The poor, maligned, and forgotten Mercury Bobcat. The Ford Pinto got the fame, good and bad, during it’s run. By comparison, the Bobcat was like the other sister…they were present, but nobody was paying any real attention. And for the Bobcat, it was because the different grille and different taillights didn’t do squat to separate the brands. Anyone with eyes could tell you that they were the same damn car. Most of the time, nobody can be bothered to tell you the difference between the two. It’s always a Pinto, isn’t it? Nobody cares whether or not it’s a Mercury Bobcat. It’s a Pinto. Always a Pinto.
Well, this is a Bobcat. One with 34,000 miles on the clock. One in surprisingly good condition considering it’s age and it’s life in the Southern Illinois area, where cars crumble to nothing if you look at them wrong. It’s got a nice price on the For Sale ad, and for once, I don’t see a 302 swap in this car’s future. You know what this one needs? A turbo-four and a ton of handling equipment. Leave the outside alone, just fit some good buckets inside, and go find the first parking lot with cones you can.
Only 120 miles from me. Might be worth a look if it had a stick.
A few more pics woulda’ been nice, but what ya do see is POPPIN’ for what was rust with a paint job when new, and I agree with ‘Tag. A turbo and some underpinnings would equal BIG fun! A stock Pinto with a stick on some twisty country roads down here in south Texas was really enjoyable back in the mid ’80’s, even though I was afraid I’d fall through the floor in every turn. Too stupid to give a f@#$ back then!
Aaah, what I’d do for the old days again!