The Ford Probe is a sport compact coupe that was marketed by Ford from the 1988 to 1997 model years. Taking its name from a futuristic series of aerodynamic concept vehiclesHistory of the Ford PROBE, Concept Cars, the Probe was originally developed as the fourth-generation Ford Mustang. As news of the design change became discovered in the mid-1980s, a profoundly negative response to the potential new model convinced Ford to maintain the Mustang under its traditional pony car format. To recoup its investment in the project, Ford ultimately released the design under a different name, slotting it above the Escort and Tempo coupes and below the Mustang and Thunderbird.
Developed in collaboration with Mazda, the Probe is a counterpart of the Mazda MX-6, using the Mazda G platform of the Mazda 626. Along with fuel-economy gains associated with the transition to front-wheel drive, the collaboration with Mazda was marketed by Ford with having lower production costs (over the previous Fox platform) and would be acceptable. Developed in the wake of the second fuel crisis, front-wheel drive had gained considerable popularity among consumers. In contrast with the Mustang competing nearly exclusively against the Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird, the Ford Probe was a direct competitor against a much wider range of vehicles, including the Acura Integra, Isuzu Impulse, Nissan 200SX, and the Toyota Celica.
The Probe was in the Flat Rock Assembly Plant (Flat Rock, Michigan), initially by Mazda Motor Manufacturing USA. In 1992, Ford purchased a 50% stake of the operation, becoming AutoAlliance International. For 1993, a second generation of the Probe was launched, again based on the MX-6/626. On March 17, 1997, Ford announced the discontinuation of the Probe; the third generation model line that was in development was rebranded as the Mercury Cougar, with the smaller Ford Escort ZX2 also replacing the model line.
Nameplate origin From 1979 to 1985, Ford and Ghia released the Probe series of futuristic concept cars. Along with exploring the limits of aerodynamic efficiency in exterior design, all five concepts would also explore design elements later used on production Ford vehicles.
Probe I (1979) The 1979 Ford Probe (later Probe I) was a wedge-shaped coupe that optimized drag reduction (lowering its drag coefficient-Cd to 0.25) through fully skirted rear wheels and pop-up headlamps. Using a Ford Fairmont chassis, the Probe I was styled as a sleeker version of the Mustang, adopting its 2.3L turbocharged inline-4.
In August 2024, the Ford Probe I was destroyed after its showing at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance when its transport trailer caught fire.
Probe II (1980) The 1980 Ford Probe II was a prototype of an aerodynamically-optimized family sedan, previewing a mid-1980s equivalent of the Ford Fairmont. While more conventional in appearance than the Probe I, the Probe II featured covered-lens headlamps, concealed windshield wipers, and a decklid spoiler. Approximately the size of the Ford Tempo, the Probe II was a five-door hatchback; originally developed as an internal design study, the vehicle was first shown as a concept car in 1986.
Probe III (1981) Designed by Ford of Europe, the 1981 Ford Probe III was aerodynamically sleeker than the Probe I (reducing its Cd from 0.25 to 0.22). Along with its grille-less "bottom-breather" front fascia (relocating the air intake to the front bumper), the Probe III also featured flush-mounted window glass, composite headlamps, and flat-face wheels; Ford patented several features of its design, including its dual-plane rear spoiler, low-drag side-view mirror mounts, and an aerodynamically active front bumper skirt.
The Probe III served as a direct preview of the 1982 Ford Sierra, which retained many elements of the Probe III design (with the exception of active aerodynamics and skirted rear wheels). Other parts of the Probe III design (including its flush-mounted glass, relocation of the window drip rails, flush-mounted wheels) became parts of 1980s model designs, including the 1983 Ford Thunderbird, the 1984 Lincoln Mark VII, and the 1984 Ford Tempo, along with the 1986 Ford Taurus (the North American counterpart of the Sierra/Granada). In North America, Ford marketed the dual-plane rear spoiler on the Merkur XR4Ti (a Karmann-assembled version of the Ford Sierra XR4i marketed by Lincoln-Mercury).
Probe IV (1983) The 1983 Ford Probe IV was again designed by Ford and Ghia. To lower its Cd to 0.152 (rivaling an F-16), the Probe IV broke from multiple design precedents used by four-door family sedans of the time. Though it is a front-engine vehicle (fitted with a turbocharged 1.6L inline-4), the radiator is mounted at the rear of the vehicle; to lower the hoodline, the engine is slanted 70 degrees. While most of the side windows were fixed in place, the lower portion rolled down. For the first time, all four wheels were fully skirted; while the front wheel skirts turned with the front wheels when steering, a membrane minimized airflow entry into the wheel wells.
In an evolution from the Probe III, the Probe IV utilized a full-length belly pan to manage underbody airflow, along with a speed-sensitive front air dam. Fitted with speed-sensitive adjustable ride height, at highway speed, the Probe IV could lower its front axle as much as four inches while raising its rear axle as much as six inches.
Two prototypes were assembled: a nonfunctional vehicle for wind tunnel and development testing, and a second fully functional prototype. After its initial sale in 2002, the latter Probe IV was sold in 2022 to the Petersen Automotive Museum; the aerodynamic test vehicle was sold to an unknown buyer in 2026.
