
The 2-litre Pinto came to bridge the gap between the smaller units and the 3-litre V6. It did this well and could take the Capri from 0-60mph in 11.1 secs and on to 107mph.
For the Mk3 2-litre model, those figures improved to 10.8 secs and 111mph, respectively.
7. 1974 Ford Granada
In keeping with Ford’s plan to drop the old V4 motor from its line-up, the Granada received the 2-litre Pinto engine in 1974, though European customers could still have a 2-litre V6 as an option.
In the UK, the 1993cc Pinto-powered Granada was a hit with company drivers and minicab firms, because it offered all of the big saloon’s luxury coupled to reasonable running costs.
When the Mk2 Granada arrived in 1977, the Pinto was an established engine in the model’s range.
It remained in place even when the Mk3 was launched in 1985, with Ford adding a 1.8-litre version to appeal to company drivers.
A 2-litre fuel-injected Pinto was also available.
8. 1976 Jeep CJ-5
Willys Jeep had been building the CJ-5 in Brazil with a locally made six-cylinder 2.6-litre engine post-war.
In 1967, Ford bought the Brazilian subsidiary company and carried on building the local CJ-5 version for the Brazilian market.
Then in 1976, Ford swapped the 2.6-litre six-cylinder engine for a 2.3-litre Pinto motor, which continued in production CJ-5s for Brazil only until Ford of Brazil stopped making this Jeep in 1983.
The Ford engine that was employed was a 2.3-litre ‘Lima’ version of the Pinto motor, as used in the Pinto sub-compact car in the US.
With a four-speed manual gearbox and four-wheel drive, the CJ-5 continued to be as useful as ever.
It was also modified to run on Brazil’s commonly available E100 ethanol fuel from 1980.
9. 1976 Ford Escort RS 2000 Mk2
Perhaps the Pinto engine’s finest hour arrived when the Mk2 Escort RS 2000 was launched in 1976.
Where the Cosworth-powered RS 1800 was too expensive and motorsport-focused, the RS 2000 was the ideal roadgoing fast Ford.
A 110bhp version of the 2-litre Pinto engine gave 110mph all out and 0-60mph in 8.5 secs, to make sure it could deal with pesky Volkswagen Golf GTI drivers.
The handling was neat and nimble on its firmed-up suspension, and everyone knew what you were driving thanks to that quad-headlamp snout.
Ford later offered a cheaper model with steel wheels or the Custom with alloys and a more upmarket interior.
In four years, the RS 2000 proved a great sales hit for Ford and this Pinto-engined model sold a total of 10,039 cars.
10. 1977 Ford Courier
The Courier name was revived by Ford in 1972 for its lightly badge-engineered version of Mazda’s small B-series pick-up truck.
Responding to the threat from other Japanese light trucks from Toyota and Datsun, the Ford Courier also qualified for lower sales tax to appeal to buyers.
For 1977, a revised Courier gained a 2.3-litre ‘Lima’ version of the Pinto engine as an option in place of the Mazda-sourced 1.8-litre motor. This version of the Pinto was imported from Brazil, where it was also used in the Ford-made Jeep CJ-5.
This Pinto-engined Courier remained in production until 1983 when it was replaced by the new Ranger small pick-up.
11. 1977 Ford Transit
Not long after it had produced the one millionth Transit, Ford launched a new version of its all-conquering van.
Widely referred to as the Mk2 Transit, the heavily updated model arrived in 1977 and was regarded by Ford as a facelift.
The main reason for this major revision was to allow the Pinto engine to be used in place of the ageing V4s.
The longer nose of the 1977 Transit made space for the longer, inline, four-cylinder Pinto motor, which was offered in 1.6- and 2-litre capacities, the engines retuned for use in the van, and mated to a five-speed manual gearbox.
12. 1978 Ford Fairmont
While the Ford Fairmont compact saloon for the US could be had with straight-six and V8 engines, it was the four-cylinder Pinto that provided power for the bulk of its sales.
For this four-door saloon and two-door coupé, the Pinto engine was used in 2.3-litre capacity with power initially pegged at a lowly 88bhp. This was increased a little in 1983, but the more alluring model is the 1980-only turbocharged unit.
Borrowed from the Mustang, the 2.3 turbo motor offered 120bhp to give 0-60mph in 11.8 secs and a 105mph top speed using the three-speed automatic gearbox. The turbo model was easily spotted by the power bulge on its bonnet.
13. 1980 TVR Tasmin 200
In a bid to offer a lower-cost entry to its sports-car range, TVR added the 2-litre Pinto-powered 200 model to its Tasmin line-up in 1981, following the car’s launch the previous year with a 2.8-litre Ford V6.
The idea was sound, but the drive didn’t live up to TVR customers’ expectations of the Blackpool brand, and sales amounted to 16 coupés and 45 convertibles in three years.
The Tasmin 200 wasn’t helped by using the Pinto engine in standard form, which gave 0-60mph in 9 secs and a 115mph top speed, both easily bettered by most of the emerging hot-hatch class.
A Ford Escort XR3i was quicker and half the price.
14. 1982 Ford Falcon
The Argentinian-made Ford Falcon had always gone its own way in styling and its choice of engines, but for the final generation offered from 1982, Ford tried to rationalise this saloon from its far-flung outpost.
For all but the Ghia versions of the Falcon, Ford insisted this car used the four-cylinder Pinto engine, albeit in 2.3-litre capacity. It was less powerful than the European-spec 2-litre Pinto, but more powerful than the Falcon’s 3.3-litre straight-six.
