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Plymouth Prowler: Rare, Retro Hot Road
By Matthew C. Keegan
One of the most intriguing models built by Chrysler over its long and sometimes rocky history is the Plymouth Prowler, a retro-styled hot rod first introduced for the 1997 model year. That car had a short production run with just over eleven thousand copies built.
Over its final two years of existence the Prowler was sold as a Chrysler model, surviving the closure of Plymouth but canceled after the 2002 model year. Let's take a look at this unusual car, how it came into existence, it's rarity, and what all that means for current owners of the Mopar hot rod.
Built on an advanced aluminum frame and using the same 3.5L V6 engine (paired with a four speed auto-stick transmission) that powered Chrysler's LH line of full sized rear wheel drive cars, the Prowler shared two important distinctions with the Dodge Viper: it was rare and it was hand built at the same Connor Avenue facility in Detroit as the Viper.
Prop Up Plymouth
The idea for a Plymouth hot rod goes back to at least the early 1990s. At the 1993 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, a concept of the Prowler was introduced. Chrysler wanted to field a distinct, but unusual model to draw attention to its flagging Plymouth brand, so it gave its design team license to come up with a number or creative ideas. Soon, the Prowler emerged as the front-runner and the concept was developed thanks to a vehicle based on a Chip Foose design.
The concept Prowler was received with critical acclaim and was shown "as is" for the 1994 Detroit show too. Several months later Chrysler gave the car its go-ahead, beginning a near three year process to find a facility, hire suppliers, tweak its engineering, and finalize stamping.
Production Ready Model
Appearing as a concept once again at the 1995 Detroit auto show, a pre-production model was rolled out at the 1996 show, but it wouldn't be until June 1997 that the first production model was introduced. Keep in mind that the Plymouth Prowler came to the market before Chrysler was absorbed by Daimler, a 1998 move which soon killed off Plymouth, eventually shut down the Prowler, and eventually resulted in the automaker being sold off once again, filing for bankruptcy, and teamed up with Fiat where it finds itself today.
Now back to the Prowler.
This two seat Roadster saw only 457 units built for the 1997 model year, however no 1998 model was produced as Chrysler completed several engineering tweaks and introduced a number of new colors. By the time the next batch of Prowlers were ready for public consumption, Chrysler designated those cars as 1999 Prowlers, producing nearly 4,000 units in its first full year of production.
Over the course of the next two years, nearly 6,000 additional Prowlers were built. When Plymouth was closed all 2002 Prowlers were sold as Chrysler models, but production dipped below 1500 units and the model was canceled.
Prowler Holds Its Value
Today, the Prowler is probably as prized for its outstanding resale value as it is for its power. That first year model was rarest of them all, but it only produced 214 horsepower while subsequent Prowlers produced 253 horsepower. In any case the $35,000 price for the '97 model shows a Kelley Blue Book (KBB) private party value of just over $19,000 with the 2002 Chrysler Prowler able to fetch at least $32,000.
Clearly, the car's worth will only increase over time which means that current owners can enjoy their rides now while also knowing that the Prowler will remain a hot rod commodity for years to come.
Resources:
della Cava, M. (2007). Chip foose overhaulin' mainstream designs. USA Today, Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2007-03-01-chip-foose_N.htm doi: 28017602
Weitzman, Larry. (1999). The 1999 Plymouth Prowler, the finest in show with lots of go. The Auto Channel, Retrieved from http://www.theautochannel.com/vehicles/new/reviews/1999/lweitzman_plymouth_prowler.html doi: 19990507
Wilson, Greg. (2000, January 4). Test Drive: 2000 Plymouth Prowler. Canadian Driver, Retrieved from http://www.canadiandriver.com/2000/01/04/test-drive-2000-plymouth-prowler.htm
One of the most intriguing models built by Chrysler over its long and sometimes rocky history is the Plymouth Prowler, a retro-styled hot rod first introduced for the 1997 model year. That car had a short production run with just over eleven thousand copies built.
Over its final two years of existence the Prowler was sold as a Chrysler model, surviving the closure of Plymouth but canceled after the 2002 model year. Let's take a look at this unusual car, how it came into existence, it's rarity, and what all that means for current owners of the Mopar hot rod.
Built on an advanced aluminum frame and using the same 3.5L V6 engine (paired with a four speed auto-stick transmission) that powered Chrysler's LH line of full sized rear wheel drive cars, the Prowler shared two important distinctions with the Dodge Viper: it was rare and it was hand built at the same Connor Avenue facility in Detroit as the Viper.
Prop Up Plymouth
The idea for a Plymouth hot rod goes back to at least the early 1990s. At the 1993 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, a concept of the Prowler was introduced. Chrysler wanted to field a distinct, but unusual model to draw attention to its flagging Plymouth brand, so it gave its design team license to come up with a number or creative ideas. Soon, the Prowler emerged as the front-runner and the concept was developed thanks to a vehicle based on a Chip Foose design.
The concept Prowler was received with critical acclaim and was shown "as is" for the 1994 Detroit show too. Several months later Chrysler gave the car its go-ahead, beginning a near three year process to find a facility, hire suppliers, tweak its engineering, and finalize stamping.
Production Ready Model
Appearing as a concept once again at the 1995 Detroit auto show, a pre-production model was rolled out at the 1996 show, but it wouldn't be until June 1997 that the first production model was introduced. Keep in mind that the Plymouth Prowler came to the market before Chrysler was absorbed by Daimler, a 1998 move which soon killed off Plymouth, eventually shut down the Prowler, and eventually resulted in the automaker being sold off once again, filing for bankruptcy, and teamed up with Fiat where it finds itself today.
Now back to the Prowler.
This two seat Roadster saw only 457 units built for the 1997 model year, however no 1998 model was produced as Chrysler completed several engineering tweaks and introduced a number of new colors. By the time the next batch of Prowlers were ready for public consumption, Chrysler designated those cars as 1999 Prowlers, producing nearly 4,000 units in its first full year of production.
Over the course of the next two years, nearly 6,000 additional Prowlers were built. When Plymouth was closed all 2002 Prowlers were sold as Chrysler models, but production dipped below 1500 units and the model was canceled.
Prowler Holds Its Value
Today, the Prowler is probably as prized for its outstanding resale value as it is for its power. That first year model was rarest of them all, but it only produced 214 horsepower while subsequent Prowlers produced 253 horsepower. In any case the $35,000 price for the '97 model shows a Kelley Blue Book (KBB) private party value of just over $19,000 with the 2002 Chrysler Prowler able to fetch at least $32,000.
Clearly, the car's worth will only increase over time which means that current owners can enjoy their rides now while also knowing that the Prowler will remain a hot rod commodity for years to come.
Resources:
della Cava, M. (2007). Chip foose overhaulin' mainstream designs. USA Today, Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2007-03-01-chip-foose_N.htm doi: 28017602
Weitzman, Larry. (1999). The 1999 Plymouth Prowler, the finest in show with lots of go. The Auto Channel, Retrieved from http://www.theautochannel.com/vehicles/new/reviews/1999/lweitzman_plymouth_prowler.html doi: 19990507
Wilson, Greg. (2000, January 4). Test Drive: 2000 Plymouth Prowler. Canadian Driver, Retrieved from http://www.canadiandriver.com/2000/01/04/test-drive-2000-plymouth-prowler.htm
