Caleb Miller|Car and Driver
The wedge-shaped concept caught fire while it was being transported from this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance
- The wedge-shaped 1979 Ford Probe I Ghia concept car owned by the Scott Grundfor Company was destroyed in a fire while leaving the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
- The concept was designed by Don F. Kopka and Carrozzeria Ghia to showcase Ford’s aerodynamic expertise
- The Scott Grundfor Company confirmed the news today in an Instagram post and expressed gratitude that no one was hurt in the fire.
As enthusiasts, we might begrudge classic car owners for locking away pieces of history in private vaults, but what we often overlook is the danger posed by taking priceless cars out of said heavily controlled vaults. Unfortunately, disaster struck on Sunday when the wedge-shaped 1979 Ford Probe I Ghia concept car, which is owned by the Scott Grundfor Company, was destroyed in a fire while leaving the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
The company today confirmed the news in an Instagram post, writing, “We are a family-oriented company, and it feels like we have lost a member of our family today … Scott and myself (Drew) have been lucky stewards of this work of art and piece of automotive history for over 20 years, as we are the grateful second owners, Ford Motor Company having been the first … We are forever lucky to be a part of this car’s history, however tragic this event was.”
The Probe I was designed in 1979 by Ford’s chief designer Don F. Kopka, in a partnership with Carrozzeria Ghia. It didn’t look like it, but the Probe I was actually based on the Fox-body Mustang platform. The concept’s wedge-shaped nose hid a turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder Mustang Cobra engine pushing out 170 horsepower.
According to the Pebble Beach guide, Ford landed on the shape through wind-tunnel testing, where it recorded a drag coefficient 37 percent lower than contemporary sports coupes. After gaining popularity at the 1979 Frankfurt auto show, the Probe 1 became known for its distinct rear-wheel covers and its unique glass cabin.
The Probe I was the first of five Probe concept vehicles built between 1979 and 1985. The concept’s unfortunate destruction occurred during transportation following Sunday’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, where it was shown in the Wedge-Shaped Concept Cars and Prototypes class. Both the Probe and the trailer it was being transported in were destroyed. No one was hurt in the fire. The Scott Grundfor Company plans to bring the destroyed car back to its collection where it will reside among the rest of the company’s Ghia/Ford-bodied prototypes.
