Ford Pinto Found at the Bottom of Grand Traverse Bay, Michigan

How exciting is it to find all sorts of unexpected things at the bottom of a body of water? Lake, ocean, river…..there’s always SOMEthing at the bottom you won’t expect.

Grand Traverse Bay is one of those spots where there are miles and miles of places to explore. Thirty-six miles up the coast of the west arm of the bay from Traverse City to Leelanau State Park, twenty miles from Traverse City to the Mission Point Lighthouse, another fifty-five miles from Traverse to Norwood…holy cow. Endless places to park, put on your scuba gear, and go explore the waters of the bay.

On this particular hunt around 2019, divers came across a few interesting submerged items: an old canoe, cinder blocks, dock posts, motorboats, and unbelievably – an automobile…..an old Ford Pinto. It sits on the bay floor all alone, covered in mussels, the tires long eaten away. The windshield has been broken out and the hood is gone – maybe it came off when the car sank or maybe a previous diver ripped it off? It’s anyone’s guess. Ford manufactured Pintos from 1971 to 1980, so this vehicle may have been down there for decades.

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The driver’s side door is open which makes me wonder…did the car’s driver make an attempt to drive across the bay when it was frozen over…and broke thru the ice? The driver would have opened the door in an attempt to escape, right? Otherwise, I don’t know how this car could’ve arrived at this place…I don’t think any ferries went across the bay.

At any rate, this is a very cool find and the photos are very clear. Take a look at the gallery below!

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