Plymouth Prowler: the first factory hot rod

Imagine this picture: you enter a car dealership, and there is a hot rod right in the middle of a huge hall. Brand new and – no matter how amazing it may sound – branded, with nameplates from a well-known manufacturer. Because this hot rod is not a custom car, assembled in a single copy – it is a factory assembly. The dealer offers you a choice of colors, options – and very soon you will become the owner of a completely new one, right down to the last nut of the hot rod, without mileage, and even with a factory warranty! Fiction? Not quite. There was a short period of history when all of the above was a reality. Not without its nuances, of course, but first things first.

Plymouth Prowler and the history of its appearance

As with many other interesting experiments in the automotive industry, Chrysler is solely responsible for this story. In 1990, they offered the final year students of a prestigious institution called the Art Center College of Design as a graduation project to develop a car for a “narrow segment of the market.” Chip Fuze, who was sixteen at the time, was among those students, and, of course, he was happy to start designing a new car. But Chip did not want to create a car for one of the existing segments – instead, Comrade Fuz created a new generation hot rod called Hemisfear. It was a car for that category of people whose tastes referred back to the 1940s rather than the 90s.

The prototype in a single copy was created in the 93rd year, and, it seems, the story should have ended there. When looking at the concept car, it seems immediately clear that this is just another car for the show, just a demonstration of the company’s capabilities and nothing more. After all, no concern would undertake to implement such a radical and obviously non-commercial solution that goes against almost all the tastes of the modern consumer and differs so much from the standard city car. After all, a Chrysler is not some kind of Caterham, right?

Plymouth Prowler Concept Vehicle in the Autoweek January 1993 issue. — In the January 93 issue of Autoweek magazine, it is mentioned that Chrysler was already thinking about mass production of the Prowler. In addition, the Mitsubishi Aluma Coupe is mentioned in a short paragraph, saying that only an American company can understand American traditions and express due respect for them.

It turned out to be incorrect. Chrysler has gone once again… in an interesting way. In 1996, when deciding what to release and consolidate the success of the Dodge Viper model, someone in the company drew attention to a 93-year-old concept car built with an eye to the sketches of Chip Fuza. It is impossible to say for sure why the appearance of the new car was inspired by such unusual ideas. Perhaps it was just that no one in the company had a better idea: after all, the Viper was a very radical and distinctive car, which meant that the car following it should have been the same in spirit. Or maybe it was just the fact that Chrysler’s design director at that time was a hot rod enthusiast. Anyway, all the maps were put together in such a way that the world saw, in fact, the first and only factory hot rod – the Plymouth Prowler.

