Place the Ford Mustang next to the Pinto and you’ll get the definition of antithesis: while the first is in the hearts of many, many fans, the latter is among the least loved models of the Blue Oval. But what if the Pinto could learn some tricks from its sibling?
Ladies and gentlemen drivers, welcome to the Ford Pinto Runabout “Eleanor”. At least for the time being, we’re only talking about a rendering, albeit one that paints an extremely spectacular picture.
This Pinto Runabout (the latter part of the badge talks about the hatchback form of the car) is now sister to the 1967 Mustang Shelby GT500 Eleanor starring in the 2000 blockbuster Gone in 60 Seconds. The contraption ticks all the right boxes, from the widebody kit and the silver-with-black-stripes attire to the ducktail-style rear spoiler and the taillights.
The only major visual difference compared to the real Eleanor (well, apart from the body) comes from the wheels, which bring a contemporary take.
A contraption of this sort would be worth nothing without matching firepower, but this Pinto also has the muscle to back up its looks. And that’s because the engine compartment now accommodates a twin-cam V8 with quad carbs, while a supercharger was thrown in for good measure – perhaps that ill-placed fuel tank of the Pinto was also relocated for this virtual build.
As hinted above, this looks like a project fit to become a build in the real world (the thing is certainly on this author’s radar now), so you shouldn’t be surprised to see such a proposal in the metal someday.
Timothy Adry Emmanuel is the digital artist responsible for the pixels sitting before us and his work is so refined that you can almost hear that V8 clearing its throat as you swipe through the various angles in the social media post below.
