We have certainly seen our fair share of crazy things cross the block at Bring a Trailer.com (BaT) but its not too often that we seen an actual concept car cross the block. But for those that dream about owning a very unique piece of automotive history, this particular concept (and its iconic connections) might just fit the bill.
In this instance, it is the Ford Via concept which was built in 1989, and displayed the following year at the 1990 Chicago Auto Show. The Via was designed by the Ghia styling house, and it had input at various points from a number of designers including legendary Jaguar designer Ian Callum. The end result is a canvas that reflects Ford’s design language at the time, which embraced many of the aerodynamically focused design elements that would help define the company;s cars for the second half of the 1980s. There is a subtle connection to the second generation Ford Probe in the front fascia, and the rest of the styling is clean and purposeful. Being a concept car, the Via does come with some futuristic technology like photo sensitive glass panels in the roof that can be darkened to keep the sun out during the day. Dual aircraft style filler doors are located at the rear, which also houses an active rear spoiler though it is unknown if the feature formally works or if it is just for show.
The interior is also pure show car with a minimalist dashboard and relatively clean lines. Many components appear to be just for show however, with the car featuring faux climate control vents, fake instrument gauges, and the manual shifter forgoing a traditional boot piece for a plastic cover. The curvy Via was designed to be a four door sedan, but the rear seats can only be accessed through the driver side, with the passenger doors (like some of the other things on this concept) also being nonfunctional units.
The Via currently has a bid for $1,700 but there is one minor catch that comes with this fiberglass bodied concept. Usually at this point, we would talk about what kind of engine is lurking under the bodywork, but while the Via was designed to originally be powered by a turbocharged V8. The concept ended up being a static rolling display with no powertrain whatsoever hooked up to it. The steering wheel is merely for show, and is not hooked up to the front wheels. According to the seller description, the car was acquired by the current owner back in 2002 when Ford was purging some of its old concept cars from its storage facilities.
In short, the Via is a cool looking concept car, and is certainly a very interesting albeit obscure bit of company history. The auction is scheduled to end on June 15th, and as mentioned, the bid is currently holding at $1,700. If you want to check out the listing for yourself (or perhaps even bid on it) we have included a link to the listing here.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.