The Aluma Coupe mentioned above was built by none other than Boyd Coddington himself. It was planned to make this car the most common V8 hot rod for Larry Erickson, one of Cadillac's designers. But at some point in the construction, Mitsubishi joined the business, wanting to create a show car in order to promote its products on the American market. Thus, it turned out to be quite a classic-looking hot rod, stuffed to the brim with Japanese spare parts. Including a turbocharged linear four-cylinder engine - exactly the same was on the Mitsubishi Eclipse of those years. Of course, no one was going to let the Aluma Coupe into the series, and therefore there was no need to worry about bumpers and other small things. And who in their right mind would buy a hot rod with a linear engine, and even a Japanese one? In the American custom scene, even the V6 is not particularly in high esteem, and the Asian line would simply be ridiculed. But as an outlandish show car, the Aluma Coupe was quite a success and attracted due attention, both negative and positive.
The Aluma Coupe mentioned above was built by none other than Boyd Coddington himself. It was planned to make this car the most common V8 hot rod for Larry Erickson, one of Cadillac's designers. But at some point in the construction, Mitsubishi joined the business, wanting to create a show car in order to promote its products on the American market. Thus, it turned out to be quite a classic-looking hot rod, stuffed to the brim with Japanese spare parts. Including a turbocharged linear four-cylinder engine - exactly the same was on the Mitsubishi Eclipse of those years. Of course, no one was going to let the Aluma Coupe into the series, and therefore there was no need to worry about bumpers and other small things. And who in their right mind would buy a hot rod with a linear engine, and even a Japanese one? On the American custom scene, even the V6 is not particularly in high esteem, and the Asian line would simply be ridiculed. But as an outlandish show car, the Aluma Coupe was quite a success and attracted due attention, both negative and positive.
The Aluma Coupe mentioned above was built by none other than Boyd Coddington himself. It was planned to make this car the most common V8 hot rod for Larry Erickson, one of Cadillac's designers. But at some point in the construction, Mitsubishi joined the business, wanting to create a show car in order to promote its products on the American market. Thus, it turned out to be quite a classic-looking hot rod, stuffed to the brim with Japanese spare parts. Including a turbocharged linear four-cylinder engine - exactly the same was on the Mitsubishi Eclipse of those years. Of course, no one was going to let the Aluma Coupe into the series, and therefore there was no need to worry about bumpers and other small things. And who in their right mind would buy a hot rod with a linear engine, and even a Japanese one? In the American custom scene, even the V6 is not particularly in high esteem, and the Asian line would simply be ridiculed. But as an outlandish show car, the Aluma Coupe was quite a success and attracted due attention, both negative and positive.
The Aluma Coupe mentioned above was built by none other than Boyd Coddington himself. It was planned to make this car the most common V8 hot rod for Larry Erickson, one of Cadillac's designers. But at some point in the construction, Mitsubishi joined the business, wanting to create a show car in order to promote its products on the American market. Thus, it turned out to be quite a classic-looking hot rod, stuffed to the brim with Japanese spare parts. Including a turbocharged linear four-cylinder engine - exactly the same was on the Mitsubishi Eclipse of those years. Of course, no one was going to let the Aluma Coupe into the series, and therefore there was no need to worry about bumpers and other small things. And who in their right mind would buy a hot rod with a linear engine, and even a Japanese one? In the American custom scene, even the V6 is not particularly in high esteem, and the Asian line would simply be ridiculed. But as an outlandish show car, the Aluma Coupe was quite a success and attracted due attention, both negative and positive.
The Aluma Coupe mentioned above was built by none other than Boyd Coddington himself. It was planned to make this car the most common V8 hot rod for Larry Erickson, one of Cadillac's designers. But at some point in the construction, Mitsubishi joined the business, wanting to create a show car in order to promote its products on the American market. Thus, it turned out to be quite a classic-looking hot rod, stuffed to the brim with Japanese spare parts. Including a turbocharged linear four-cylinder engine - exactly the same was used on the Mitsubishi Eclipse of those years. Of course, no one was going to let the Aluma Coupe into the series, and therefore there was no need to worry about bumpers and other small things. And who in their right mind would buy a hot rod with a linear engine, and even a Japanese one? On the American custom scene, even the V6 is not particularly in high esteem, and the Asian line would simply be ridiculed. But as an outlandish show car, the Aluma Coupe was quite a success and attracted due attention, both negative and positive.
The Aluma Coupe mentioned above was built by none other than Boyd Coddington himself. It was planned to make this car the most common V8 hot rod for Larry Erickson, one of Cadillac's designers. But at some point in the construction, Mitsubishi joined the business, wanting to create a show car in order to promote its products on the American market. Thus, it turned out to be quite a classic-looking hot rod, stuffed to the brim with Japanese spare parts. Including a turbocharged linear four-cylinder engine - exactly the same was on the Mitsubishi Eclipse of those years. Of course, no one was going to let the Aluma Coupe into the series, and therefore there was no need to worry about bumpers and other small things. And who in their right mind would buy a hot rod with a linear engine, and even a Japanese one? In the American custom scene, even the V6 is not particularly in high esteem, and the Asian line would simply be ridiculed. But as an outlandish show car, the Aluma Coupe was quite a success and attracted due attention, both negative and positive.
The Aluma Coupe mentioned above was built by none other than Boyd Coddington himself. It was planned to make this car the most common V8 hot rod for Larry Erickson, one of Cadillac's designers. But at some point in the construction, Mitsubishi joined the business, wanting to create a show car in order to promote its products on the American market. Thus, it turned out to be quite a classic-looking hot rod, stuffed to the brim with Japanese spare parts. Including a turbocharged linear four-cylinder engine - exactly the same was on the Mitsubishi Eclipse of those years. Of course, no one was going to let the Aluma Coupe into the series, and therefore there was no need to worry about bumpers and other small things. And who in their right mind would buy a hot rod with a linear engine, and even a Japanese one? On the American custom scene, even the V6 is not particularly in high esteem, and the Asian line would simply be ridiculed. But as an outlandish show car, the Aluma Coupe was quite a success and attracted due attention, both negative and positive.
The Aluma Coupe mentioned above was built by none other than Boyd Coddington himself. It was planned to make this car the most common V8 hot rod for Larry Erickson, one of Cadillac's designers. But at some point in the construction, Mitsubishi joined the business, wanting to create a show car in order to promote its products on the American market. Thus, it turned out to be quite a classic-looking hot rod, stuffed to the brim with Japanese spare parts. Including a turbocharged linear four-cylinder engine - exactly the same was used on the Mitsubishi Eclipse of those years. Of course, no one was going to let the Aluma Coupe into the series, and therefore there was no need to worry about bumpers and other small things. And who in their right mind would buy a hot rod with a linear engine, and even a Japanese one? On the American custom scene, even the V6 is not particularly in high esteem, and the Asian line would simply be ridiculed. But as an outlandish show car, the Aluma Coupe was quite a success and attracted due attention, both negative and positive.

What else cannot be said for sure is exactly which sketches of Comrade Fuz inspired Chrysler, how many of these sketches there were in total and how much they differed from each other. The fact is that Chip was still able to bring his project to the final: in 2006, a car called Hemisfear was built. It was a classic-looking (especially from the front) coupe, in which the V-shaped eight was located, however, at the back. But the Prowler was a roadster, with an engine two cylinders smaller, and the V6 was located in the old-fashioned way – under the hood of the car. In addition, the design was by no means classic: apart from the body shape, the new Plymouth looked extremely nineties, clearly standing out from the cars of the forties, no matter how you look at it.

