i never heard the whole story behind it, it was available in a v-6 5 speed...they were pretty quick...they really did'nt look that bad and it was a 2 door...what did ford have that competed w/ it....maybe a v-6 mustang but....
what killed the ford probe
boostedzx3
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7,237 Posts
yes i have thought that for 10 years....lets all thank god for the cobalt
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Well...one of 2 cars had to die from Fords line-up. On the chopping block was the Mustang and the Probe. Some designers/engineers thought it would be wise to keep the fuel efficient Probe and 86 the Mustang. Ford Enthusiasts thought otherwise and the decision was made to axe the Probe.
The Probe could very well still be getting produced today and the Mustang could be gone.
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I don't believe the Mustang was on the chopping block in 1997. (They were already working on the 1999 body tweak at that point) The chopping blockage was back at the beginning of Probe production, pre SN95 days. The SN95 brought life back to the Mustang.
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i dont think there is a mustang body style that i ever disliked besides those 4 cylinders they had when they tryed a shot at the economy mustang....what a waste...i did not like the 1st generation probes but the 2nd was def. the best
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The Probe was "considered" as a replacement for the Mustang in concept only back in the late '80's. It was considered as a recipient for the SHO engine that Ford contracted Yamaha to provide. The original idea was to put that into a mid engine sports car but yes, in the late '80's high demand kept the Mustang alive. The sports car idea fell through and it was reputed that the SHO motor was too powerful for the Probe, so it got shoehorned into the Taurus, as the Mustang still went with the V8.
The 1993 Cobra was Ford's second ( or some consider as an SVT badged product ) the first official SVT and their original idea was not to focus on horsepower but to focus on suspension, brakes and handling, or in other words, a more accessible racecar, hence the first official Cobra R in 1993 that didn't offer any advances in the engine but was lighter and offered race-ready parts.
For example:
1993 Cobra : 235 HP @ 4600 rpm 1/4 mi 14.30 @ 98 mph 0-60 5.7 secs 140 mph top speed.
The Cobra R had the same HP/TQ numbers ( 280 ft lbs ) but ran the 1/4 3 tenths faster, had a better skid pad and was a tad quicker to top speed. Another factiod, the 1993 Cobra R is the lightest SVT Mustang from 1993 to today at 3125 lbs.
Featured a GT-40 intake, GT-40 heads with bigger valves, Crane roller rockers, roller lifters, stainless steel headers.
Anyhow, my take on why the Probe died was simply lack of sales, not because it was going to compete with Mustang. Remember, Ford up until 1995 still had the Thunderbird SC, which was, in 1993-'93 the highest HP car Ford had aside from the SVT Cobra, with 230 hp.
If there is one car I wish never went away, it would be the Supercoupe, I loved the way it looked, the way it drove and the mere style of it. There was just something about it.
There were enough differences between the Mustang and the Probe ( drive configuration for one ) to justify both, but The Probe became a car built to target female buyers ( check the color selection of the '93-'94 models and sky blue, pale pink and a purple color, called Wild Orchid, are part of them, you won't find a pale pink Mustang ever sold by Ford. )
The Probe was a good looking car, but it lacked a market, then Ford decided to spoon Mercury something to generate some interest, so the Ford Cougar, as it was sold in Europe, came here as the Mercury Cougar, Ford felt no reason to add another coupe at that time, and in fact, there hasn't been another true coupe aside from the 'Stang since the Probe in Ford's lineup since 1997. I think that will change though, Coupes from Honda, Toyota, Nissan and GM will attest to that.
The 1993 Cobra was Ford's second ( or some consider as an SVT badged product ) the first official SVT and their original idea was not to focus on horsepower but to focus on suspension, brakes and handling, or in other words, a more accessible racecar, hence the first official Cobra R in 1993 that didn't offer any advances in the engine but was lighter and offered race-ready parts.
For example:
1993 Cobra : 235 HP @ 4600 rpm 1/4 mi 14.30 @ 98 mph 0-60 5.7 secs 140 mph top speed.
The Cobra R had the same HP/TQ numbers ( 280 ft lbs ) but ran the 1/4 3 tenths faster, had a better skid pad and was a tad quicker to top speed. Another factiod, the 1993 Cobra R is the lightest SVT Mustang from 1993 to today at 3125 lbs.
