Plymouth Prowler

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Plymouth Prowler
DaimlerChrysler, based on the 1993 concept car
of the same name.

The Prowler was offered in a single generation in a front-engine, rear-drive, rear-transmission configuration—with an overall production of 11,702.

Design

Rear

Chrysler engineers were given free rein to design whatever they wanted in a "

Art Center College of Design. This resulted in a thesis by Douglas "Chip" Foose, which included drawings of a retro-roadster.[4] Foose "designed it as a coupe for Chrysler to begin with but modified it to a roadster version."[5]

One of the most striking design features of the Prowler is the open,

Indy
racer-style front wheels. The Prowler featured a
rear-wheel drive Plymouth since the 1989 discontinuation of the Plymouth Gran Fury
and would stand as the last Plymouth model with that layout. While criticized for having only a V6 engine, Chrysler's High Output 3.5 had a horsepower rating similar to (or higher than) the company's Magnum V8s of that era. While not making nearly as much torque as a V8, the Prowler's light weight helped to achieve rapid off-the-line acceleration.

The car prominently featured aluminum construction, in many cases adhesively bonded, chiefly in the chassis. The body was produced in Shadyside, Ohio, and the car was assembled by hand at the Conner Avenue Assembly Plant (CAAP) in Detroit, Michigan.

Features

Interior

Unlike the

airbags, leather-trimmed bucket seats, air conditioning with manual controls, an AM/FM stereo with a cassette player (a multi-disc CD changer was an available option as well) and a high-fidelity sound system, a leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio system controls mounted on the rear of the wheel, a color-keyed instrument panel bezel painted to match the exterior color of the Prowler (a similar feature found on the Chrysler PT Cruiser, which was also originally intended to be sold as a Plymouth
), digital odometer and full instrumentation, and, on later models, a speed-sensitive volume control activated via a switch mounted on the Prowler's instrument panel.

Performance

Production

Purple Metallic
Black
Bright Silver Metallic
Yellow
Orange pearl coat

The Plymouth Prowler was produced for 1997 and then for the 1999 and 2000 model years. After the Plymouth

Chrysler
Prowler for the 2001 and 2002 model years. However, DaimlerChrysler continued to market the Prowler as a Plymouth in Canada for the 2000 model year; the Prowler was the last Plymouth sold in Canada.

Model year production figures[9]
1997 457
1999 3,921
2000 2,746
2001 3,142
2002 1,436
Total Plymouth Prowlers 8,532
Total Chrysler Prowlers 3,170
Grand total production 11,702

The last Prowler was built on February 15, 2002, and the model niche was later filled by the Chrysler Crossfire in 2004.

Colors

Across the two production runs, the Prowler was available in 12 colors.[10]

  • Prowler purple metallic (only color available in 1997)
  • Prowler yellow clear coat
  • Prowler black clearcoat
  • Prowler red clearcoat
  • Prowler bright silver metallic
  • Woodward Edition (two-tone black/red)
  • Black Tie Edition (two-tone black/silver)
  • Prowler orange pearl coat
  • Midnight blue pearl coat – Mulholland Edition
  • Inca gold pearl coat
  • Deep candy red pearl coat
  • High voltage blue pearl coat – Conner Avenue Edition (only one produced, auctioned at Christie's)[11]

Other features

  • Wheels front: 17" × 7"
  • Wheels rear: 20" × 10"
  • Tires front: 225/45 HR17
  • Tires rear: 295/40 HR20
  • Brakes front/rear: composite 11" vented disc / 13" vented disc
  • Towing capacity: 1,000 lbs (braked trailer)

Pricing

Prowler with trailer
Prowler Woodward Edition

The original manufacturer's

suggested retail price
(in US$) for each model year for the Prowler:

  • 1997 – $38,300
  • 1999 – $39,300
  • 2000 – $43,000
  • 2001 – $44,225
  • 2002 – $44,625

Due to limited trunk space, a $5,000 Prowler trailer option was available from Chrysler dealers. These trailers resembled the back end of a Prowler and had 15-inch versions of the five-spoke wheels found on the car.[12] They could be ordered to match a car's factory color. The cars were equipped with a trailer hitch to accommodate the trailer option; however, a warning was affixed to the hitch indicating that it was not to be used to tow any other trailer such as for a boat, camper, etc. Doing so would void the factory warranty.[13]

Legacy

A 1999 Plymouth Prowler at the Vintage Grill & Car Museum in Weatherford, Texas

In 1998, a Plymouth Prowler was sealed in a mausoleum as a time capsule in Tulsa, Oklahoma. While similar in concept to the buried 1957 Plymouth Belvedere that formerly resided near the courthouse, the buried Prowler was sealed in Centennial Park in an above-ground vault and sealed within a plastic box instead of plastic sheets that covered the Belvedere. Experts believe the Prowler has a better chance of looking how it did when it was sealed when the time capsule is opened in 2048 when it will be returned to Chrysler.[14]

In 1999, at the

Specialty Equipment Market Association's annual car show in Las Vegas, Nevada, Chrysler unveiled the Plymouth Howler concept. Inspired by hot rod trucks, and based on the Prowler, the Howler featured a small, truck-like bed with a tailgate and hard tonneau cover. Under the hood, an adapted version of Jeep's new 4.7L PowerTech V8 engine replaced the production model's 3.5L V6. A BorgWarner five-speed manual
replaced the production four-speed automatic.

Chrysler Corporation hosted a tenth-anniversary celebration on August 16, 2007, at the Walter P. Chrysler Museum in Auburn Hills, Michigan, to commemorate the production of the Plymouth Prowler in 1997.

References

  1. ^ Navarro, Tammy T. (14 May 2017). "1997 Chrysler Prowler Curb Weight". weightle.com. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  2. ^ "Can Chrysler Keep It Up?". Businessweek. 24 November 1996. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  3. ^ "Design". Bulletin with Newsweek. Vol. 115. Australia. 1993. p. 38. Retrieved 15 November 2015 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ "Retro design". Automobile. Vol. 14. 1999. p. 302. Retrieved 15 November 2015 – via Google Books.
  5. . Retrieved 15 November 2015 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ a b "Is $55,000 for Plymouth Prowler crazy or the new normal?". 21 November 2018. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  7. ^ "1997 Plymouth Prowler full range specs". automobile-catalog.com.
  8. ^ a b "Plymouth Prowler Roadster Review and Images". myautoworld.com.
  9. ^ "Facts & Stats ProwlerOnline.Com Plymouth/Chrysler Prowler Owners Association". prowleronline.com. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  10. ^ McCourt, Mark J. (29 January 2015). "Red, White and Bold: 1999 Plymouth Prowler brochure". hemmings.com. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  11. ^ "Last Chrysler Prowler to roll off assembly line to be auctioned at Christie's". Autoweek. 2 May 2002. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  12. ^ "Original-Owner 1999 Plymouth Prowler w/Trailer". bringatrailer.com. 16 July 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  13. ^ Clarke, Adam (8 November 2022). "Trailer Included: 1997 Plymouth Prowler". Barn Finds. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  14. ^ "Centennial Park & Central Senior Center". TulsaWalk.com. Retrieved 15 November 2015.

External links