Priceless Ford Concept Car Destroyed in Fire Leaving Pebble Beach Concours

Priceless Ford Concept Car Destroyed in Fire Leaving Pebble Beach Concours

If that is a Probe, designed to replace the Mustang, and it was leaving a show, doing a "Burn-out",  then that there is just a trailer-full of irony.

It was in a trailer, so doubtful it was doing a burnout.  It is mysterious how it could catch on fire.

Perhaps somebody wanted to put a number to "priceless"?

I think we'll survive without this one. 

Sounds like the driver had a good head on his shoulders:

stuart in mn said:

It was in a trailer, so doubtful it was doing a burnout.  It is mysterious how it could catch on fire.

I'd guess an electrical short caused by vibrations. Could easily turn into a blaze if not spotted. Remember, this was a show car so the wiring harness would have been a one-off. 

I was borderline surprised when I shipped my Viper that the shipping company didnt disconnect the battery.  Although with the enclosed stacker and having to take a wheel off to do it, I guess maybe not that surprised.  

I wonder who at Ford ever thought that P R O B E was a good idea to name a car?

93gsxturbo said:

I was borderline surprised when I shipped my Viper that the shipping company didnt disconnect the battery.  Although with the enclosed stacker and having to take a wheel off to do it, I guess maybe not that surprised.  

I've shipped 3 or 4 cars and AFAIK they have never disconnected the battery.  It doesn't seem likely to me that a car is going to see any more vibration in a trailer than it would see normally driving down the road

In reply to codrus (Forum Supporter) :

Trailers might hit more big potholes because they're not as nimble, but basically I agree. Still, disconnecting the battery is an easy thing to do and it avoids a potential big problem so why not?

This concept car would have basically zero road miles on it, so it's a different creature. 

Has anyone seen a trailer with a fire suppression system ?

And are most of these cars driven into the enclosed trailer or pulled in with a winch ?

disconnecting all the  batteries  by the truck driver  seems like a bad idea ,,  too much chance of damage.

It can't have been that special, since nobody has bothered to post pictures of the car pre-fire.

Keith Tanner said:

Trailers might hit more big potholes because they're not as nimble, but basically I agree. Still, disconnecting the battery is an easy thing to do and it avoids a potential big problem so why not?

On a 1970s concept vehicle in a trailer by itself, sure, but a commercial shipper like VoloHeretic was talking about?  They're mostly shipping modern cars, often those in the process of being sold, and disconnecting batteries typically clears emissions monitors which seems likely to annoy customers.

Also, when you've got a truck loaded with six cars and you need to deliver the one that's at the front, that's a lot of battery connections to make and break. :)

Priceless?

Yeah, probably true. There isn't a price I'd be willing to pay for that no matter what. 

codrus (Forum Supporter) said:

Keith Tanner said:

Trailers might hit more big potholes because they're not as nimble, but basically I agree. Still, disconnecting the battery is an easy thing to do and it avoids a potential big problem so why not?

On a 1970s concept vehicle in a trailer by itself, sure, but a commercial shipper like VoloHeretic was talking about?  They're mostly shipping modern cars, often those in the process of being sold, and disconnecting batteries typically clears emissions monitors which seems likely to annoy customers.

Also, when you've got a truck loaded with six cars and you need to deliver the one that's at the front, that's a lot of battery connections to make and break. :)

Then you choose to take the risk :) I always disconnect the battery on my car when I'm towing it, but that's because someone put a very convenient cutoff switch right beside the driver's seat. I'll admit I don't do the same for the less modified cars in the fleet.

Kreb (Forum Supporter) said:

It can't have been that special, since nobody has bothered to post pictures of the car pre-fire.

Valued at $1 million. Given that it's only changed hands once when Ford sold off a bunch of their concept cars and (I think) it went as part of a batch, the open market hasn't had a chance to value it. But it wasn't terrible, especially not for 1979.

Looks like it evolved a bit during its time, at least in the paint and wheel department. Given the lack of corner lights, I think this was the first iteration and was maybe just a clay model.

Closer, but still white.

Maroon? There are studio shots that look like Ford's work in the brighter red it wore when it burned.

Once it was in private hands...

OK, I have to say I kinda like the shifter even if it would be a pain to use.

In case you weren't sure it was a concept, it looks like it had a seam in the windshield.

This reminds me of something...

You can see some of the styling ideas of the production Probe here. A long way out, but the smooth greenhouse, pop-ups and prominent turn indicators all look familiar.

VolvoHeretic said:

 

That's one hell of a photo. Is anyone one else kinda expecting to see Nicholas Cage backing it out of the trailer?

Moon Discs on a Probe .....YEAH