Thursday 12th May 1988

The Ford Probe was introduced. The sports coupe was intended to fill the market niche formerly occupied by the Capri in Europe, and was also considered a possible replacement for the Ford Mustang in the North American market. During that time, Ford’s marketing team had deemed that a front-wheel drive platform (borrowed Mazda GD and GE platforms) would have lower costs for production, and also because the platform had been gaining popularity with consumers. Mustang fans objected to the front-wheel drive configuration, Japanese engineering, and lack of a V8, so Ford began work on a new design for the Mustang instead. In March 1997 Ford announced the discontinuation of the Probe.