Plymouth Prowler

Plymouth Prowler

Manufacturer	Chrysler Corporation DaimlerChrysler
Also called	Chrysler Prowler
Production	1997, 1999-2002
Assembly	Shadyside, Ohio, United States Detroit, Michigan, United States
Successor	Chrysler Crossfire
Class	Sports car
Body style(s)	2-door roadster
Layout	FR layout
Platform	Chrysler PR platform
Engine(s)	3.5 L EGJ V6
Transmission(s)	4-speed 42LE automatic
Wheelbase	113.3 in (2878 mm)
Length	165.3 in (4199 mm)
Width	76.5 in (1943 mm)
Height	50.9 in (1293 mm)

The Plymouth Prowler is a "retro" styled production car built in 1997 and 1999-2002. The Prowler was based on the 1993 concept car of the same name.

Design

The design of the Prowler was said to have been inspired after Chrysler engineers were given free rein to create whatever they wanted in a "hot rod" or "sportster" type vehicle. One of the most striking design features of the Prowler are the open, Indy racer style front wheels.

Although he is officially uncredited, car designer Chip Foose's Chrysler sponsored senior project car at Pasadena's Art Center College of Design, which he dubbed the Hemisfear, evolved into the Plymouth Prowler.^[1]

The Prowler featured a powertrain lifted from Chrysler's LH-cars, a 3.5L SOHC V6 producing 214 horsepower (160 kW). For the 1999 model year the engine was replaced with a more powerful 253 hp (189 kW) version of the engine. Both engines were coupled to a 4-speed Autostick automatic transmission. The transmission is located at the rear of the vehicle and joined to the engine by a flexible driveshaft that rotates at engine speed, an arrangement is similar to that used by the C5 Corvette, Porsche 944 and Alfa Romeo 75, and helped to facilitate a desirable 50-50 front-rear weight distribution. The Prowler was the first rear-wheel drive Plymouth since the 1989 Plymouth Gran Fury.

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

Production

The Production figures for the 1997-2001 Plymouth Prowler and 2001-2002 Chrysler Prowler.

Rear

After the Plymouth marque was discontinued in 2001 the Prowler was sold as a Chrysler. The last Prowler rolled off the assembly line on February 15 2002, and the model niche was later filled by the Chrysler Crossfire in 2004.

Colors

At one point or another the Prowler was available in one of the following twelve colors:

• Prowler Purple Metallic (only color available in 1997)
• Prowler Yellow Clear Coat
• Prowler Black Clear Coat
• Prowler Red Clear Coat
• 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)

Purple Metallic

Orange Pearl

Bright Silver Metallic

Black

Prices

The original retail base prices each year for the Prowler:

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

For an additional cost a Prowler trailer option was available. These trailers, sold through Chrysler dealerships, resembled the back end of a Prowler but had smaller versions of the five spoke wheels found on the car. They could be ordered to match a car's factory color.

Legacy

The Prowler is credited with starting the retro trend that other manufacturers have since embraced with the production of various retro styled vehicles.^{[citation needed]} The styling behind the Chrysler PT Cruiser is thought to have been inspired in part by the Prowler. Other retro vehicles to follow the Prowler include Chevrolet's SSR, HHR, and the 2010 Camaro, as well as the 2008 Dodge Challenger.

• 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 with in 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.^[2]

• 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 all new 4.7L PowerTech V8 replaced the production model's 3.5L V6. A Borg-Warner 5-speed manual replaced the production 4-speed automatic.

Tenth anniversary

• Chrysler Corporation hosted, for the Prowler Owners Association, a 10th Anniversary Celebration on August 16, 2007 at the Walter P. Chrysler Museum in Auburn Hills, MI to commemorate the production of the Plymouth Prowler in 1997. The attendance for this Prowler event was 185 Prowlers and over 350 owners.

• In conjunction with the 2007 Michigan Woodward Dream Cruise a limited edition poster dedicated to the 10th Anniversary was released by the ProwlTalk group. Entitled 'Commemorating a Decade of Prowlers 1997-2007' the poster featured the two-tone Woodward Edition Prowler.

• A limited edition photobook dedicated to the 10th anniversary was released, also entitled 'Commemorating a Decade of Prowlers 1997-2007'. The photobook was available in custom colors and cover materials.

• A limited set of Prowler Commemorative Stamps, featuring 6 different designs, of black, silver, orange, red, purple, and yellow was released. An acrylic floating display showcased the 6 USPS stamps with each set individually numbered.

References

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