- Ford Probe IV Chassis 001 resurfaces after years presumed lost.
- Display-only concept helped test aerodynamic performance.
- Seller listed the prototype on Facebook Marketplace recently.
Facebook Marketplace is a wild selling and buying space. Curiosity-seekers there can find everything from trinkets and scams to super-rare concept cars. We have proof of that today, as one seller has the very first Ford Probe IV concept. This isn’t a tribute build or a lookalike. It’s the real thing.
It’s a vehicle thought to be long gone, but it’s back from oblivion, and the owner is looking to part with it.
More: This Unique Prototype With Racecar Looks Could Have Been Yours For $22k
First spotted by the team over at Ford Authority, the car is currently listed in Spring, Texas, wearing its proper badge as the 1983 Ford Probe IV Concept, chassis 001. Ghia built this for Ford as part of the automaker’s early 1980s advanced aerodynamics program.
The seller is currently accepting offers with a placeholder price of $11,111. Notably, the Probe in question is little more than a design study. It doesn’t run, so don’t expect to get a one-of-one that you can daily drive for ten figures.
Ford’s Probe program dates back to 1979, when the company tasked Ghia with exploring how radical aerodynamics could improve fuel efficiency. By the time the Probe IV debuted in 1983, those efforts had culminated in a concept that reportedly achieved a drag coefficient of just 0.15. That’s a figure that still embarrasses modern production cars.
Of course, the Probe IV cheated a little by ignoring things like safety regulations, drivability, and, in this case, drivetrain components.
The composite body we see sits on a wooden chassis with steel subframes that support the wheels. The suspension is manually adjustable for testing, and an electric front splitter shows us how far ahead of its time this car really was.
This is the very first example built, used specifically for wind tunnel testing and development. For years, it was believed to be lost.
Now it has resurfaced, joining its only known sibling, Chassis 002, which sold for roughly $125,000 in 2022, and now lives at the Petersen Automotive Museum in California.
Given that 001 doesn’t run or drive, we don’t expect the price to be that high. At the same time, there’s no question that it’s a piece of automotive history waiting for a new owner.
