Toyota and the Pinto

Item #1: At this point in time everyone knows about the troubles of automaker Toyota. However, amid all the coverage this story has received one glaring aspect (at least to me) of this story has been completely overlooked. But before I explain my concern let me refresh your memory on another automakers trouble back in the 1970s.

Those of you who were around in the late 1970s probably remember the Ford Pinto. This small compact hatchback was enormously popular in those days and Ford sold lots of them. Unfortunately for Ford (and Pinto owners), at the peak of the car’s popularity a problem with the fuel tank emerged: when Pinto’s were rear-ended in traffic accidents the fuel tank was prone to explode!

Needless to say, this problem quickly brought an end to Pinto sales. But amidst all the concerned Pinto owners and the coverage this received in the media no one really talked about the concern other drivers felt sharing the road with a Pinto. I can personally attest to the fact that if I somehow found myself behind a Pinto I either passed it as quickly as possible or I backed off a considerable distance.

And this brings me back to Toyota’s problems. Does anyone really feel comfortable looking in their rear view mirror and seeing a Toyota or Lexus coming up from behind? Why isn’t the media addressing this potential problem? If the cars are unsafe and may accelerate uncontrollably, why are they still allowed on the road?

For now I guess all we can do is my Pinto adjustment in reverse: pull over and let the Camry or Lexus pass you. At least we don’t have to worry about Pintos on the road anymore. Imagine the scenario of a Toyota coming up to a Pinto from behind.

Item #2: Wring about Pintos started me thinking about other cars on the road during my early years as a driver.

As regular readers know, I grew up in Beloit, Wisconsin during the 1970s. Among the many defining characteristics of the ‘70s was the energy crisis and with the arrival of the energy crisis came a radical shift in American car design.

At first this re-design gave us very small cars that resembled little boxes on wheels. The style was largely imitative of designs that had been in use in Europe for years where they were called commuter cars. Indeed, imports began to flood the country because of their smaller size and their corresponding efficiency in gas mileage. So the American car companies began to shift from their large designs to smaller ones.

As a teenager in the ‘70s there were two American cars which stood out – literally – and interestingly, both came from the same car company.

The first arrived in 1970 from AMC and was called the Gremlin. For those who have come along since the era of the Gremlin, seldom has a car received a name which was so completely apropos. Like its namesake, who is frequently pictured as a grotesque little creature with an overly large head and big ears, the Gremlin car was ugly to the point of being obscene.

Featuring two doors and a hatchback that seemed to open right above the rear axle, the car looked like a child’s caricature of a car rather than an actual car. As if the basic design wasn’t bad enough, these vehicles were frequently seen cruising the neighborhood sporting garish color schemes. Incredibly, AMC continued to manufacture the Gremlin until 1978. Though I have no confirmation for the following assertion, I have always suspected that the Gremlin continued to be manufactured because every third household in and around Beloit seemed to have one parked in the driveway.

So what I’m wondering is this: where have all the Gremlins gone? Did everyone finally realize that the cars were ugly and turn them over to the junk dealer for scrap metal, if not an exorcism? Or are there hundreds of thousands of these hideous vehicles, lying under tarps in garages throughout the country just waiting to re-emerge?

The other car which dominates my memories of the ‘70s was the Pacer, also created by AMC. Remember that I said that every third household in Beloit seemed to have a Gremlin in the driveway? Well, 50 percent of the remaining 67 percent of the households in Beloit had a Pacer in the driveway.

The Pacer was the brainchild of a man named Richard A. Teague, who conceived the design in 1971. The defining characteristic that those of us who were around at the time remember is the incredible number (and size) of the windows on a Pacer. To refresh memories and to enlighten those who weren’t around and have never seen a Pacer, 37 percent of the car’s surface area was glass!

Thankfully, the Pacer was only manufactured from 1975 to 1980 and I was surprised to learn that only 280,000 of the cars were sold. Based on my experience and recollection, however, at least 200,000 Pacers were sold in Wisconsin and northern Illinois.

The other notable aspect of the Pacer’s design was its width. While it was only 171 inches long, it was an incredible 77 inches wide – the same width as a Cadillac. Originally, the Pacer was going to come equipped with front wheel drive and a rotary engine. Unfortunately (?), the rotary engine was to be provided GMC who, at the last minute, could not make their engine conform to the emission requirements of the time. Thus, AMC was faced with the prospect of marketing their new car without an engine.

Richard Teague did some scrambling, however, and made the 258-Six fit into his new car. In order to do this, though, the car had to be widened by 6 inches (the exact width needed for the drive shaft tunnel which wouldn’t have been required in a front wheel drive model). Thus, the Pacer’s peculiar width was never intended.

With its wide, almost square appearance on the road, and its endless glass surface the Pacer was an ideal target for jokes. Among the nicknames the car engendered were Bubble Car, Fish Bowl on Wheels, Pregnant Roller-skate, and my two favorites: Pregnant Guppy and Hamster-Mobile.

As ridiculous as this car was, its design did have one distinct advantage out on the road: it was the easiest car to pass ever made since you could look right through it to see oncoming traffic.

Like the Gremlin, the Pacer seems to have vanished. I found a few pictures on the Internet, but I haven’t seen one on the road in years and years. Which leads me to wonder about something else: where did all the glass come from for Rev. Robert Schuller’s Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, CA (which, incidentally, was opened in 1980 – the same year AMC stopped making the Pacer)?