Adams Probe 16

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Only three vehicles to create a legend
 
Anyone who calls the name ‘Adams Probe Motor Co’ in the context of a car manufacturer today will mostly only stare at questioning faces. Even those who are little more familiar with the British car industry won’t necessarily come up with anything right away. On the other hand, if someone is well-versed in the history of great classics, they will immediately think of the movie ‘Clockwork Orange’ by Stanley Kubrick. The name ‘Durango 95’ – the name of the flat, angular and orange painted sports car from the production of Adams Probe Motor – will be immediately associated with the movie.

In 1969, when the flat sports car, left its production facility in Bradford-on-Avon, located in the county of Wiltshire, the design was undoubtedly one of the most spectacular found in a British car. Only 86 cm measured the highest point of the flat speedster and the entry, which was eased by an ingenious trick – when turning the key in the door lock, the two seats automatically drove back and the roof opened. The extreme wedge design of the front end, fold-out headlights and the absence of any kind of classic bumpers conveyed a unique, striking and forward-looking appearance. The engine, which based on the four-cylinder engine of the Austin 1800, was directly placed behind the seats as so called mid-engine concept. In the hands of the engineers of ‘Janspeed Engineering’ the engine was drilled to 1,900cc and increased to an output of almost 100 hp. The car body was completely made of glass fiber reinforced plastic. From the beginning, the buying interest was reserved for a very illustrious circle. Due to its price tag of 3,650 British pounds, the Probe 16 undoubtedly belonged in the upper price range. In total, Adams Probe Motor Co produced only three cars at their plant (a few sources also mention the number four) in the entire year of 1969. But even this small number was enough to make the Probe 16 immortal