Would You Drop Half-A-Million Dollars On A 1983 Ford Ghia Trio Microcar Concept?

Italian coachbuilder Ghia is known for designing some of the world’s most beautiful vehicles, and many of them command very high asking prices as a result. With that in mind, we’d like to know if you’d drop big bucks on this 1983 Ford Ghia Trio, which is listed for sale on eBay for a staggering $500,000.

This concept car is the only one like it in the world, and it’s called the Trio because it has three seats: one central front seat for the driver and two seats behind it for the passengers. As a result of that, this is probably the only time we can say a Ford microcar has something in common with a McLaren F1.

Adding to its pedigree is the fact that the car had a tube-frame chassis, an all-aluminum body, a floor comprised of a Kevlar-fiberglass honeycomb, and seat frames made of aluminum and fiberglass. That might not sound like anything particularly impressive, but it’s important to remember that this was a compact economy car from the ’80s and not a multimillion-dollar hypercar from the modern era.

It’s clear that this concept car was designed to be a vision of a specific future, and as such, it was shown off at the Geneva Motor Show. As for what that future entailed, we imagine fuel economy was at the forefront of its priorities, as the microcar weighed a mere 743 lb (337 kg) and was reportedly capable of 70 miles per gallon with no electric assistance whatsoever.

While the car originally drove the rear wheels via a 250cc rear-mounted two-stroke engine, in its current state it has no engine under the hood. The seller mentions in the listing that he received some quotes to install one from independent specialty shops, but it would cost an extra $4,000-$6,000 on top of the purchase price should you choose to go through with it. Granted, that’s not too much extra, but for the kind of money one would theoretically be spending on this Ford, it should be included. On the plus side, the seller claims he does have a bill of sale, a VIN provided by the state of Connecticut, and all the relevant notarized paperwork to accompany the car.

At the end of the day, though, even if it is a one-of-one concept car that was penned by a legendary design house, exhibited at the Geneva show, and built with exotic materials, it’s still a pint-sized economy car that’s a rolling shell of a vehicle. But if you really have your heart set on owning it and don’t feel like shelling out a full half-million for it, there is a “best offer” option on the listing.