A classic Ford concept car was destroyed in a fire on Sunday night in Monterey, California following the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. The Ford Probe I concept car from 1979, penned by Ghia, met a fiery end in the back of an enclosed car trailer.
The Scott Grundfor Company, a California-based restoration shop that owned the concept, published a set of photos to Instagram on Monday showing the damage. Everything aside from the car's basic frame has been torched.
A statement from the company released alongside the photos reflects the shop's immeasurable loss.
"It is with utter sadness and a heavy heart that we have lost our 1979 Ford Ghia Probe I Prototype in an accident on the highway late in the day on Sunday after showing the car at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance," the statement reads. "We are a family-oriented company, and it feels like we have lost a member of our family today."
Tiktok user Exoticsimage shared a video of car trailer on fire.
Nobody was hurt in the incident, though it seems the car will not be rebuilt, going by the shop's statement.
"We are forever lucky to be a part of this car's history, however tragic this event was, and we will bring what remains of the car home to Arroyo Grande so the car can remain next to the Ghia/Ford bodied prototypes in our collection," the Instagram caption reads.
The Ford Probe I by Ghia is one of several Probe concepts built from 1979 through 1985, designed to showcase advanced aerodynamic designs with an emphasis on fuel efficiency. The Probe I wasn't just a mock-up either. It used a modified Fox platform that was slightly longer versus the then-new 1979 Mustang. A turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine was under the hood, driving the rear wheels. Inside, the Probe I concept had a full interior littered gloriously digital 1980s tech.
Ford would eventually build five Probe concepts with Ghia styling, pointing the way to a more aero-focused future that ultimately influenced the Ford Taurus and the Probe production car—a vehicle originally intended to be the new Mustang. It all began with the first concept in 1979, and now the car is gone for good.
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