Telephone interview with Mark Robinson, Jr. James Bond tooled around in a flying version of the car. Ford puts the figure at 23; its critics say the figure is closer to 500. In fact, these choices are subconsciously made by individuals, companies and governmental agencies on an everyday basis. History and Development of Product Liability A. Here's how to disable adblocking on our site.
Going in the other direction, a special Stallion edition of the Pinto also appeared this year. Case in point: Ford Pinto enthusiasts have embarked on a journey across a large portion of the country. For 1980, the V6 engine was discontinued, leaving the 2. The Stallion was topped off with a pair of black sport mirrors; special logo decals on the fenders; forged aluminum wheels shod with A73313 raised-white-letter, wide-oval tires; plus a special handling. Though not considered a separate model, the Squire version was very popular with the wagon set. Therefore, the court found that the railroad engine's production of sparks was, in fact, prima facie proof of defendant's negligence.
At the far ends were combination park and turn-signal lights. This was initially done in an effort to create more trunk space. Being introduced late in the model year didn't stop the wagon from a good showing, with 101,483 examples produced. Assembly of the Pinto was conducted at the San Jose, California, and Metuchen, New Jersey, plants, plus Ford of Canada's new St. Therefore, the Ford Motor Company is not morally void for choosing between levels of safety. With a full head of steam, Pinto went into the 1974 model year sitting on top of the world.
Up front, a narrower chrome-plated plastic grille composed of six rows of rectangles sat between vertically bisected parking and lamps. But at the time, management's attitude was to get the product out the door as fast as possible. It also turned on the bullet car's headlights to provide a ready source of ignition. Then, too, the driver of the speeding van that rear-ended the Pinto was in possession of alcohol and drugs, which were deemed to have contributed more to the accident than anything else. So, after determining that the Pinto had no recallable problem, the safety agency withdrew their request.
Because the reckless homicide statute had been enacted only in 1977, Ford could not be prosecuted for the reckless design of the Pinto; rather, the prosecution needed to show a reckless post-1977 failure by Ford to repair or warn. See Vandall, supra note 68, at 389. An all-new design, this 2. New this year for the sedan and Runabout was a pop-up glass sunroof that could be removed altogether. In making what seems to be the correct decision based on numbers, Ford is essence adopted a policy of allowing a certain number of people to die or be injured even though they could have prevented it. However, just because it was legal doesn't necessarily mean that it was ethical. The Sprint Decor Group was offered simultaneously on the Maverick and Mustang.
Also standard on all Pinto wagons were front disc brakes. It is an economically efficient method which has been accepted by courts for numerous years, however, juries may not always agree, so companies should take this into account. The Pinto doesn't seem so bad—that is, until you remember how sexy Fords from the 1960s were. The latter included everything from wrenches, to ratchets, to gauges, and even a torque wrench. Eventually, as industry rapidly advanced further, it became impossible and unreasonable to describe any accident as unavoidable. Look at what Carroll Shelby did with the , or how Bill Stroppe juiced the Bronco. When taken on a case-by-case basis the decision seems to be a blatant disregard for human life.
The Sprint Decor Group included white exterior paint with blue accent paint and red pinstriping, a blacked out grille, color-keyed wheels with bright trim rings and hubcaps, white sidewall tires and color-keyed dual sport mirrors. Perhaps that explains why the the sedan again won the greatest share of Pinto orders, and why the wagon saw the lowest production count in its history with just 39,159 made. Deluxe interior-decor packages, full wheel covers, exterior dress-up kits, which could include a vinyl roof , and a variety of radios could be found on the order form. One extra that failed to come back to the Runabout this year was the Squire trim option. An early driver-side airbag system was tested on the Pinto, but ultimately kept from production. Available on both the sedan and Runabout were bold accent-stripe decor groups, one of which even resembled the look of the red and white Ford Torino seen weekly on the Starsky and Hutch television series. One was the sporty new Stallion appearance package with black out trim and black two-tone accent paint offered in red, yellow, silver and white body colors.
Optionally available were front disc brakes, a requirement when the larger engine was ordered. Pinto's exterior-color palette included five new colors. The Pinto was a painful lesson for Ford, which now routinely builds some of the safest cars on the road. This balancing act seemed to be a tolerable middle ground between the old negligence liability standard and the extreme standard of absolute liability. Given the success of the 1971 Pinto, it is no surprise that the '72s were virtually identical. Dubbed the Pinto 1600 for its displacement in cubic centimeters , this would be the base power plant. Even with escalating prices, Pinto buyers were still in the market for a few extras for their motoring pleasure.
By 1974, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began investigating complaints of failing fuel tank straps and of the generally dangerous build quality of the car. Almost from the moment that Pintos started to hit the test track, major flaws began to appear. Ford started toying with the idea of a domestically produced smaller compact in the mid Sixties. Still, there were no federal performance standards at the time and the proposed regulations addressed only front-end collisions. Despite the improved looks and celebrity rub-off, Pinto sales were starting to fall victim to the growing reports of explosive rear-end collisions.