The famous Hemisfear of Chip Fuza. Despite the general concept, the differences from the Prowler are radical, even if you remove from it all the legally necessary parts for a production car like bumpers, fenders and other small things. Hemisfear has completely different lines, proportions and curves - and this is not to mention the already mentioned technical stuffing.
The famous Hemisfear of Chip Fuza. Despite the general concept, the differences from the Prowler are radical, even if you remove from it all the legally necessary parts for a production car such as bumpers, fenders and other small things. Hemisfear has completely different lines, proportions and curves - and this is not to mention the already mentioned technical stuffing.
The famous Hemisfear of Chip Fuza. Despite the general concept, the differences from the Prowler are radical, even if you remove from it all the legally necessary parts for a production car such as bumpers, fenders and other small things. Hemisfear has completely different lines, proportions and curves - and this is not to mention the already mentioned technical stuffing.
The famous Hemisfear of Chip Fuza. Despite the general concept, the differences from the Prowler are radical, even if you remove from it all the legally necessary parts for a production car such as bumpers, fenders and other small things. Hemisfear has completely different lines, proportions and curves - and this is not to mention the already mentioned technical stuffing.
The famous Hemisfear of Chip Fuza. Despite the general concept, the differences from the Prowler are radical, even if you remove from it all the legally necessary parts for a production car such as bumpers, fenders and other small things. Hemisfear has completely different lines, proportions and curves - and this is not to mention the already mentioned technical stuffing.
The famous Hemisfear of Chip Fuza. Despite the general concept, the differences from the Prowler are radical, even if you remove from it all the legally necessary parts for a production car like bumpers, fenders and other small things. Hemisfear has completely different lines, proportions and curves - and this is not to mention the already mentioned technical stuffing.
The famous Hemisfear of Chip Fuza. Despite the general concept, the differences from the Prowler are radical, even if you remove from it all the legally necessary parts for a production car such as bumpers, fenders and other small things. Hemisfear has completely different lines, proportions and curves - and this is not to mention the already mentioned technical stuffing.
The famous Hemisfear of Chip Fuza. Despite the general concept, the differences from the Prowler are radical, even if you remove from it all the legally necessary parts for a production car such as bumpers, fenders and other small things. Hemisfear has completely different lines, proportions and curves - and this is not to mention the already mentioned technical stuffing.
The famous Hemisfear of Chip Fuza. Despite the general concept, the differences from the Prowler are radical, even if you remove from it all the legally necessary parts for a production car such as bumpers, fenders and other small things. Hemisfear has completely different lines, proportions and curves - and this is not to mention the already mentioned technical stuffing.
The famous Hemisfear of Chip Fuza. Despite the general concept, the differences from the Prowler are radical, even if you remove from it all the legally necessary parts for a production car such as bumpers, fenders and other small things. Hemisfear has completely different lines, proportions and curves - and this is not to mention the already mentioned technical stuffing.
The famous Hemisfear of Chip Fuza. Despite the general concept, the differences from the Prowler are radical, even if you remove from it all the legally necessary parts for a production car such as bumpers, fenders and other small things. Hemisfear has completely different lines, proportions and curves - and this is not to mention the already mentioned technical stuffing.

Plymouth Prowler and customer reaction

Chrysler decided not to collide the car head-on with its own monster named Viper, and therefore the Prowler was positioned rather not as a fully sports car, but as… a fast but daily car. Therefore, the new Plymouth had a full set of electronics, including a player and an appropriate audio system, leather seats, air conditioning, and so on – while on the Viper, even airbags were sacrificed for speed. Consolidating the success, the V6 engine under the hood of the Prowler was connected to an automatic transmission – there was no manual transmission even in the options.

Of course, the first thing any hot rodder who wants to buy a Prowler does is remove the terrible factory plastic front bumpers. And that's right: if the rear bumper is made more or less organically, and, in general, fits into the lines of the car, then the front bumpers are an absolutely ugly ugliness. They look a little better if you paint them to match the color of the car, but it's quite obvious that just removing them is easier, cheaper, and much more canonical for a hot rod.
Of course, the first thing any hot rodder who wants to buy a Prowler does is remove the terrible factory plastic front bumpers. And that's right: if the rear bumper is made more or less organically, and, in general, fits into the lines of the car, then the front bumpers are an absolutely ugly ugliness. They look a little better if you paint them to match the color of the car, but it's quite obvious that just removing them is easier, cheaper, and much more canonical for a hot rod.
Of course, the first thing any hot rodder who wants to buy a Prowler does is remove the terrible factory plastic front bumpers. And that's right: if the rear bumper is made more or less organically, and, in general, fits into the lines of the car, then the front bumpers are an absolutely ugly ugliness. They look a little better if you paint them to match the color of the car, but it's quite obvious that just removing them is easier, cheaper, and much more canonical for a hot rod.
Of course, the first thing any hot rodder who wants to buy a Prowler does is remove the terrible factory plastic front bumpers. And that's right: if the rear bumper is made more or less organically, and, in general, fits into the lines of the car, then the front bumpers are an absolutely ugly ugliness. They look a little better if you paint them to match the color of the car, but it's quite obvious that just removing them is easier, cheaper, and much more canonical for a hot rod.
Of course, the first thing any hot rodder who wants to buy a Prowler does is remove the terrible factory plastic front bumpers. And that's right: if the rear bumper is made more or less organically, and, in general, fits into the lines of the car, then the front bumpers are an absolutely ugly ugliness. They look a little better if you paint them to match the color of the car, but it's quite obvious that just removing them is easier, cheaper, and much more canonical for a hot rod.
Of course, the first thing any hot rodder who wants to buy a Prowler does is remove the terrible factory plastic front bumpers. And that's right: if the rear bumper is made more or less organically, and, in general, fits into the lines of the car, then the front bumpers are an absolutely ugly ugliness. They look a little better if you paint them to match the color of the car, but it's quite obvious that just removing them is easier, cheaper, and much more canonical for a hot rod.
Of course, the first thing any hot rodder who wants to buy a Prowler does is remove the terrible factory plastic front bumpers. And that's right: if the rear bumper is made more or less organically, and, in general, fits into the lines of the car, then the front bumpers are an absolutely ugly ugliness. They look a little better if you paint them to match the color of the car, but it's quite obvious that just removing them is easier, cheaper, and much more canonical for a hot rod.
Of course, the first thing any hot rodder who wants to buy a Prowler does is remove the terrible factory plastic front bumpers. And that's right: if the rear bumper is made more or less organically, and, in general, fits into the lines of the car, then the front bumpers are an absolutely ugly ugliness. They look a little better if you paint them to match the color of the car, but it's quite obvious that just removing them is easier, cheaper, and much more canonical for a hot rod.

