1979 Ford Probe I Concept Car
Ford designers came up with that they called “the ideal aerodynamic shape” for a four-seat passenger car. Called Probe I, the ultra-sleek concept car achieved a near-incredible 0.25 coefficient of drag in wind-tunnel testing, compared to more than 0.40 for the best of contemporary U.S. cars.
Probe I was both practical and attractive. Ford saw it as “a typical car of the late 1980’s or beyond” with a four-cylinder engine, probably turbocharged, and generating nearly 40 mpg at a steady 55 mph.
A three-door hatchback about the size of the first fox Mustang and Capri, Probe I had been designed realistically for a driver and three passengers, and should not be considered just another test exercise. The concept included a retractable instrument panel, electronic message and entertainment centers and a credit-card ignition “key” that also could be used for gas and tolls.
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