Despite this, the 2.3-litre Pinto-powered Falcon was not a success with buyers in Argentina, because it was less fuel efficient than its six-cylinder siblings.
15. 1982 Ford Ranger
The Ford Ranger was intended as a replacement in the US for the Mazda-derived Courier small pick-up.
Ford’s own take on the theme was a simple truck with separate chassis and the option of four-wheel drive, plus power from 2- and 2.3-litre Pinto motors.
There were various V6 petrol and four-cylinder diesel engines offered, too, but the entry point to the Ranger was the Pinto motor.
The 2.3 Pinto was carried over into the second-generation Ranger that arrived in 1993, while a 2.5-litre version was used in the third generation of Ranger all the way up to 2001.
This was the last time the Pinto powered a production Ford model.
16. 1982 Ford Sierra
The Ford Sierra might have signalled a brave, new and jelly-mould-shaped world for Ford, but under the bonnet was the by now tried, trusted and long-lived Pinto engine.
Available in 1.6- and 2-litre sizes to begin with, the Pinto was also offered in a downsized 1.3-litre capacity, as well as a 1.8 from 1985 that found favour with fleet buyers.
Another derivation of the Pinto engine arrived in 1985 with fuel injection for the 2-litre motor, to give the mainstream Sierra models a bit more pep.
The same year, you could also have bought a Sierra RS Cosworth with its 201bhp 2-litre turbo engine that used a development of the Pinto block as its base.
17. 1983 Anadol A8-16
One of the rarest cars to give harbour to the Ford Pinto engine is the Anadol A8-16 produced in Turkey between 1981 and 1984.
Even with a three-year production life, this four-door saloon managed sales of just 1013 units.
Then again, when you lay eyes on the Anadol A8-16, you perhaps realise why it was no rival to the Cortina or Sierra.
It started out with the 1.6-litre Pinto E-Max engine that offered 75bhp, but slow sales prompted a switch to the cheaper, older version of the 68bhp 1.6-litre Pinto.
Even with the more powerful E-Max version of Ford’s engine, the Anadol could only muster 0-60mph in 16.8 secs and a 90mph top speed, so not even its low price could save it from being axed in 1984.
18. 1983 Ford LTD
Big changes were afoot when Ford launched its fourth generation of the LTD in 1983.
As a result, the previously full-sized LTD saloon and station wagon became mid-sized models, which gained four-cylinder engines using a 2.3-litre Pinto derivative.
Based on the same Fox platform as the US model of Granada, the 2.3-litre engine came with a four-speed manual gearbox as standard, with the option of a three-speed auto. In manual form, it could manage 0-60mph in a lazy 13.5 secs and hit a top speed of 101mph.
Ford also offered the Pinto engine in this model with an LPG (liquid-petroleum gas) option, though this proved to be an even slower seller than the standard 2.3 model, because most buyers opted for the larger six- and eight-cylinder motors.
19. 1983 Mercury Marquis
Another of Ford’s subdivisions to be subjected to downsizing in the early 1980s was Mercury, where its Marquis sedan went from being a full-size model to a mid-size car with the fourth-generation model.
With this smaller car, which had a 9in shorter wheelbase than its predecessor, less weight meant it could use the 2.3-litre Pinto engine. The heavier estate model was not available with the Pinto engine.
Ford also offered an LPG version of this motor, but sales were minuscule and the four-cylinder engine was dropped from the range altogether in 1985.
20. 1984 Ford Mustang SVO
The Ford Mustang was a surprisingly early adopter of the Pinto engine and had been available with it in various forms since 1974.
However, it only really deserved its place in a car with the Mustang badge when Ford introduced the SVO model in 1984 with a turbocharged 2.3-litre Pinto motor.
Using an AiResearch turbo, intercooler and computer-controlled fuel injection, the SVO’s engine was good for 174bhp.
That was less than the Mustang’s 5-litre V8, but the SVO’s unit weighed some 68kg (150lb) less to deliver similar performance and better-balanced handling, thanks to improved weight distribution.
For 1985, power was increased to 205bhp to match the V8s, offering 0-60mph in 6.8 secs and 144mph flat out. Even so, sales totalled just 9844 cars in three years.
21. 1985 Ford Merkur XR4Ti
The three-door body shape and dual-plane rear wing will be familiar to European eyes as the Sierra XR4i, but in the US this car was known as the Merkur XR4Ti.
Not only was the name different, but instead of a 2.8-litre V6 under the bonnet, US buyers were treated to a turbocharged 2.3-litre Pinto engine.
Much the same engine as used in the Mustang and Thunderbird of the same period, the Pinto offered 145bhp if you bought the XR4Ti with an automatic gearbox.
However, if you chose the five-speed manual version, power was increased to 174bhp. This was the one to have because it was capable of 0-60mph in 7 secs and a 130mph top speed.
Oddly for a US-only model, Ford’s XR4Ti was used in motorsport in the UK when Andy Rouse competed in the 1985 British Saloon Car Championship.
22. 1986 Ford Aerostar
The Aerostar was Ford’s first minivan, or what Europeans would come to know as a people carrier.
Intended as an alternative to a large estate, the Aerostar might have had van-like looks but it used passenger-car mechanical parts – and that included the 2.3-litre Pinto engine as the entry-point to the range.
The fuel-injected 2.3-litre engine was configured more for economy and relaxed cruising than strong performance.
It claimed an average fuel consumption of 25mpg in the US, which was decent next to direct rivals.
However, even with a five-speed manual gearbox, 0-60mph took a leisurely 16.6 secs.
Slow sales of the Pinto-powered Aerostar meant it was dropped in 1988, leaving only petrol V6 engines in the line-up.
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