Aside from the obvious areas such as the fuel tank, what if Ford developed an improved Ford Pinto platform and what would they have gone about achieving it?
Could Ford have developed the Pinto platform to spawn 4-door saloon / estate and even 5-door hatchback bodystyles akin to the European Ford Cortina TC / Ford Taunus TC or an even smaller 2/4-door saloon / erc similar to the mk1/mk2 Ford Escort, given the Japanese in OTL were providing more practical cars compared to US domestic efforts like the Ford Pinto or even the Chevrolet Vega (that were mainly 2/3-doors)?
Or would Ford and even GM for that matter have been better off building and adapting smaller models derived from what was available from their European branches instead of importing them, similar to what their Australian and South African branches did
Regarding the Pinto-based Mustang II, there is an argument to be made for the ATL Mustang II to have been a production version of the Maverick-based Ohio proposal. While a smaller Pinto-based coupe roughly 5 or so inches shorter than the OTL Mustang II, instead slots below the ATL "Ohio" Mustang II to become a North American built Ford Capri (in place of the OTL imported Ford / Mercury Capri).