Posted on 03/29/2018 11:36:30 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
The man who died after hitting a wall at more than 100 mph at Sonoma Raceway was identified Thursday as 75-year-old James Kenneth Rambo, authorities said.
Rambo, a Napa resident, was racing his 1976 Ford Pinto in the Wednesday Night Drags program when the crash occurred.
He crossed the finish line of the race and appeared to slam on his brakes, but the vehicle pulled to the left and forced him to hit a K-rail at more than 100 mph, said Sgt. Spencer Crum.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
The Pinto, the car everyone hated and everyone bought.
Lee Iacocca was unavailable for comment.
I learned to drive on my mom’s Pinto station wagon.
You do realize that you’re talking about a car that went out of production almost 40 years ago, and one that most people under age 40 have never even seen?
Like the Chevy Vegas, the early Pintos had okay body lines, but then 1974 hit, and brought a whole lot of ugly with it that lasted until the early 80’s.
I am going to guess that he died doing something that he loved to do. And that is not such a bad way to go out ... IMO
I want to die fighting lions.
I read a book years ago about a guy who was a famous lion hunter in Africa.
The author noticed that the hunter had a rather motley looking group of dogs. He asked the hunter if he used those dogs to hunt lions.
The hunter said that he did use those dogs.
The author was amazed. Some of the dogs were quite small. He thought the hunter would use large dogs bred to fight lions.
The hunter said he just went down to the dog pound and collected up the stray dogs.
The author said that was uncaring and cruel.
The hunter disagreed. He told the author to look again at the dogs. They were all well fed and happy and lazing in the sun.
Then the hunter said,
“If you were one of these dogs, would you want to die whimpering in a cage, or would you rather go down snarling and fighting a lion?”
Me?
Dear God....please let me go down snarling and fighting lions. Amen.
When we were broke Airmen a friend bought a light yellow Pacer with white vinyl interior. When he was looking for a car he asked me whether he should buy that Pacer and I said, “why not?” I never thought he would take me seriously but he never did hold a grudge against me.
That was the worst looking car I have ever seen.
Introducing the all new 1976 Ford Pinto Explodabout.
I carpooled with a guy who drove one back in the late 70’s
Kinda scary.
I remember seeing in Hot Rod magazine a guy who crammed a built 460 Ford into a pinto. Late 70’s, early 80’s. The powertrain probably weighed more than the rest of the car combined.
That car had “zero to emergency room in three seconds” written all over it.
If someone told me as a young man that I would die in a Ford Pinto, I would consider myself lucky to do so in 2018!
I’ve always joked, “If I had to choose how I go, I want to die in a tragic sky diving accident when I am in my 90s.”
I hope he beat his previous record for the 1/4
“That car had “zero to emergency room in three seconds” written all over it.”
LOL!
I didn’t know a Pinto could exceed 75 mph!!
If you go back, the record reflects a deep bias against the Pinto on the order of the one that doomed the Corvair. There aren't too many cars, even today, that can withstand a rear-end collision of 30-50mph, but that's what the NHTSA demanded of the 1970s-era Pintos.
From: Ford Pino:
Lee and Ermann noted that NHTSA used a worst case test to justify the recall of the Pinto, rather than the regular 1977 rear impact crash test. A large "bullet car" was used instead of a standard moving barrier. Weights were placed in the nose of the car to help it slide under the Pinto and maximize gas tank contact. The vehicle headlights were turned on to provide a possible ignition source. The fuel tank was completely filled with gasoline rather than partially filled with non-flammable Stoddard fluid as was the normal test procedure. In a later interview the NHTSA engineer was asked why the NHTSA forced a Pinto recall for failing a 35 mph test given that most small cars of the time would not have passed. "Just because your friends get away with shoplifting, doesn't mean you should get away with it too."
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) ultimately directed Ford to recall the Pinto. Initially, the NHTSA did not feel there was sufficient evidence to demand a recall due to incidents of fire. The NHTSA investigation found that 27 deaths were found to have occurred between 1970 and mid-1977 in rear-impact crashes that resulted in fire. The NHTSA did not indicate if these impacts would have been survivable absent fire or if the impacts were more severe than even a state of the art (for 1977) fuel system could have withstood. In their analysis of the social factors affecting the NHTSA's actions, Lee and Ermann note that 27 is the same number of deaths attributed to a Pinto transmission problem which contributed to collisions after the affected cars stalled. They also note that the NHTSA had two primary incentives in proving a defect existed in the Pinto's fuel system design. The administration was pressured by safety advocates (Center for Auto Safety) as well as the public respose. It was also being forced into action due to the ways in which both the courts and executive branch were limiting the ability of the NHTSA to address systematic auto safety issues.
...
Grimshaw v. Ford Motor Co., decided in February 1978, is one of two important Pinto cases. A 1972 Pinto driven by Lily Gray stalled in the center lane of a California freeway. The car was struck from behind by a vehicle initially traveling at 50 mph and impacted at an estimated between 30 and 50 mph resulting in a fuel tank fire.
...
On August 10, 1978 three teenage girls of the Urlich family of Osceola, Indiana were killed when the 1973 Pinto they were in was involved in a rear-end collision. The driver had stopped in the road to retrieve the car's gas cap which had been inadvertently left on the top of the car and subsequently fell onto the road. While stopped the Pinto was struck by a Chevrolet van.
...
A former head of the NHTSA, testifying on Ford's behalf, said the Pinto's design was no more or less safe than that of any other car in its class. In 1980 Ford was found not guilty. In 1980 a civil suit was settled for $7500 to each plaintiff.
Apparently the V-8’s they put in those are fairly prized engines.
My first car was a 1972 Chevy Vega wagon. Sliver, with orange racing stripes.
Aluminum motor.
There's always freefall for attaining speeds like that.
I had a Pinto wagon with a V-6 in it that I inherited from my mother. It actually wasn't a bad car at all. I cobbled together a terrific stereo system for it, with a pair of Electrovoice home stereo speakers in it.
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