Car companies often keep concepts in their museums and warehouses. However, two pieces of the Probe IV were produced and one ended up in private hands.
First spotted by Ford Authority, the car is currently on display in Texas under its official 1983 Ford Probe IV Concept chassis 001. It is for sale via Facebook Marketplace via auction. The car is designed to be immobile from the start.
Ghia Bodywork built the concept for Ford as part of the automaker’s advanced aerodynamics program from the early 1980s.
The Probe program dates back to 1979, when Ford commissioned the body shop to research how radical aerodynamics could improve fuel economy. By the time the fourth-generation Probe production model was introduced in 1983, these efforts had culminated in the concept, which reportedly achieved a drag coefficient of just 0.15. That’s a number that modern mass-produced cars can’t beat to this day.
Of course, the Probe IV cheated a bit in that it could afford to ignore safety regulations, handling, and in this case, powertrain components.
Photo: Ford
Concept Ford Probe IV
The composite body is built on a wooden chassis with steel subframes that support the wheels. The suspension is manually adjustable for testing and the electric front spoiler shows just how far ahead of its time this car really is.
It is the first example produced that was used specifically for testing and development in the wind tunnel. For years it was believed to be lost.
It has now resurfaced, joining its only known sibling, chassis 002, which sold for around $125,000 in 2022 and is now on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum in California.
