While strolling the crowded halls of the 2024 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, I stumbled upon something truly unexpected: the 1969 Adams Brothers Probe 16. This car wasn’t just another showpiece; it is a time capsule of automotive design and movie history. Parked among rows of cutting-edge builds and custom creations. Though it was half-hidden beneath a car cover, once I spotted the car, it was impossible to ignore.
The Adams Probe 16 is no ordinary collector’s car. According to Bonhams Auction House, it is one of only three chassis ever built by brothers Dennis and Peter Adams. Known for their boundary-pushing designs, the Adams Brothers envisioned the Probe 16 as a glimpse into the future of motoring. With its wildly futuristic body and low slung chassis, the car was designed to be both experimental and provocative.
Of the three cars built, two have been neglected over the decades and are now in need of restoration. The one I saw at SEMA is the most original and unrestored example in existence. A true survivor, it has weathered the decades without being dismantled, modified, or forgotten.
The car made its debut back in October 1969 at the London Motor Show. Powered by a BMC 1.8-liter OHV inline 4-cylinder engine that was tuned by JanSpeed, the powerplant is mounted transversely in the chassis, probably more out of necessity than performance.
But what really cemented the Probe 16’s place in pop culture was its role in Stanley Kubrick’s dystopian 1971 film A Clockwork Orange. Renamed the “Durango 95” in the film, it served as the surreal and sinister mode of transportation for the gang of Droogs led by Malcolm McDowell’s Alex DeLarge. That brief screen appearance made the Probe 16 a cult classic among car lovers and movie buffs alike.
After its cameo in the movie, the Probe 16 spent much of the 1970s and 1980s in Canada before returning to the U.K. around 1990. From April 2019 through March 2020, the car was part of the “Hollywood Dream Machines – Vehicles of Science Fiction and Fantasy” exhibit at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. This curated event featured more than 40 iconic screen-used vehicles from movies and video games. The Probe 16 was a fitting addition, since its radical lines still look more like science fiction than reality, even half a century after its creation.
Seeing this car in person at SEMA was such an unexpected surprise. This obscure, hand-built, British sports car turned movie star was the last thing I expected to see at the convention for aftermarket and modified car parts. The juxtaposition of this artsy, postwar machine sitting among modern custom builds and being used to promote car covers made the moment even more surreal. All I could do was smile and snap some photos before moving on to the next booth, and the next car. You truly never know what you might come across at the SEMA Show!
