Here's something you hardly ever see: A totally unrestored car from the early 70's. This car is not an old car that went through the restoration process, but rather a totally original 72 Ford Pinto that just didn't get driven. The owner, Joe N. of Minnesota, bought the Pinto new in 1972, to replace a Volkswagen that was about to die out. Well, the VW never died out, so the Pinto sat in the garage for about 15 years. At that time, Joe realized he had something special, then just drove the car on special occasions, such as local car shows, where the car has won many awards for unrestored vehicles.

Joe didn't have the resources to show the car properly, and realizing its historic value, recently sold his Pinto to a car collector, who plans on trailering the car to larger car shows, so that the younger generations can appreciate their heritage. With so many of these little cars being beat up and abused, there are but a few of them left, and probably only one or two in the world in this condition.

One thing that makes this Pinto unusual is the level of options. Joe tells me that he ordered all the options, except for sunroof, rear pop-out windows, and air conditioning. As you can tell by the photos, this Pinto is Lime Green, which is unusual, because most green Pintos were painted Forest Green, the same color as the interior of Joe's car. This car has the deluxe interior, with woodgrain inserts in the door panels and dash, deluxe steering wheel, AM/FM radio, woodgrain parking brake handle, and deluxe seats.

Outside, it has dual sport racing mirrors, bumper guards, chrome lower molding, and bright trim rings on the wheelwells. You'll also notice the 1972 vintage Goodyear block letter tires, which are the very tires installed on the car from the factory. I'd be willing to bet that the original AIR is still in these tires!

I'll bet you're anxious to see this car, so here are the photos. I'm putting them on this page full size, because you really have to see the details to appreciate how original this car really is. Looking at the engine, you can see the only things not from the factory in 1972 are the battery and oil filter. That's all Joe ever changed, along with the usual fluid services. You can even see the original gas filter and clamps! Joe tells me that the valve cover has never been off the car either, so all the gaskets are original! Check out that original radiator cap! Sharp Pinto enthusiasts will note that this car still has the original body-color gas cap, which was usually discarded by the Ford dealers performing the gas tank upgrade. When the cars were upgraded, the gas caps were usually replaced with an unpainted chrome cap.

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