I think you already understand what went wrong. I must say that the guys at Chrysler really tried to make a car in the spirit of hot rods: yes, in order to preserve the attractive body lines, it was decided to abandon attempts to cram the V8. However, the installed V6 was very powerful: 214 horsepower, even with an automatic transmission, flew a quarter mile in just 14 and a half seconds. The same first-generation Viper was only a little over two seconds faster – in other words, the factory Prowler showed quite good results.

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It is impossible to say for sure from the photos whether the bug trap is working on the car, but it is very plausibly executed. And this classic element is extremely becoming to a car like the Prowler.
It is impossible to say for sure from the photos whether the bug trap is working on the car, but it is very plausibly executed. And this classic element is extremely becoming to a car like the Prowler.
It is impossible to say for sure from the photos whether the bug trap is working on the car, but it is very plausibly executed. And this classic element is extremely becoming to a car like the Prowler.

The speed was achieved due, oddly enough, to the lightening of the car: the weight that was given to electronics was offset by four hundred kilos of aluminum poured into the body. Not to mention that a company with a factory is not a car enthusiast in a garage. Chrysler didn’t just “build a hot rod”-they built a mass-produced hot rod. And this means that the car met all the quibbles of the state, all kinds of safety laws, environmental pollution standards, and so on and so forth – all in order to finally bring it to the level of an ordinary motorist fifty years after the advent of the hot rodding culture.

