This Ford concept was long considered lost but suddenly appeared for sale on Facebook Marketplace
A well-known Ford concept car unexpectedly appeared for sale on Facebook Marketplace. This is the first example of the Ford Probe IV — an original 1983 show car long thought to be lost.
What's Known
The car was discovered by the Ford Authority editorial staff. It is up for sale in Spring, Texas, and listed as the 1983 Ford Probe IV Concept, chassis 001. The concept was built by Ghia for Ford as part of a program to explore advanced aerodynamics in the early 1980s.
The seller is accepting offers, targeting a price of $11,111. It is important to understand that Probe IV is purely a design and engineering study. The car is not equipped with a full transmission and is not intended for operation.
The Ford Probe program started in 1979. The company commissioned Ghia to explore how radical aerodynamic solutions could reduce fuel consumption. By the time of Probe IV's debut in 1983, the project had led to the creation of a concept with a claimed aerodynamic drag coefficient of 0.15 — a figure still unattainable for production cars.
This result was achieved at the cost of compromises. The concept ignored safety, practicality, and handling requirements. The composite body is mounted on a wooden chassis with steel subframes for attaching the wheels. The suspension is manually adjustable and intended for testing.
Chassis 001 was used exclusively for wind tunnel work and engineering studies. Its whereabouts remained unknown for many years.
The second example, chassis 002, was sold for approximately $125,000 in 2022 and is now in the Petersen Automotive Museum in California.
Since the found Probe IV does not drive and cannot be started, such a high price is not expected. theless, it is a rare piece of automotive history that can now find a new owner.
Source: Ford Authority
