JAKARTA - The Ford Probe IV Concept, a concept car that has been considered lost for years, is now back on Facebook Marketplace. What is interesting, the car is the original unit, not a replica.
This finding was first highlighted by Ford Authority, the car is now registered in Spring, Texas, complete with the identity of the 1983 Ford Probe IV Concept, chassis 001. This car was built by the legendary Italian design house, Ghia, as part of Ford's advanced aerodynamics program in the early 1980s.
The seller opened the bidding at a temporary price of 11,111 US dollars, or around Rp. 186 million. However, it should be noted that the Probe IV is only a design study and cannot be driven, as reported by The Drive, Tuesday, December 30.
So don't expect to take it home as a daily vehicle even though the price is reasonable for a historical artifact. The Ford Probe program began in 1979, when Ford commissioned Ghia to explore how extreme aerodynamics could improve fuel efficiency.
The peak came in 1983 with Probe IV, which claimed to have a drag coefficient of only 0.15, a figure that still makes many modern production cars shocked. Of course, that achievement came with many compromises.
Probe IV ignores many crucial aspects of production cars, such as safety regulations, handling capabilities, to the drive system which does not exist. The composite body rests on a wooden chassis with a steel subframe to support the wheels.
The suspension can be manually adjusted for testing, while the electric front splitter confirms how far this car goes beyond its time. This 001 chassis unit is the first example made and used specifically for wind tunnel testing.
For years, it was believed to have been lost. Now it has resurfaced, indirectly joining its only known sibling, chassis 002, which sold for around $125,000 in 2022 and is now in the Petersen Automotive Museum's collection in California.
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