Probe V (1985) Shown as a prototype at the 1985 Tokyo Auto Show, the 1985 Ford Probe V remains the most aerodynamic drivable automobile ever built, with a Cd of 0.137 (lower than both the Probe IV and an F-15). As with the Probe I, the Probe V is a two-door, four-seat coupe, though it is the lone mid-engine vehicle of the series. Fitted transversely, the Prove V utilized a turbocharged 16-valve 1.9 L inline-4. In a first for the series, the Probe V was fitted with two rear-sliding doors (using parallelogram hinges instead of tracks).
Designed without traditional wheel wells, the Probe V fully integrated all four wheels into the body design of the car; as with the Probe IV, the front fenders allowed the wheels to turn without any airflow interruption. To further optimize the body design, the side engine vents for the Probe V were only opened as needed for engine cooling; the rear long-tail bodywork used a rearward-sliding rear window as an engine cover (which featured a tailfin for high-speed stability). The four-seat interior featured an electronic dashboard that adjusted in line with the steering column and redundant functions shown on a windshield head-up display; in place of a conventional trunk, the Probe V stored luggage by retracting the lower cushions of its rear seats.
Ford built two examples of the Probe V: the prototype version shown at the 1985 Tokyo Auto Show and a drivable version that was completed in 1986. The latter car was shown by Ford through the 1980s, making an appearance at the 1989 Paris Auto Show.
Background After the 1979 energy crisis, the economic slump initiated by high fuel prices prompted Ford to give the Ford Mustang a major redesign. The new design would be based on a totally new platform introduced to Ford by Japanese automaker Mazda, who had been partnering with Ford since 1971, and whom Ford had owned a 25% stake in since 1979. Toshi Saito, a North American-based designer working for Ford, took the lead in envisioning styling directions for the front-wheel drive Mustang, and a design by Saito was chosen and finalized in early 1984. The project was then transferred to Mazda in Hiroshima, Japan and in internal Ford parlance, was referred to by the codename "ST-16". It was intended to gradually phase out the RWD Fox platform Mustang under the name "Mustang Classic" and have it eventually supplanted by the ST-16 as the "Mustang."
By 1985, Mazda acquired the former Ford Flat Rock Assembly Plant (then AutoAlliance International) in Flat Rock, Michigan, and intended to commence production of the two Mazda-badged GD platform cars for North America, the 626 along with the MX-6, and the ST-16, contracted by Ford, in 1987.
Christopher Sawyer, writing for AutoWeek magazine, in their issue for April 13, 1987, was the first to publicly reveal the existence of the ST-16 Mustang in a sensational report that featured an artist rendering on the issue's cover of a vehicle nearly identical to what would be released as the 1989 Ford Probe GT stating "Exclusive: The '89 Mustang," along with detailed technical reports about its Mazda origins and switch to front-wheel drive. The public outcry was immediate, with many Mustang fans and pony car purists detesting the ST-16's Japanese engineering, front-wheel drive platform and lack of a V8 engine, which were anathema to traditional Mustang buyers and enthusiasts. Ford Motor Company executives, along with many car magazines received strongly-worded letters of criticism decrying the decision.
Neil Ressler, the then-chief of small car engineering at Ford, spoke about the internal cultural differences at Ford Motor Company which led to a strong disagreement between two factions that had radically different notions about what the Mustang should be:
By 1987, Alex Trotman, the newly appointed vice president in charge of Ford's North American operations, with strong urging from Ford Marketing vice president Bob Rewey, a dedicated performance enthusiast, decided that in the light of consumer outrage, the ST-16 would not make a suitable Mustang. At this point, somewhat ironically, Mustang sales, which were lackluster, grew substantially after the article's publication, out of fear that it would be the last opportunity to purchase a traditional RWD V8 Mustang. While Trotman approved the development of a RWD successor, there were many difficulties, notably that the engineering budget for the Mustang was spent on the ST-16 and Ford was still recovering from a financial crisis of the early 1980s that brought the company close to bankruptcy until the Taurus arrived.
John Coletti, Ford's small-car engineering manager and a vociferous opponent of the ST-16 Mustang, said of the project, "I would rather have seen the Mustang name die than put the Mustang name on the Probe ...".
Ken Dabrowski, Ford's small-car line manager, tapped Coletti to lead a skunkworks team that would develop a RWD Mustang successor with the understanding there would not be a full budget to create an entirely new car. Coletti's team heavily revised the 1979 Fox platform for the new car, which eventually became the fourth-generation Ford Mustang released for the 1994 model year.
However, production for the ST-16 was about to commence, meaning Ford had to put it on sale or lose its development budget along with further potential financial headaches if Ford would break its production contract with Mazda. It was decided that the ST-16 would be released as the Ford Probe in 1988, taking the name from Ford's line of futuristic concept vehicles, and be sold alongside the Mustang, which would continue production in its then-current form with minor refreshing. Instead of being aimed as a successor to the Mustang or as a rival to its traditional competitors, the Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird, Ford would aim the Probe against popular imported sports coupes of the era such as the Toyota Celica and Honda Prelude.