Plymouth Prowler looks like a souped-up Fifties street 'rod
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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CHICAGO, Ill. -- Prowling down I-94 on a fast track to Chicago, a driver spotted flashing lights of a red car in the rearview mirror -- and closing fast, despite the test car's speedometer pegged at legal freeway speed.
That chase vehicle, a crimson Corvette, suddenly popped up beside me. Its driver, scrutinizing the outrageous design of my prototype purple tester, wore an ear-to-ear grin as he signaled with both thumbs up.
"Cool!" He mouthed.
And so it is: Prowler, Plymouth's too-cool showcar, reaches production reality bearing high-tech components conformed with slinky curves and exposed front wheels capped by bicycle fenders in a package resembling a street 'rod lifted from the Fifties.
Styled with lines similar to Ford's '36 Roadster, Prowler comes with the world's first production chassis cast from light-weight aluminum. It packs a V6 engine that applies power to humongous 20-inch rear Goodyears, sets a bathtub cockpit aboard with space for only two seats, then adds a knock-your-ears-off sound package and shows but a single color -- Prowler Purple.
What's going on here?
Bob Lutz, Chrysler's president and the man who envisioned the Viper roadster to kindle a new spirit for Dodge, considers Prowler the vehicle that will for the near future embody the spirit of the once-stodgy Plymouth brand.
The idea for Prowler emerged from a 1990 idea fair at Chrysler's Pacifica Design Studios in Carlsbad, Calif. By 1993, a full-size mock-up debuted at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
As exciting as that concept looked, no one expected to see Prowler in production because that's the way with concept cars -- few way-out ideas turn into on-the-street realities for sale at dealer showrooms.
My first close encounter with Prowler occurred later in 1993 during a hands-on inspection of the concept car parked in an atrium of Pacifica's studio. It was so off-the-wall, so extreme -- the exposed front wheels, high-back rear, bathtub cockpit and custom-capped convertible top -- that the mind went wild imagining what it would be like to prowl the boulevards in this purple cruiser.
Two days of tests last summer in a prototype Prowler on backroads around Lake Geneva, Wisc., followed by a dash into the spotlight of Chicago's Loop, revealed that this new Plymouth will turn every neck on the street and draw a crowd no matter where you steer it.
It feels rock-solid to drive, takes tight curves in a flat stance that will surprise the uninitiated, and, despite the extreme exterior design, provides plush interior features for comfort on the boulevard.
Consider Prowler an ultimate exercise in design and production for Chrysler, which plans to apply many of the techniques devised for this hot-rod on future family cars.
Prowler scores a number of innovations, not the least of which comes out of the knowledge gained in developing the first aluminum production chassis. A new type of aluminum was coined for Prowler -- Alcoa #6022 -- that's highly malleable but provides the strength of steel.
The light-weight metal also appears in front suspension upper arms, seat frames and body panels for hood, side sections, twin doors and that hump-back curved trunk deck, plus those wing-like bumpers proceeding Prowler.
Further, rear disc brake rotors of aluminum represent another first for production-car applications.
Plastics also have their place in Prowler. Namely, sheet-molding compounds show up for front bicycle fenders, side rocker panels and the rear curved body.
Examine the list of components and you'll also discover that Prowler contains a number of parts borrowed and modified from other production cars in Chrysler's stable.
The V6 engine belongs to Eagle's sporty sedan, Vision, and ditto for the AutoStick automatic transmission with shift-it-yourself feature.
Jeep Wrangler's nice new steering wheel also comes on Prowler, as does the air conditioning system from Chrysler minivans and power windows taken from Dodge's Ram pickup.
Parts is parts, as they say, and there's nothing wrong with requisitioning the existing when borrowing seems efficient, yet Prowler also makes marks with innovations like its die-cast magnesium instrument panel and bolstered cockpit seats with interior foam padding injected only after leather upholstery is stretched across the aluminum frames.
The passenger compartment seems as radical as Prowler's exterior shape.
A bold purple oval on the dashboard clusters retro-look white-on-black gauges, save for the round tachometer that mounts to the steering column like after-market speed gear.
Seats feel firmly comfortable, and the cockpit provides ample legroom even for full-frame figures. With that bathtub design, door sills come clear up to your chin but visibility's excellent with the top down.
The black convertible top, simple to raise and lower manually, contains a glass rear window and when up brings the look of a custom-made lid with arched back bow. Despite its slinky appearance, interior headroom's good.
What you don't get with Prowler is trunk space, as the unique design of that bent behind sets up a broad-but-shallow compartment suited strictly for a hanging bag. But who wants to haul luggage with this thing, anyway? (A look-alike trailer for those with too much gear has already been designed as one of few accessories.)
For power, the 3.5-liter V8 out of Chrysler's LH cars pedals 214 horsepower. It won't pin your neck to the seat with drag starts in the manner of Viper, although with Prowler's light-weight package the plant serves adequately.
A 4-speed automatic transmission, positioned behind the cockpit to improve weight balance, adds a console lever with clutchless shift-it-yourself manual stick. The clever arrangement allows you to move from full automatic to selective shifting, gear by gear.
Prowler comes to market in only one trim, although you should expect an instant industry of after-market gadgets to emerge for custom modifications.
The rarest aspect of Prowler may be production numbers because only 3,000 will roll out of Chrysler's Connor Avenue Assembly Plant in Detroit as 1997 issues. With prices pinned below $40,000, fans will fight for this 'rod.
1997 PLYMOUTH PROWLER
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| 1997 PLYMOUTH PROWLER VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS |
| Description: |
Retro roadster |
| Model Options: |
Retro roadster |
| Wheelbase: |
113.0 inches |
| Overall Length: |
165.0 inches
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| Engine Size: |
SOHC 3.5-L V6
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| Transmission: |
Auto/4 AutoStick |
| Drive: |
Rear |
| Braking: |
Power 4-disc |
| Airbags: |
2 |
| Gas Mileage: |
18/26 mpg |
| MSRP Price: |
$ 35,000 to $ 40,000 |
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