Although it’s been a while since I’ve noticed a Ford Probe cruising around my area, I remember these were once fairly common sightings, back in the good old days when sleek 2-door cars were commonplace. Before the Mazda-based Probe entered the market as a 1988 model, Ford had developed a concept sedan-type vehicle with a similar name a few years earlier, known as the Probe IV, featuring some bold and futuristic styling ideas. Although it never went into production, you can still own the first example built, and also boast that it’s Chassis #001. This unusual automobile can be found here on Facebook Marketplace, with the seller willing to consider offers. If none are accepted, it will ultimately be put up for auction. This one’s in Spring, Texas, if you want to go have a look in person, and we’d like to thank reader Mitchell G. for spotting this rarity and sending us the tip!
The seller mentions that the sister car, Chassis #002, sold for around $125k back in 2002. That one is now located inside the Peterson Automotive Museum in California. The Probe IV offered here is said to have been built for Ford by Ghia, with one of its original duties being to help develop improved aerodynamic airflow through wind-tunnel testing. It’s reported that this car was long believed to be lost, but it has now resurfaced, and I have to agree with the owner that this concept vehicle is certainly historically significant. According to the seller, no other Probe IV examples are known to exist, aside from these two prototypes.
While it would be rewarding to get behind the wheel and take this one for a spin, that won’t be happening, as the build didn’t include an engine or a functional steering box, so its sole use now is for display purposes. The exterior is stated to consist of composite fiber panels, mounted on a wooden chassis with steel subframes to support the wheel assemblies. One detail that was not overlooked is the front and rear lighting, which is wired, so you’ll be able to admire those very large taillights illuminated.
No close-up interior photos are provided, but there must be several components in there, since it’s mentioned that the center console gear selector plate is broken. I’m surprised this piece failed, as there’s no drivetrain to control, plus the doors and rear hatch are non-functional, so getting in and out could prove problematic. I’m on board with the rarity, cool factor, and historical significance here, but I like to drive my fleet, and can’t say I’d be among the target audience for a car just to look at. However, this one does seem ripe for a museum piece or a deep-pocketed Ford fanatic. What are your thoughts on this Ford Probe IV concept, and what’s a reasonable price to consider paying here?
That’s as cool as it gets, Mike! Nice find, Mitchell!
That there is one homely rig );o)
Drag coefficient was 0.152!!!! I’ve never seen anything close to being that low! The 1975 Citroen SM had cD of 0.339.
Very interesting. Not sure what the average collector would “do” with it, but that said, for sure your car club buddy wouldn’t have one too.
Reminds me of this story which happened 15-20 years ago.
I had a car entered in a large car show which was being held at a Ford dealer in the Houston metro area. I was killing time by wandering the back lot environs of the dealership. I spotted a couple cars way back on the property, under a lean-to, partially under covers. This of course caught my eye, I couldn’t get close enough to get a good look, but I did recognize them as former Ford “show cars” which I had seen a few years before at the Houston Auto Show. I don’t remember what models, and of course, no pics.
I do remember they looked worn and tattered, which I suppose fits their “show car” persona, as they generally were cheaply and incompletely built, their only function being displays on the show car circuit.
I often wondered how and why the cars ended up at the dealer. Later, I did realize the dealership owner was at the time a main cog in the area’s Dealer Association. This Association was a big part of the large annual Houston Auto Show. So maybe it was a situation where it was the end of the cars’ show life, and the dealer simply agreed to take them (instead of them being hauled off and destroyed).
And one more tidbit…. this Probe resides in the same neck of the woods as my story. Maybe there is a similar back story.
Thanks Mike.
Hi, Mike. I worked at the Chron for years and loved going to the Houston Auto Show. I took my kids with me every year, from the time they were born until they graduated HS and headed out to university. My daughter and I both live out of town now but we always try to get in one Auto Show each year or so, and make sure to take the grandkids. Great memories and dreams were created at that show!
Not a drivable car,so its just a model of one.A static display,not worth much,surely not $ 125,000 like someone paid for the other one.At least some other concept cars had engines and drive trains and could be driven.
If I had unlimited resources I would be tempted to pull the body off of this styling/wind tunnel testing buck and drop it onto an appropriate chassis of some kind and raise some eyebrows at the local cars and coffee.
z1rider (awesome and fearsome motorcycle by the way) I hear ya. I was thinking the ever popular fox Mustang 5.0 powertrain from 87-93. 302, T5 and see the numbers. 🤔
I worked with the engineer who was in charge of developing the areodynamics for the probe prototype series. His first name was Bill and I can’t remember his last name at the moment, Great guy. Back in the early 2000’s Ford auctioned of a lot of there prototypes and show cars to raise money (pre Alan Mulally days, I think he was worth his weight in gold to Ford). Well the auctions wasn’t a big hit like they were hoping. As I remember a lot of the cars went for well under $10,000. Those Prototype cars costed millions to engineer and build.
This would be more exciting if it had actually led to something lasting. The production Probe turned out to be a dead end, so this concept is more of a curiosity than something historically significant.
Well, this is interesting. Not much use except to have in a collection. Even with a drivetrain I wouldn’t want to hit the street because of no safety equipment, and I’m by no means a safety monger. There’s the big reason you’ll never register this as it’s not insureable except for replacement value.
The Starship Enterprise is missing a shuttle.
A quick search leads me to question whether, like many FBMP items, you’d be opening yourself up to possession of stolen property as #1 was lost for decades. #2 sold for $122K in ’22 and is in the Petersen Museum (but I believe it has working internals). With clean provenance, it’s what the market will bear. My 2c: Preserve the exterior as the historically significant automobilia that it is, carry out any mechanical aspirations, and top it off with 3 words: Gull Wing Doors!
Good luck finding parts when needed.
It’s Petersen. Cool, but not $125k cool.
The treatment of the side lights in the doors recall the ’53 Nash design derived from the one by Pf. Always liked that design, ‘specially on the shorter wheelbase Statesman. The LWB Ambassador had a visual problem of looking like it might crack at the A-pillar from the extra length.
As for this thing? Nice from an industrial design/stylist’s viewpoint but only as a mental horizon expander. Totally impractical, however.
Oh, another similarity to the ’53 Nash… fully enclosed wheels. Hah!
No drivetrain, wood frame. You could push it to Cars and Coffee…
Not a single shot of the passenger side.
Also known as the Woody Allen-Sleeper addition.
I can’t believe GM destroyed its 3 wild Futurama pushmobile cars seen at the NY World’s Fair – espec the ’64 Firebird IV.
I went to Ford’s 100th anniversary celebration in
Dearborn,Michigan in 2003.A bunch of us English Ford –
people met up there.
There was a Ghia show car that a guy bought from
the Ford auction that was based on a European Fiesta.
I always wonder whatever happened to it.