Ford Probe

The Ford Probe was a car produced by Ford between 1989 and 1997, with a redesign in 1993. It was sold in both European and North American markets. A sporty coupe, the Probe was intended to fill the market niche formerly occupied by the Capri in Europe, and although it was intended as the replacement to the Ford EXP, it was also considered a possible replacement for the Ford Mustang in the North American market. Fans objected to the new Mustang’s front wheel drive configuration, Japanese heritage, and lack of a V8, so Ford went to work on a new design for the Mustang instead.

The Probe was mechanically identical to the Mazda MX-6, and both cars shared the Mazda GD platform (1988 to 1992) and GE platform (1993 to 1997). In North America, the Probe and MX-6 were both assembled together by the Ford/Mazda joint venture, AutoAlliance International.

Sales were not up to Ford's expectations, selling only 837,273 units in its eight year production run. The styling, while modern, was not universally liked. The innuendo of the car's name did not endear itself to prospective buyers. Sales of the Probe were finally discontinued in 1997, selling only 32,505 units.

In 1994 there was a "special edition" Probe that came in Royal Plum Pearl Metallic Clearcoat (more commonly known as Wild Orchid). It didn't appear to be much different from other Probes other than the fact that it had a different type of seat material in the center inserts.

In 1997 a GTS model was offered. It had no more performance than the regular GT, but exterior modifications were instantly recognizable. Dual racing stripes started at the top edge of the front bumper and continued on to the back lip of the hatch, terminating just above the center light reflector. Chrome wheels were also included in the package, as well as having a "blank" center reflector.

Originally, the Probe was only supposed to be on a year hiatus, as there were plans to bring it back in 1999 as a sibling to the Contour-based, front wheel drive Mercury Cougar. These plans were scrapped, however, likely because the sales success of the Ford Escort ZX2 filled the niche for a small, sporty coupe, making a new Probe unnecessary.