Perhaps the most famous Prowler is Wild Thing. He became famous in 2010, when House Of Kolor included this car in its calendar for 2010. The fact is that the House Of Kolor calendar is not so much a means of calculating the days of the week as it is a prestigious award and honor, which is awarded only to the 12 best painting works per year. Wild Thing got into the calendar very deservedly: its colors are the result of teamwork, a lot of time and fifty-five thousand dollars. But that's not all.: about 350,000 more went into everything else that is under the layers of paint. In particular, after all the improvements, the factory V6 got supercharged and showed as much as 472 horsepower. This luxurious engine is covered with two hoods: black and smooth for the road, as well as separately painted, with a pair of cutouts for the show. The whole thing is complemented by scissor doors and a completely custom interior - in general, Wild Thing is definitely one of the most fully rebuilt Prowlers in the world.
Perhaps the most famous Prowler is Wild Thing. He became famous in 2010, when House Of Kolor included this car in its calendar for 2010. The fact is that the House Of Kolor calendar is not so much a means of calculating the days of the week as a prestigious award and honor that is awarded only to the 12 best painting works per year. Wild Thing got into the calendar very deservedly: its colors are the result of teamwork, a lot of time and fifty-five thousand dollars. But that's not all.: about 350,000 more went into everything else that is under the layers of paint. In particular, after all the improvements, the factory V6 got supercharged and showed as much as 472 horsepower. This luxurious engine is covered with two hoods: black and smooth for the road, as well as separately painted, with a pair of cutouts for the show. The whole thing is complemented by scissor doors and a completely custom interior - in general, Wild Thing is definitely one of the most fully rebuilt Prowlers in the world.
Perhaps the most famous Prowler is Wild Thing. He became famous in 2010, when House Of Kolor included this car in its calendar for 2010. The fact is that the House Of Kolor calendar is not so much a means of calculating the days of the week as it is a prestigious award and honor, which is awarded only to the 12 best painting works per year. Wild Thing got into the calendar very deservedly: its colors are the result of teamwork, a lot of time and fifty-five thousand dollars. But that's not all.: about 350,000 more went into everything else that is under the layers of paint. In particular, after all the improvements, the factory V6 got supercharged and showed as much as 472 horsepower. This luxurious engine is covered with two hoods: black and smooth for the road, as well as separately painted, with a pair of cutouts for the show. The whole thing is complemented by scissor doors and a completely custom interior - in general, Wild Thing is definitely one of the most fully rebuilt Prowlers in the world.
Perhaps the most famous Prowler is Wild Thing. He became famous in 2010, when House Of Kolor included this car in its calendar for 2010. The fact is that the House Of Kolor calendar is not so much a means of calculating the days of the week as a prestigious award and honor that is awarded only to the 12 best painting works per year. Wild Thing got into the calendar very deservedly: its colors are the result of teamwork, a lot of time and fifty-five thousand dollars. But that's not all.: about 350,000 more went into everything else that is under the layers of paint. In particular, after all the improvements, the factory V6 got supercharged and showed as much as 472 horsepower. This luxurious engine is covered with two hoods: black and smooth for the road, as well as separately painted, with a pair of cutouts for the show. The whole thing is complemented by scissor doors and a completely custom interior - in general, Wild Thing is definitely one of the most fully rebuilt Prowlers in the world.
Perhaps the most famous Prowler is Wild Thing. He became famous in 2010, when House Of Kolor included this car in its calendar for 2010. The fact is that the House Of Kolor calendar is not so much a means of calculating the days of the week as a prestigious award and honor that is awarded only to the 12 best painting works per year. Wild Thing got into the calendar very deservedly: its colors are the result of teamwork, a lot of time and fifty-five thousand dollars. But that's not all.: about 350,000 more went into everything else that is under the layers of paint. In particular, after all the improvements, the factory V6 got supercharged and showed as much as 472 horsepower. This luxurious engine is covered with two hoods: black and smooth for the road, as well as separately painted, with a pair of cutouts for the show. The whole thing is complemented by scissor doors and a completely custom interior - in general, Wild Thing is definitely one of the most fully rebuilt Prowlers in the world.
Perhaps the most famous Prowler is Wild Thing. He became famous in 2010, when House Of Kolor included this car in its calendar for 2010. The fact is that the House Of Kolor calendar is not so much a means of calculating the days of the week as a prestigious award and honor that is awarded only to the 12 best painting works per year. Wild Thing got into the calendar very deservedly: its colors are the result of teamwork, a lot of time and fifty-five thousand dollars. But that's not all.: about 350,000 more went into everything else that is under the layers of paint. In particular, after all the improvements, the factory V6 got supercharged and showed as much as 472 horsepower. This luxurious engine is covered with two hoods: black and smooth for the road, as well as separately painted, with a pair of cutouts for the show. The whole thing is complemented by scissor doors and a completely custom interior - in general, Wild Thing is definitely one of the most fully rebuilt Prowlers in the world.
Perhaps the most famous Prowler is Wild Thing. He became famous in 2010, when House Of Kolor included this car in its calendar for 2010. The fact is that the House Of Kolor calendar is not so much a means of calculating the days of the week as it is a prestigious award and honor, which is awarded only to the 12 best painting works per year. Wild Thing got into the calendar very deservedly: its colors are the result of teamwork, a lot of time and fifty-five thousand dollars. But that's not all.: about 350,000 more went into everything else that is under the layers of paint. In particular, after all the improvements, the factory V6 got supercharged and showed as much as 472 horsepower. This luxurious engine is covered with two hoods: black and smooth for the road, as well as separately painted, with a pair of cutouts for the show. The whole thing is complemented by scissor doors and a completely custom interior - in general, Wild Thing is definitely one of the most fully rebuilt Prowlers in the world.
Perhaps the most famous Prowler is Wild Thing. He became famous in 2010, when House Of Kolor included this car in its calendar for 2010. The fact is that the House Of Kolor calendar is not so much a means of calculating the days of the week as it is a prestigious award and honor, which is awarded only to the 12 best painting works per year. Wild Thing got into the calendar very deservedly: its colors are the result of teamwork, a lot of time and fifty-five thousand dollars. But that's not all.: about 350,000 more went into everything else that is under the layers of paint. In particular, after all the improvements, the factory V6 got supercharged and showed as much as 472 horsepower. This luxurious engine is covered with two hoods: black and smooth for the road, as well as separately painted, with a pair of cutouts for the show. The whole thing is complemented by scissor doors and a completely custom interior - in general, Wild Thing is definitely one of the most fully rebuilt Prowlers in the world.
Perhaps the most famous Prowler is Wild Thing. He became famous in 2010, when House Of Kolor included this car in its calendar for 2010. The fact is that the House Of Kolor calendar is not so much a means of calculating the days of the week as a prestigious award and honor that is awarded only to the 12 best painting works per year. Wild Thing got into the calendar very deservedly: its colors are the result of teamwork, a lot of time and fifty-five thousand dollars. But that's not all.: about 350,000 more went into everything else that is under the layers of paint. In particular, after all the improvements, the factory V6 got supercharged and showed as much as 472 horsepower. This luxurious engine is covered with two hoods: black and smooth for the road, as well as separately painted, with a pair of cutouts for the show. The whole thing is complemented by scissor doors and a completely custom interior - in general, Wild Thing is definitely one of the most fully rebuilt Prowlers in the world.
Perhaps the most famous Prowler is Wild Thing. He became famous in 2010, when House Of Kolor included this car in its calendar for 2010. The fact is that the House Of Kolor calendar is not so much a means of calculating the days of the week as it is a prestigious award and honor, which is awarded only to the 12 best painting works per year. Wild Thing got into the calendar very deservedly: its colors are the result of teamwork, a lot of time and fifty-five thousand dollars. But that's not all.: about 350,000 more went into everything else that is under the layers of paint. In particular, after all the improvements, the factory V6 got supercharged and showed as much as 472 horsepower. This luxurious engine is covered with two hoods: black and smooth for the road, as well as separately painted, with a pair of cutouts for the show. The whole thing is complemented by scissor doors and a completely custom interior - in general, Wild Thing is definitely one of the most fully rebuilt Prowlers in the world.
Perhaps the most famous Prowler is Wild Thing. He became famous in 2010, when House Of Kolor included this car in its calendar for 2010. The fact is that the House Of Kolor calendar is not so much a means of calculating the days of the week as it is a prestigious award and honor, which is awarded only to the 12 best painting works per year. Wild Thing got into the calendar very deservedly: its colors are the result of teamwork, a lot of time and fifty-five thousand dollars. But that's not all.: about 350,000 more went into everything else that is under the layers of paint. In particular, after all the improvements, the factory V6 got supercharged and showed as much as 472 horsepower. This luxurious engine is covered with two hoods: black and smooth for the road, as well as separately painted, with a pair of cutouts for the show. The whole thing is complemented by scissor doors and a completely custom interior - in general, Wild Thing is definitely one of the most fully rebuilt Prowlers in the world.
Perhaps the most famous Prowler is Wild Thing. He became famous in 2010, when House Of Kolor included this car in its calendar for 2010. The fact is that the House Of Kolor calendar is not so much a means of calculating the days of the week as a prestigious award and honor that is awarded only to the 12 best painting works per year. Wild Thing got into the calendar very deservedly: its colors are the result of teamwork, a lot of time and fifty-five thousand dollars. But that's not all.: about 350,000 more went into everything else that is under the layers of paint. In particular, after all the improvements, the factory V6 got supercharged and showed as much as 472 horsepower. This luxurious engine is covered with two hoods: black and smooth for the road, as well as separately painted, with a pair of cutouts for the show. The whole thing is complemented by scissor doors and a completely custom interior - in general, Wild Thing is definitely one of the most fully rebuilt Prowlers in the world.
Perhaps the most famous Prowler is Wild Thing. He became famous in 2010, when House Of Kolor included this car in its calendar for 2010. The fact is that the House Of Kolor calendar is not so much a means of calculating the days of the week as a prestigious award and honor that is awarded only to the 12 best painting works per year. Wild Thing got into the calendar very deservedly: its colors are the result of teamwork, a lot of time and fifty-five thousand dollars. But that's not all.: about 350,000 more went into everything else that is under the layers of paint. In particular, after all the improvements, the factory V6 got supercharged and showed as much as 472 horsepower. This luxurious engine is covered with two hoods: black and smooth for the road, as well as separately painted, with a pair of cutouts for the show. The whole thing is complemented by scissor doors and a completely custom interior - in general, Wild Thing is definitely one of the most fully rebuilt Prowlers in the world.

