Ford introduces the ill-fated Pinto

Ford Motor Co. introduces the Pinto on Sept. 11, 1970. It went on to become one of the industry's hottest-selling subcompacts during the 1970s. The success of the Pinto enhanced the career of Lee Iacocca -- until an estimated 500 deaths and hundreds of injuries were linked to a faulty design that made the car's gasoline tank vulnerable to rupture after rear-end collisions.