The Ford Pinto is a compact car made by the Ford Motor Company in the early 1970s. Marketed beginning on September 11, 1970, it competed with the AMC Gremlin and Chevrolet Vega, along with imports from makes including Volkswagen, Datsun and Toyota. Offered as a coupe, wagon, and Runabout hatchback, the Pinto was popular in sales, with 100,000 units delivered by January 1971 alone. Its reputation suffered over time, however, especially from a controversy surrounding the safety of its gas tank.
A rebadged Lincoln-Mercury version, the Bobcat, debuted in 1974 as a Canadian-market model, and in March 1975 began selling in the U.S. also (The Pinto Special and Bobcat Special would remain exclusive to Canada into the new model year).
Source: wikipedia.org