Several journalists and, so to speak, professional automotive critics appreciated the company’s work. But most of the buyers were not satisfied. The hot rodders lacked the roar of the V-shaped eight – in their eyes, because of the two missing cylinders, the Prowler automatically fell into a row called “curious ideas” at best, and this row was quite far from the one called “legends of hot rodding”. Ordinary Americans, accustomed to their seven-meter barges (which sailed back to the asphalt seas in the 90s after the 80s), absolutely did not understand everything that made the car a hot rod – and in particular, many complaints were received about the small trunk and the small gas tank. Other nuances were also criticized, such as the fact that almost the entire interior of the Prowler was assembled from existing interior parts of other Chrysler cars.

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Among other things, Chrysler tried to solve the problem of a small trunk... by offering customers a factory trailer shaped like the back of a Prowler, this miracle was an option when buying a car. I can't say for sure how enthusiastically buyers appreciated this feature and how often such a luggage compartment expander was purchased along with the Prowler, but it is well known that nowadays this trailer is a rather expensive thing that a sufficient number of collectors lick their lips at.
Among other things, Chrysler tried to solve the problem of a small trunk... by offering customers a factory trailer shaped like the back of a Prowler, this miracle was an option when buying a car. I can't say for sure how enthusiastically buyers appreciated this feature and how often such a luggage compartment expander was purchased along with the Prowler, but it is well known that nowadays this trailer is a rather expensive thing that a sufficient number of collectors lick their lips at.
Among other things, Chrysler tried to solve the problem of a small trunk... by offering customers a factory trailer shaped like the back of a Prowler, this miracle was an option when buying a car. I can't say for sure how enthusiastically buyers appreciated this feature and how often such a luggage compartment expander was purchased along with the Prowler, but it is well known that nowadays this trailer is a rather expensive thing that a sufficient number of collectors lick their lips at.

Plymouth Howler: Second generation Prowler

In ’99, it seemed for a moment that Chrysler had listened to all consumer complaints: the Howler model was introduced to the public. The 3.5-liter V6 was nevertheless replaced with a 4.7-liter V8, the gearbox became manual, the nasty gray plastic bumper was removed, and the problem of the small trunk was more or less solved by redesigning the body for a pickup truck. It would seem that this is it: the solution to almost all problems in one package; a car worthy of the Plymouth brand!