Featured a GT-40 intake, GT-40 heads with bigger valves, Crane roller rockers, roller lifters, stainless steel headers.
Anyhow, my take on why the Probe died was simply lack of sales, not because it was going to compete with Mustang. Remember, Ford up until 1995 still had the Thunderbird SC, which was, in 1993-'93 the highest HP car Ford had aside from the SVT Cobra, with 230 hp.
If there is one car I wish never went away, it would be the Supercoupe, I loved the way it looked, the way it drove and the mere style of it. There was just something about it.
There were enough differences between the Mustang and the Probe ( drive configuration for one ) to justify both, but The Probe became a car built to target female buyers ( check the color selection of the '93-'94 models and sky blue, pale pink and a purple color, called Wild Orchid, are part of them, you won't find a pale pink Mustang ever sold by Ford. )
The Probe was a good looking car, but it lacked a market, then Ford decided to spoon Mercury something to generate some interest, so the Ford Cougar, as it was sold in Europe, came here as the Mercury Cougar, Ford felt no reason to add another coupe at that time, and in fact, there hasn't been another true coupe aside from the 'Stang since the Probe in Ford's lineup since 1997. I think that will change though, Coupes from Honda, Toyota, Nissan and GM will attest to that.
If you were replying to me and my mustang comment, i didn't mean to say that Ford continued to market it as a Mustang competitor, but the backlash from the original intent to use it as a replacement, I believe caused permanent sales damage from the Ford faithful. I clearly recall people scoffing at the thought, even when it was clear that it wouldn't replace the Mustang.
I would be happy today if the Ford Line-up consisted of the:
Crown Vic
500
Fusion
Mustang
Probe
Fiesta / Focus
I miss my 93 Probe GT. It was nice looking. The body and interior really needed fords current touch (todays cars are much more solid and stiff) and with a bit more up top, your looking at an RSX killer.
Crown Vic
500
Fusion
Mustang
Probe
Fiesta / Focus
I miss my 93 Probe GT. It was nice looking. The body and interior really needed fords current touch (todays cars are much more solid and stiff) and with a bit more up top, your looking at an RSX killer.
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Those mustangs didn't need the high rev horse power to go fast. They had soo much low end torque that it didn't need the high rev power. The other piece of the engine specs were:Indeed. If your "performance" engine puts out less power/liter than a Geo Metro of the same year, you're not going to impress anyone.![Image]()
285 lb ft of torque @ 4,000 rpm
I used to have a 5.0 mustang with only 205 hp, which had to be the most under rated spec. These cars had more than 205 at the wheels. Anyway, that 205 hp mustang ran low 14's consistantly.
I couldn't get consistent quarter mile times out of my SVT focus. So the number might not be impressive, but the performance of those cars were impressive even by today's standards.
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1,261 Posts
there were deffinatly pink factory mustangs, i know a person who's hetero sexual dad has one
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6,377 Posts
IIRC when Ford first introduced the name Probe for a car many women commented on its intruding meaning.If you catch my drift.What killed the Ford Probe?
Probably the name "Probe"![Image]()
I love my probe to death, but its getting dated and lacks the refinement that many new cars have today. This is why I am looking to jump ship soon. Now that I have matured and have realized what is important(to me) in a car I am turning toward something like the focus or a mazda 3. The car is supposed to get 21-26 mpg, which is not bad for a V-6, but when you dont reach those numbers makes you think.
The probe was pulled from the market due to poor sales. It was a great car in its time period, which is why it was one of car and drivers 10 best cars (twice i believe).
Why ford doesnt listen to their customers and give them what they want (ie: euro spec focus) we will never know.
The probe was pulled from the market due to poor sales. It was a great car in its time period, which is why it was one of car and drivers 10 best cars (twice i believe).
Why ford doesnt listen to their customers and give them what they want (ie: euro spec focus) we will never know.
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238 Posts
Why pub the pretender Probe, when you could get an Eclipse that was the real thing?
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