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EmptyTimCup
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Best kept secret of the 1970's ........
Pangra
Low-production, turbocharged Ford from the early Seventies... with a secret
It was a dream sports car specification in the early smog-choked Seventies. Picture: a solid 175hp out of two overhead-cammed, Weber-carbureted, turbocharged, water-injected liters; engineering involvement by legendary land-speed racer Ak Miller; a curb weight of just 2,300 pounds due in part to an intimate 94.2-inch wheelbase; suspension that compelled a sports-car-like .80g or so thanks, in part, to rack-and-pinion steering and low-profile, 65-series tires; a needle-nose profile hovering aggressively above the road. Better still, it was built entirely in America, from styling to engineering to Blue Oval power, though European machinery was clearly an influence. It was a far cry from the sheer brute torque of the traditional V-8, but it helped introduce the onset of more balanced performance, able to measure performance around turns as well as in straight lines.
Never heard of Pangra? We're not surprised. It was a limited-run 2+2 whose brief life at the start of the emissions era proved that just because odious smog controls were coming on board, the fun behind the wheel didn't need to end. Only a handful were built-somewhere between 20 and 200, according to those who keep up with such things, though exact records are lost to the mists of time-and today, just five of these rare beasts are known to survive intact. All things considered, it was pretty affordable: about $4,600 in 1973 dollars, which put Pangra in a position to spank a Porsche 914S for about a grand less, and flat embarrass a Datsun 240Z outright.
Brad Fagan of San Diego, California, owns two Pangras: This one, which may well have been the press car used for magazine tests conducted by Road & Track, Motor Trend and Road Test, and another, which is receiving a full hi-tech refurbishment as we speak. Brad was kind enough to let us go for a spin behind the wheel of his rare sportster to garner some impressions.
from a "How Stuff Works" Article on the Pinto ....
How did this horse of a different color measure up to the competition? At the time, Motor Trend had also commissioned its version of a "super" Pinto, plus it got its hands on a pair of Porsches -- a base 914, with a 1.7-liter flat four-cylinder; and a 914-S, with its larger 2.0-liter engine. In 0-to-60-mph runs, the Pangra averaged 7.5 seconds. The best any of the others could do was 10.5 seconds from the 914-S.
Of course, the Pangra did have a few advantages, such as an estimated 285 horsepower from an engine otherwise rated at about 86 horsepower in stock trim. From the factory, the Porsche 914-S delivered 91 gross SAE-rated horsepower. In handling, the Pangra's upgraded suspension and meaty rubber produced tremendous grip. MT writers said the car "clings like Saranwrap."
The test results weren't necessarily a function of the axiom that "you get what you pay for." The estimated cost of the Pangra, delivered in Arcadia, was $4,600, while even the basic Porsche 914 was listed at $5,300, and the S version required another $288.
By the end of 1974, with the introduction of stronger engines and further restrictions on altering factory emissions systems, the Pangra faded from view. Unfortunately, there are no accurate records of how many of them were produced.