The Howler concept car in all its glory. Those who still had a chance to ride in this car, liked the car unconditionally. But unfortunately, despite the flattering reviews from journalists, the world has never seen the right factory hot rod. And, by the way, the features of the rear of the car suddenly began to resemble Hemisfear a little more. Were you inspired by Comrade Fuz's sketches again? Or is it just a coincidence?
The Howler concept car in all its glory. Those who still had a chance to ride in this car, liked the car unconditionally. But unfortunately, despite the flattering reviews from journalists, the world has never seen the right factory hot rod. And, by the way, the features of the rear of the car suddenly began to resemble Hemisfear a little more. Were you inspired by Comrade Fuz's sketches again? Or is it just a coincidence?
The Howler concept car in all its glory. Those who still had a chance to ride in this car, liked the car unconditionally. But unfortunately, despite the flattering reviews from journalists, the world has never seen the right factory hot rod. And, by the way, the features of the rear of the car suddenly began to resemble Hemisfear a little more. Were you inspired by Comrade Fuz's sketches again? Or is it just a coincidence?
The Howler concept car in all its glory. Those who still had a chance to ride in this car, liked the car unconditionally. But unfortunately, despite the flattering reviews from journalists, the world has never seen the right factory hot rod. And, by the way, the features of the rear of the car suddenly began to resemble Hemisfear a little more. Were you inspired by Comrade Fuz's sketches again? Or is it just a coincidence?
The Howler concept car in all its glory. Those who still had a chance to ride in this car, liked the car unconditionally. But unfortunately, despite the flattering reviews from journalists, the world has never seen the right factory hot rod. And, by the way, the features of the rear of the car suddenly began to resemble Hemisfear a little more. Were you inspired by Comrade Fuz's sketches again? Or is it just a coincidence?
The Howler concept car in all its glory. Those who still had a chance to ride in this car, liked the car unconditionally. But unfortunately, despite the flattering reviews from journalists, the world has never seen the right factory hot rod. And, by the way, the features of the rear of the car suddenly began to resemble Hemisfear a little more. Were you inspired by Comrade Fuz's sketches again? Or is it just a coincidence?

But, as usual, something went wrong. Howler didn’t even get a small series – instead, Chrysler decided to make an attempt to conquer the European market, and the Pronto Cruiser concept was given the green light, which by the time it was released had turned into the much more famous PT Cruiser. As a consolation prize, Prowler was boosted to a V6 of 253 horsepower – it was already completely honest on a par with a small eight-cylinder unit, but it did not save sales. But for the company, after all, profit still comes first, and therefore the first and only factory hot rod was produced for two more years, after which production was curtailed.

