GTP Cool Wall: 1997-2002 Plymouth / Chrysler Prowler

[Zenith]

Flawed concept.

The entire culture this car was supposed to capture was built around originality and handcrafted unique cars.

If you try to mass produce it, you're doing it wrong.

If you try to mass produce it out of leftover minivan bits, you're doing it very wrong. Uncool.

Still turns my head though.

 

[The87Dodge]

The K-Car was in production for nearly a decade and has variations like the wagon and 2-door sedan versions.

That's what he's getting at.

I guess I misread his post, then.

 

[-Fred-]

It's perhaps the poster child of the midlife-crisis fashion statement. But it's a convertible with a minivan engine. Kind of like a Sebring.

The ones I've seen on sale recently have also gone for absolutely crazy money, for some reason.

So yeah, uncool.

 

[Ken]

I really disliked this when they came out. But the idea of coming out with this car and flipping of the normal thinking of the time appeals to me in my older life. They wanted to different then what everybody else was doing. They wanted to make ripples. Maybe it doesn't have a V8. Maybe it's the not the prettiest thing. But Plymouth/Chrysler wanted to do it, and they did. That's a solid cool from me.

 

[ScottPuss20]

Oh god no, not this car. It looks horrible and doesn't have a proper Hemi V8 in it for crying out loud. Why Chrysler why? Uncool.

 

[SVT Cobra GT]

Massive headturner. Don't think I've ever seen one up close so they'd be extremely rare here.
Is a shame it doesn't have a V8 but it's got a decent amount of power and it's all about being seen in.

Solid cool.

 

[AlvaroF]

I praise Chrysler for trying. But that's it. It came out bloated and ugly as sin. People say it's rubbish to drive and quite disappointing that doesn't have a V8 (not just performance, but drama. Drama is important for this car). It was extremely cool when I was 6, it isn't now. Also a Hot Rod shouldn't be mass produced. It would turn my head though.

Seriously Uncool

 

[Sage Ages]

It looks horrible and doesn't have a proper Hemi V8 in it for crying out loud.

As mentioned before, the Hemi didn't exist at this time. All they had what the Magnum engines, which weren't that spectacular.

 

[Vegard]

You have to applaud the fact that they produced this car but it's not cool.

 

[MoLiEG]

Subzero.

Yeah, I have issues.

 

[Wiegert]

'Plymouth Prowler' sounds like something the media would coin in the wake of somebody getting away with certain criminal activities in a certain Devonshire town.

Other than that, it's one of the most characterful concepts that went into production at a time when almost every other model they offered was composed of three dull boxes moulded together and the odd jellybean. But at the same time it's just too gauche for a throwback design.

One for the guilty pleasures collection. Uncool.

The owners all look like Guy Fieri too.

You are what you drive and you drive what you... are?

 

[Fastcarguy]

When I was in the Bahamas a few years ago, these things were everywhere. Ive always liked these. Solid cool.

 

[MisterWaffles]

This doesn't change my vote, but...

Kill it, please...

 

[Turbo]

If your car is a "factory hot rod", than something is definitely not right.

Uncool.

 

[ScottPuss20]

As mentioned before, the Hemi didn't exist at this time. All they had what the Magnum engines, which weren't that spectacular.

What?

 

[Grandea GTR]

What?

The HEMI engine came back in 2003, a year after the Prowler stopped being produced. The only V8 engine available at the time was the Magnum engine found in the Ram and Durango, which itself had about as comparable horsepower as the V6 engine used in the Prowler.

 

[Northstar]

I loved these things when they first came out, of course around that time I was also into NSync.

I have no clue what I was thinking in either case.

Seriously Uncool.

 

[INEEDNAWZZZ]

Absolutely bonkers that the thing was even green lit for production, and I do really like the aesthetics of it.

Unfortunately, I can always picture balding middle aged men wearing Ed Hardy shirts in these. Uncool.

 

[axletramp]

If you want to stand out either buy a Prowler or have '****head' branded on your forehead. Different approach, same result.

SU.

 

[Tornado]

Oh god no, not this car. It looks horrible and doesn't have a proper Hemi V8 in it for crying out loud. Why Chrysler why? Uncool.

Only about half of that huge amount of space under the hood of a Prowler is space an engine can fit in:

And just to switch to the better breathing, much more powerful V6 in 1999 they needed to do some rejiggering:

Ignoring that the Hemi didn't exist until the year after the Prowler went out of production, that engine bay wasn't designed for a 90 degree V8. When Plymouth put the Howler concept together, they appeared to design a completely bespoke chassis brace:

And the cover section between the headlights might be bracing as well. And that was for a brand new V8 engine that debuted in 1999 that was physically smaller and lighter than the V8 that Chrysler had in 1997. Lingenfelter got one to fit without any problems:

But Lingenfelter also used a SBC, which is a more compact engine than the Hemi (which is already a smaller engine than the 5.9 and 4.7):

I mean, you can start chopping out all of the body bracing (...) to free up a few more inches, and that is what seems to be done for most Prowler engine swaps; but also note where the radiator is in relation to the factory engine. Even in the Lingenfelter build you had piping that looked like this:

Now, certainly, Chrysler should have maybe supercharged it or gave it a racy cam or something, but as far as actual engine layout goes the Intrepid engine was the best they realistically could have done.

 

[-Fred-]

2JZ all the things!

 

[Cano]

Hot rods aren't mass produced. Uncool. Seriously so.

Flawed concept.

The entire culture this car was supposed to capture was built around originality and handcrafted unique cars.

If you try to mass produce it, you're doing it wrong.

If you try to mass produce it out of leftover minivan bits, you're doing it very wrong. Uncool.

Still turns my head though.

If your car is a "factory hot rod", than something is definitely not right.

Uncool.

THISTHISTHISTHISTHISALLOFTHIS.

This car is a purple oxymoron. A factory-made street rod. Nope.

 

[7up747]

'Plymouth Prowler' sounds like something the media would coin in the wake of somebody getting away with certain criminal activities in a certain Devonshire town.

Other than that, it's one of the most characterful concepts that went into production at a time when almost every other model they offered was composed of three dull boxes moulded together and the odd jellybean. But at the same time it's just too gauche for a throwback design.

One for the guilty pleasures collection. Uncool.



You are what you drive and you drive what you... are?

View attachment 536589

That Chrysler is california kid inspired.

 

[Leonidae@MFT]

Hideous car made even more undesired by sad excuse of a transmission. SU.

 

[LM7325]

Well its no Eaton Fuller 18 speed that's for sure, of course most every transmission looks like a sad excuse next to one of those.