Michael Satterfield
Here at The Gentleman Racer®, we love funky cars and the Ford Ka the cool 90’s hatchback and roadster that never made it to the USA is about as funky as it gets. But this one of a kind Ghia built Turing Ka is the holy grail of weird Radwood-era euro-hatches and it now resides in a private collection in Florida.
The 4-door, 4-seater concept car based on the Ford Ka, was unveiled on the Ghia stand at the Turin International Motor Show in 1998. The design was Ghia’s take on a compact yet sophisticated sports wagon that would be at home in the tight streets of urban Europe and a weekend getaway to the country. Much of the bodywork used came directly from the production Ka hatchback, however, the car received wider wheel arches to accept the larger 17″ wheels and 205/40 tires.
“Ka has an extremely inspirational and thought-provoking design. You really feel a passion for Ka and want to take the concept into new territories and different roles, to build on its success. That is exactly what we have done here,” said the head of Ghia, Filippo Sapino.
The interior was trimmed in custom leather with grey burlwood like bezels on the dash and body colored interior accents. The Turing Ka was fitted with the 1.7-liter Zetec engine making just over 125hp as well as 4-wheel disc brakes complete the performance credentials. While the car would never see production the first generation Ka saw success from 1996-2008 before being replaced by a new version that was based on the platform of the revived Fiat 500.
The Turing Ka isn’t street legal to drive in the US so don’t expect to see it driving around the streets of Florida, however, it is fully functional and does make appearances at special events from time to time.
