Pangra

The Pangra is an American kit car based on the Ford Pinto and produced from 1972–1973. The Pangra is the brainchild of Jack Stratton, then general sales manager at Huntington Ford in Arcadia, California. Production estimates vary but somewhere in the range of 20–50 complete cars were built, although many partial kits were sold as well.[1]

Pangra
Overview
Production1972–1973
Body and chassis
RelatedFord Pinto

History

The Pangra was based on the Ford Pinto, a car which came about prior to the 1970s oil crisis and the subsequent move away from big American muscle cars. Jack Stratton, the Pangra's creator, wanted to build a fast, compact car that could compete with cars such as the Porsche 914 and Datsun 240Z. Stratton developed the car with Huntington Ford and the cars were all sold through the dealership. All Pangras were based on the 2-door sedan body style of the Pinto, although there was a one-off Pangra based on the 2-door station wagon.[2] The Pangra appeared on the cover of the January, 1973 issue of Motor Trend.

Variants

The Pangra could either be had as one of 4 different kits or it could be bought as a complete car from Huntington Ford with all of the equipment already installed. Kit 1 included the distinctive fiberglass front end with a revised hood, grill, fenders and hidden headlights operated by a lever in the interior.[3] Kit 2 included all of kit 1 plus Recaro high-back bucket seats, Stewart-Warner gauges, custom console and dashboard trim, machined "Mag-Shot" wheels and bigger tires measuring 175HR13s in the front and 185HR13s at the rear. Kit 3 included everything from the first two kits as well as a Spearco "Can Am" kit which featured shortened front coil springs, heavy duty front and rear sway bars and a full set of KONI shock absorbers. Kit 4 is the most remembered of the 4 and featured all 3 previous kits and featured a Spearco turbocharger kit bolted to the original 2.0 liter SOHC 4 cylinder, as well 7:1 compression, water injection and an O-ringed head.[4]

Performance

The complete Pangras are powered by the 2.0 liter SOHC 4 cylinder used in the Pinto but have been modified with 7:1 compression, water injection, an O-ringed head and the aforementioned turbocharger kit. The Pangra reportedly did 0–60 mph (97 km/h) in 7.5 seconds and made 175 bhp (130 kW) at around 10 pounds of boost, giving it 1.42 horsepower per cubic inch.[5] The car also could pull 0.74g on track thanks to its upgraded suspension, with Motor Trend saying the car "clings like Saran wrap".[4]

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References
  1. "Pangra!". hemmings.com. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
  2. "Pangra - Jack Stratton". fordpinto.com. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
  3. "Random Car Review: The 1973 Ford Pinto Pangra – The Hot Pinto Before The Pinto Caught Fire". Retrieved 2018-02-18.
  4. "1971-1980 Ford Pinto". HowStuffWorks. 2007-08-09. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
  5. "Pangra: The Original Hot Hatch – Hoonable". hoonable.com. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
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