Ford Probe
Muscle · Ford
Ford Probe: The Front-Drive Mustang That Became Its Own Car
The Ford Probe is a front-wheel-drive sport compact coupe Ford sold for the 1988 to 1997 model years. It was developed to be the next Ford Mustang, and when word got out, the backlash convinced Ford to keep the Mustang rear-drive and sell the new car under another name.
AutoWeek broke the story in its April 13, 1987, issue, with a cover drawing of a car nearly identical to the Probe GT labeled "The '89 Mustang" and details about its Mazda roots and front-wheel drive. Ford built it with Mazda as a counterpart to the Mazda MX-6, on the platform of the Mazda 626, at a plant in Flat Rock, Michigan, run by Mazda. Ford bought half of that operation in 1992. Instead of the Camaro and Firebird, the Probe went up against cars like the Acura Integra, Nissan 200SX, and Toyota Celica.
The first generation came as a GL with a 110 hp 2.2-liter four, an LX, and a GT with a turbocharged, intercooled version of the 2.2 making 145 hp and 190 lb-ft. The GT also got four-wheel disc brakes with ABS and a three-way adjustable suspension, and from 1990 the LX offered Ford's 3.0-liter Vulcan V6. The second generation arrived for 1993, with the GT now using a Mazda 2.5-liter 24-valve V6 and starting at $15,504. The Probe GT was Motor Trend's Car of the Year for 1993, and the Probe made Car and Driver's Ten Best list for 1989, 1993, and 1994.
The name came from a series of Ford and Ghia concept cars built from 1979 to 1985 to chase low drag. The 1979 Probe I reached a drag coefficient of 0.25 with skirted rear wheels and pop-up headlights, and the 1983 Probe IV got down to 0.152. The Probe I was destroyed in a trailer fire in August 2024 after an appearance at Pebble Beach. Ford announced the end of the production Probe on March 17, 1997, and the third-generation car it had in development became the Mercury Cougar.