----- Original Message -----
From: <Rikrock@aol.com>
To: <Windoseat@aol.com>; <vafred@erols.com>; <ZinkZ10C@aol.com>
Cc: <Triumphs@autox.team.net>
Sent: Monday, October 21, 2002 7:36 PM
Subject: Re: Fuel Tank Leak
> Wasn't there a bumper sticker for the Pinto that read something like.....
>
> "HIT ME AND WE BLOW UP TOGETHER" ??
Yes, there were such stickers.
Cute, but that's not how it worked. The impact in the rear of the car would
push the tank forward and it would hit (I forgot exactly what part) which
would split the tank open. The placement of the tank and the layout of the
car would cause the resulting explosion of flames to envelop the passengers
in the Pinto and kill them before there was any serious flame on the outside
of the car.
Ford knew they could fix this by putting a piece of steel plate in the right
place for a few dollars a car. An internal Ford memo surfaced wherein Ford
personnel had calculated that it would be cheaper to settle wrongful-death
lawsuits than to fix the car at the factory. Needless to say, this was not
good PR.
When the Pinto was replaced with the Fiesta, the British brochure touted its
safety features such as the location of the petrol tank. When the brochure
was translated from British to American, somehow that paragraph disappeared,
and no reference was made to the location of the gasoline tank. It was
difficult for Ford to praise this car for not being a crematorium without
bringing attention to the fact that the Pinto had been.
Phil Ethier West Side Saint Paul Minnesota USA
1970 Lotus Europa 65/2597, 1992 Saturn SL2, 1986 Suburban, 1962 TR4 CT2846L
pethier@isd.net http://www.mnautox.com/ http://www.lotusowners.com
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