by Wallace Wyss –
You aren’t supposed to buy them of course. When car companies make concept cars (they used to call them “dream cars”) they often don’t bother to put in seat belts or air bags or emergency braking etc. because after all it’s only a concept which could change mightily by the time it is greenlighted for production.
No one is supposed to be driving it. Still, I have to admire those collectors who try with every opportunity to buy an old forgotten dream car–maybe it’s one they saw on the revolving stand at an auto show back in the ’50s or ’60s.
1979 Ford Probe I Ghia Concept – Before
One such collector is Scott Grundfor, a car restorer in central California. He went to Detroit and bought a Ghia built dream car, an actual running version, at a Ford auction and added it to his small collection (1979 Ford Probe I Ghia Concept – see the official description below). Since his business is making old cars run, he made it run. Now, Ford never came out with a car that looked exactly like it but did pick up some of the styling cues.
1979 Ford Probe I Ghia Concept – Before
Now that Ghia Carrozzeria has died a dusty death (Ford was not nostalgic about it, to me like throwing away a pedigree that would have been worth keeping), examples of coachbuilders’ work on one offs are rare because, if they closed up shop, they are not there to display them, “they” being gone. Fini. Kaput. And though Ford saves some show cars, this was one not important to them it seems.
I am not sure of the sequence of events but let’s say it was a highway accident–maybe somebody plowed into his trailer. Maybe the car, driven up into the trailer, caught fire by itself? But it’s too far gone to restore. Just random wrinkled body panels.
I give Scott Grundor credit for finding it, buying it and showing it. I think there should even be a fund at major concours to reimburse owners of prototypes for bringing them to display. After all most concept cars aren’t licensed for the street so it takes a lot of long distance hauling by trailer to get it to an event. Call the fund “The Concept car incentive reimbursement.”
At any rate, there are still a lot of prototypes I hope to see in the flesh, er, metal, and I hope the owners are not daunted by Scott’s really bad luck. We need to see those cars to see the inspiration for some of the cars that did make it into production.
1979 Ford Probe I Ghia Concept
1979 Ford Probe I Ghia Concept – After
As of this writing there has been no reported cause of this fire.
Mike Gulett, Editor
Let us know what you think in the Comments.
THE AUTHOR Wallace Wyss is a fine artist, who has portrayed prototypes on canvas, Galleries can reach him at malibucarart@gmail.com
1979 Ford Probe I Ghia Concept
Scott Grundfor, Arroyo Grande, California
The Probe I was a one-off prototype and the manifestation of Ford’s expertise in aerodynamics in 1979. This car was built in Dearborn, Michigan, by Ford’s design chief Don F. Kopka in conjunction with Carrozzeria Ghia and became the star of the 1979 Frankfurt Auto Show. The Probe was based on a Fox-body Mustang platform with 105-inch wheelbase and a turbo-charged 2.3-liter four-cylinder 170 horsepower Mustang Cobra engine, wedged into the pointed nose and coupled with an automatic transmission.
The thoroughly aerodynamic silhouette was the result of wind-tunnel testing and achieved a drag coefficient 37% lower than a typical contemporary two-door coupe. This car (OGHA RD PRB1 001) became known for its rear wheel spats, elongated rear deck, and impressive glass cabin, and although it never made it to production, the Probe heavily influenced Ford’s future production cars.
As published in the 2024 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Car Guide.
Photos of the car before the fire are from the Richard Michael Owen YouTube Channel. The ugly photos are from the Monterey Fire Department.
Scott sorry to read about your loss. But thousands had the opportunity to see her in a spectacular setting !
A sad day.