As a member of the lost boys tribe of small sporty ’80s coupes, today’s Nice Price or No Dice Probe GT stands out in our current crossover-centric car market. Let’s see whether this Radwood headliner is priced as a standout value.
During WWI, Walter Owen Bentley helped engineer radial aircraft engines, leveraging innovations in materials and design he had gained from building race car engines in the years just prior. There’s no irony lost in the fact that Bentley’s namesake automotive company is today owned by Volkswagen, a company founded in the nation Bentley’s wartime efforts were defending against.
In the interim between these events, W.O. Bentley sold his automotive business to Rolls-Royce, providing that company with a sportier nameplate for those seeking something more than just the ultimate in luxury. The 2008 Bentley Arnage T Mulliner we judged yesterday represented the last of this line of Rolls/Bentley pairings as the companies split between VW and BMW shortly after its development. With a 500-horsepower twin-turbo V8 behind its Flying B, the Arnage offered a lot of car for the $38,500 the seller hoped it would fetch. In the end, too few of you shared that thinking, sinking the big B in a 54% ‘No Dice’ loss.
What almost was
One of the primary reasons the British auto industry collapsed was the constant labor strife that plagued carmakers in the 1960s and 1970s. This caused production delays, led to cost overruns, and resulted in poor-quality products. At the same time, Japanese carmakers were loading ships with products for export to lucrative markets such as the U.S., further eroding Britain’s small car market share.
The Japanese onslaught affected American carmakers as well, prompting the U.S. government to impose import limits to protect the domestic auto industry from the encroaching threat of better-engineered, higher-quality products from overseas. This led to Japanese carmakers opening plants in the U.S. That, in turn, led Ford to take a “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” position, resulting in a joint venture in Flat Rock, Michigan, that spawned the Mazda MX-6 and the subject of today’s discussion, the Ford Probe.
This 1989 Ford Probe GT is the result of that partnership between Ford and its former subsidiary, Mazda. Its development was also almost one of the biggest mistakes in automotive history. Ford initially envisioned the Probe as an FWD replacement for the V8 RWD pony car Mustang. The company had seen the success of cars like the Toyota Celica and figured, “Hey, we should get some of that sweet FWD coupe cash too.” After the plan leaked before the car’s debut, Mustang fans went apoplectic, forcing Ford to launch the small FWD coupe as the Probe and to keep the Mustang around.
The Mazda connection
So Ford kept the Mustang as an RWD coupe with available V8 power and added the Probe to the mix, an odd decision but one demanded by financial circumstances (and torch and pitchfork-wielding pony car fans). Amazingly, both cars sold remarkably well, with the FWD Probe seemingly not eating the older and bolder Mustang’s lunch as one might expect. Available in both naturally-aspirated and, in the GT, turbocharged form, the Probe shared all of its underpants with Mazda’s MX-6, with both utilizing the Mazda GD platform from the 626.
That’s not to say, however, that the Probe is a Mazda with a blue oval glued to it. The Probe features unique styling, its own suspension tuning, and a completely different interior than the MX-6. It’s also exclusively a hatchback with wrap-around glass and tail lamps, while the Mazda only offered a trunk and separate cluster butt. Somewhat strangely, Ford did go to the trouble of making the GT’s bodywork substantially different from the lower echelon cars, giving it a more squared-off nose and ribbed side cladding. The GT also received a killer set of tri-spoke alloys that are the most ’80s-looking wheels imaginable.
Shedding its coat
This Probe GT looks to be in remarkably good condition for its age and the fact that few people seemed to have cared for these cars after they got a little long in the tooth. The only major issue evidencing this Probe’s age and modest 78,000 miles is a failure of the clear coat atop its silver metallic paint. Other than that, the exterior looks to be in pretty cherry condition. Plus, pop-up headlights!
Things are even nicer in the cabin. The seller states the original Ford stereo and speakers could “use an upgrade,” but claims everything else works without issue. That includes the 145-horsepower 2.2 turbocharged four under the hood and the five-speed manual that leverages those ponies to maximum effect. Updates on the car include new brakes and the A/C condenser. Everything else appears to be original. And yes, these cars do have the cool feature where the instrument binnacle tilts along with the steering wheel. The car is accident-free and comes with a clean title.
A financially sound Ford?
It’s probably hard to remember the last time any one of us saw an old Probe GT on the road. Outside of a Radwood show celebrating the ’80s and ’90s, there’s just not that much interest in high-production cars from this era. That doesn’t make this Probe a loser, however. It’s pretty cool and a total time capsule. We’ll still have to gauge whether it’s worth the $8,750 the seller is asking for the purchase.
What’s your take on this Probe and that price tag? Does that seem fair given the car’s spec and condition? Or is that too much to probe the past?
You decide!
Omaha, Nebraska, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to Don R. for the hookup!
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