The Ford Probe was a sport compact coupe marketed by Ford from the 1988 to 1997 model years. It took its name from a series of aerodynamic concept cars and was originally developed as the fourth-generation Ford Mustang, until the reaction to that idea changed Ford’s plans.
Ford Probe at a glance
| Maker | Ford, with Mazda; built at Flat Rock, Michigan |
|---|---|
| Model years | 1988–1997 |
| Name from | the Probe concept cars of 1979–1985 |
| Originally | the fourth-generation Ford Mustang |
| Base | Mazda G platform, twin of the Mazda MX-6 |
| Rivals | Acura Integra, Isuzu Impulse, Nissan 200SX, Toyota Celica |
| Plant | Flat Rock, from 1992 AutoAlliance International |
| Second generation | 1993, again on the MX-6 and 626 |
| Discontinued | announced 17 March 1997 |
| Replaced by | Mercury Cougar and Escort ZX2 |
This page is based on English Wikipedia only.
History of the Ford Probe
A Mustang by another name
The Probe was developed as the fourth-generation Ford Mustang. When news of the change became known in the mid-1980s, the response to a front-wheel-drive Mustang was so negative that Ford kept the Mustang in its traditional pony car form. To recover its investment in the project, Ford released the design under a different name, slotting it above the Escort and Tempo coupes and below the Mustang and Thunderbird.
Developed with Mazda
The Probe was developed in collaboration with Mazda and is a counterpart of the Mazda MX-6, using the Mazda G platform of the 626. The move to front-wheel drive brought fuel-economy gains, and Ford marketed the Mazda collaboration as lowering production costs compared with the Fox platform; front-wheel drive had also become far more popular with buyers after the second fuel crisis. Where the Mustang competed almost exclusively with the Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird, the Probe faced a much wider range of rivals, among them the Acura Integra, Isuzu Impulse, Nissan 200SX and Toyota Celica.
The name and the end
From 1979 to 1985 Ford and Ghia built a series of futuristic Probe concept cars that explored aerodynamic efficiency and design ideas later used on production Fords. The 1979 Probe I was a wedge-shaped coupe that reached a drag coefficient of 0.25 with fully skirted rear wheels and pop-up headlamps, using a Ford Fairmont chassis, the shape of a sleeker Mustang and its 2.3-litre turbocharged four; it was destroyed in August 2024 when its transport trailer caught fire after the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. The Probe was built at Flat Rock in Michigan, at first by Mazda Motor Manufacturing USA and from 1992 by AutoAlliance International after Ford bought a 50 per cent stake. A second generation arrived for 1993, again based on the MX-6 and 626. On 17 March 1997 Ford announced that the Probe would be discontinued: the third-generation car in development was rebranded as the Mercury Cougar, and the smaller Escort ZX2 also replaced the model line.
Design and features
- Almost a Mustang: designed as the fourth-generation Mustang before public reaction stopped it.
- Mazda engineering: the Mazda G platform shared with the MX-6.
- Front-wheel drive: better economy and lower production costs than the Fox platform.
- Many rivals: a broader competitive set than the Mustang faced.
Ford Probe versions
- Probe first generation (1988): the original Mazda-based coupe.
- Probe second generation (1993): the later car on the same MX-6 base.
- Probe I concept (1979): the aerodynamic show car that gave the model its name.
- Mercury Cougar: the rebranded third-generation design.
The Probe followed the Capri as Ford’s European-style coupe and was replaced by the Cougar. More Ford vehicles are in the Ford collection.
Sources
- Ford Probe, English Wikipedia: origins, Mazda link, plants, end of production