Despite the fact that Chrysler has not installed the V-eight in the body of the Prowler, this fact, of course, does not stop people living in a country where the V8 is crammed even into cars like the Nash Metropolitan. So you can find a sufficient number of eight-cylinder Prowlers on the Internet - in particular, this particular car, captured in the photos, received the LS7 engine from the Corvette Z06 and a bunch more, of which I want to highlight only the fuel pump from the Viper and Nitrous discs from the Chip Fuza company.
Despite the fact that Chrysler has not installed the V-eight in the body of the Prowler, this fact, of course, does not stop people living in a country where the V8 is crammed even into cars like the Nash Metropolitan. So you can find a sufficient number of eight-cylinder Prowlers on the Internet - in particular, this particular car, captured in the photos, received the LS7 engine from the Corvette Z06 and a bunch more, of which I want to highlight only the fuel pump from the Viper and Nitrous discs from the Chip Fuza company.
Despite the fact that Chrysler has not installed the V-eight in the body of the Prowler, this fact, of course, does not stop people living in a country where the V8 is crammed even into cars like the Nash Metropolitan. So you can find a sufficient number of eight-cylinder Prowlers on the Internet - in particular, this particular car, captured in the photos, received the LS7 engine from the Corvette Z06 and a bunch more, of which I want to highlight only the fuel pump from the Viper and Nitrous discs from the Chip Fuza company.
Despite the fact that Chrysler has not installed the V-shaped eight in the body of the Prowler, this fact, of course, does not stop people living in a country where the V8 is crammed even into cars like the Nash Metropolitan. So you can find a sufficient number of eight-cylinder Prowlers on the Internet - in particular, this particular car, captured in the photos, received the LS7 engine from the Corvette Z06 and a bunch more, of which I want to highlight only the fuel pump from the Viper and Nitrous discs from the Chip Fuza company.
Despite the fact that Chrysler has not installed the V-eight in the body of the Prowler, this fact, of course, does not stop people living in a country where the V8 is crammed even into cars like the Nash Metropolitan. So you can find a sufficient number of eight-cylinder Prowlers on the Internet - in particular, this particular car, captured in the photos, received the LS7 engine from the Corvette Z06 and a bunch more, of which I want to highlight only the fuel pump from the Viper and Nitrous discs from the Chip Fuza company.
Despite the fact that Chrysler has not installed the V-eight in the body of the Prowler, this fact, of course, does not stop people living in a country where the V8 is crammed even into cars like the Nash Metropolitan. So you can find a sufficient number of eight-cylinder Prowlers on the Internet - in particular, this particular car, captured in the photos, received the LS7 engine from the Corvette Z06 and a bunch more, of which I want to highlight only the fuel pump from the Viper and Nitrous discs from the Chip Fuza company.
Despite the fact that Chrysler has not installed the V-shaped eight in the body of the Prowler, this fact, of course, does not stop people living in a country where the V8 is crammed even into cars like the Nash Metropolitan. So you can find a sufficient number of eight-cylinder Prowlers on the Internet - in particular, this particular car, captured in the photos, received the LS7 engine from the Corvette Z06 and a bunch more, of which I want to highlight only the fuel pump from the Viper and Nitrous discs from the Chip Fuza company.
Despite the fact that Chrysler has not installed the V-eight in the body of the Prowler, this fact, of course, does not stop people living in a country where the V8 is crammed even into cars like the Nash Metropolitan. So you can find a sufficient number of eight-cylinder Prowlers on the Internet - in particular, this particular car, captured in the photos, received the LS7 engine from the Corvette Z06 and a bunch more, of which I want to highlight only the fuel pump from the Viper and Nitrous discs from the Chip Fuza company.
Despite the fact that Chrysler has not installed the V-eight in the body of the Prowler, this fact, of course, does not stop people living in a country where the V8 is crammed even into cars like the Nash Metropolitan. So you can find a sufficient number of eight-cylinder Prowlers on the Internet - in particular, this particular car, captured in the photos, received the LS7 engine from the Corvette Z06 and a bunch more, of which I want to highlight only the fuel pump from the Viper and Nitrous discs from the Chip Fuza company.
Despite the fact that Chrysler has not installed the V-eight in the body of the Prowler, this fact, of course, does not stop people living in a country where the V8 is crammed even into cars like the Nash Metropolitan. So you can find a sufficient number of eight-cylinder Prowlers on the Internet - in particular, this particular car, captured in the photos, received the LS7 engine from the Corvette Z06 and a bunch more, of which I want to highlight only the fuel pump from the Viper and Nitrous discs from the Chip Fuza company.
Despite the fact that Chrysler has not installed the V-eight in the body of the Prowler, this fact, of course, does not stop people living in a country where the V8 is crammed even into cars like the Nash Metropolitan. So you can find a sufficient number of eight-cylinder Prowlers on the Internet - in particular, this particular car, captured in the photos, received the LS7 engine from the Corvette Z06 and a bunch more, of which I want to highlight only the fuel pump from the Viper and Nitrous discs from the Chip Fuza company.
Despite the fact that Chrysler has not installed the V-eight in the body of the Prowler, this fact, of course, does not stop people living in a country where the V8 is crammed even into cars like the Nash Metropolitan. So you can find a sufficient number of eight-cylinder Prowlers on the Internet - in particular, this particular car, captured in the photos, received the LS7 engine from the Corvette Z06 and a bunch more, of which I want to highlight only the fuel pump from the Viper and Nitrous discs from the Chip Fuza company.
Despite the fact that Chrysler has not installed the V-shaped eight in the body of the Prowler, this fact, of course, does not stop people living in a country where the V8 is crammed even into cars like the Nash Metropolitan. So you can find a sufficient number of eight-cylinder Prowlers on the Internet - in particular, this particular car, captured in the photos, received the LS7 engine from the Corvette Z06 and a bunch more, of which I want to highlight only the fuel pump from the Viper and Nitrous discs from the Chip Fuza company.
Despite the fact that Chrysler has not installed the V-shaped eight in the body of the Prowler, this fact, of course, does not stop people living in a country where the V8 is crammed even into cars like the Nash Metropolitan. So you can find a sufficient number of eight-cylinder Prowlers on the Internet - in particular, this particular car, captured in the photos, received the LS7 engine from the Corvette Z06 and a bunch more, of which I want to highlight only the fuel pump from the Viper and Nitrous discs from the Chip Fuza company.
Despite the fact that Chrysler has not installed the V-eight in the body of the Prowler, this fact, of course, does not stop people living in a country where the V8 is crammed even into cars like the Nash Metropolitan. So you can find a sufficient number of eight-cylinder Prowlers on the Internet - in particular, this particular car, captured in the photos, received the LS7 engine from the Corvette Z06 and a bunch more, of which I want to highlight only the fuel pump from the Viper and Nitrous discs from the Chip Fuza company.

Plymouth Prowler and its contribution to the automotive industry

What can I say at the end of this story?Despite the fact that Prowler and PT Cruiser were de facto failures, they still had their customers and fans. And their number was enough for other corporations, quietly watching the “successes” of the Chrysler company, to understand one fact: there is a demand for this business. Chrysler cars launched the neo-retro fashion: in 2002, Ford revived the Thunderbird model, and a year later Chevy responded with its SSR pickup truck. Yes, these two cars were, in fact, a pen breakdown, but – surprise! – both had V8s under the hood and sold well enough that the next revived names were the Mustang and Camaro. And by that time, Chrysler itself, finally realizing what and how, launched first the Charger and then the Challenger. And if we take into account all this diversity, which was launched by Prowler, then this is undoubtedly a success.

Stock Prowler in museum. — Prowler and its ancestors. Despite the difference of half a century, cars still look… well, I can’t say ‘similar’, but it’s certainly not alien. No matter how you look at it, there was still a bit of the right retro in the neo-retro designs.

As for the Prowler itself, at the moment this car can be said to be already a classic.: As you can see from the photo above, he can sometimes be seen in museums, where he stands side by side with his brothers in spirit from the forties and fifties. And no matter how controversial it turns out, the Prowler is still the only mass-produced factory hot rod in the world.

Sources

https://bangshift.com/general-news/car-features/define-missed-opportunity-1999-chrysler-howler/
https://dyler.com/posts/294/plymouth-prowler-the-first-and-last-production-hot-rod
https://www.mecum.com/lots/FL0116-227318/1999-plymouth-prowler/
https://www.mecum.com/lots/DA1116-273117/2000-plymouth-prowler/
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1999-plymouth-prowler-21/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/fredsredt/5163265286/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomasbecker/25122667326/in/photostream/