This article needs additional citations for verification .(November 2015) |
Plymouth Prowler | |
---|---|
Overview | |
Manufacturer | Chrysler Corporation (1997–1998) DaimlerChrysler (1998–2002) |
Also called | Chrysler Prowler (2000–2002) |
Production | 1997–2002 11,702 produced |
Assembly | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
Designer | Tom Gale |
Body and chassis | |
Class | Sports car |
Body style | 2-door roadster |
Layout | Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive |
Platform | Chrysler PR platform |
Powertrain | |
Engine | 3.5 L EGG V6 |
Transmission | 4-speed 42LE automatic |
Dimensions | |
Wheelbase | 113.3 in (2,878 mm) |
Length | 165.3 in (4,199 mm) |
Width | 76.5 in (1,943 mm) |
Height | 50.9 in (1,293 mm) |
Curb weight | 2,800 lb (1,270 kg) [1] |
Chronology | |
Successor | Chrysler Crossfire |
The Plymouth Prowler, later the Chrysler Prowler, is a retro-styled production sports car manufactured and marketed from 1997 to 2002 by DaimlerChrysler, based on the 1993 concept car of the same name.
The Prowler was offered in a single generation in a front-engine, rear-drive, rear-transmission configuration. Total production was 11,702.
Chrysler engineers were given free rein to design whatever they wanted in a "hot rod" or "sportster" vehicle. Chrysler's design and international director Thomas C. Gale said his "love for 1930s-era hot rods inspired Chrysler's latest design triumph, the retro-styled Plymouth Prowler." [2] Gale, who has a hotted up 1932 Ford in his garage, approved the hotrod-inspired Plymouth Prowler as the company's follow-up show-stopper to the Dodge Viper. [3] An early influence is credited to a Chrysler-sponsored project at the Art Center College of Design. One of the results of this project was a thesis by Douglas "Chip" Foose, which included drawings of a retro-roadster. [4] Foose "designed it as a coupe for Chrysler to begin with but modified it to a roadster version." [5]
One of the most striking design features of the Prowler is the open, Indy racer-style front wheels.
The Prowler featured a powertrain from Chrysler's LH-cars, a 24-valve, 3.5 L Chrysler SOHC V6 engine producing 214 hp (160 kW; 217 PS) at 5850 rpm. For the 1999 model year, the engine was replaced with a more powerful, aluminum block, 253 hp (189 kW; 257 PS) at 6400 rpm version of the engine. The engines were coupled to a four-speed Autostick semi-automatic transmission at the rear of the vehicle. Power to the transaxle from the engine was via an open tube-type drive shaft that rotated at engine speed. This design was marketed as a "torque tube," although it was not a stationary enclosure. A drive shaft within a rigid torque tube connecting a front engine and rear-mounted transaxle are on the C5 Corvette, Porsche 944, and Alfa Romeo 75. Placement of the transmission in the rear helped to facilitate the Prowler's desirable 50-50 front-rear weight distribution. The Prowler was the first rear-wheel drive Plymouth since the 1989 discontinuation of the Plymouth Gran Fury and would stand as the last Plymouth model with that layout. While criticized for having only a V6 engine, Chrysler's High Output 3.5 L had a horsepower rating similar to (or higher than) the company's Magnum V8s of that era. While not making nearly as much torque as a V8, the Prowler's light weight helped to achieve rapid off-the-line acceleration.
The car prominently featured aluminum construction, which, in many cases, was adhesively bonded, chiefly in the chassis. The body was produced in Shadyside, Ohio, and the car was assembled by hand at the Conner Avenue Assembly Plant (CAAP) in Detroit, Michigan.
Unlike the Dodge Viper, the Prowler was equipped with many features that allowed it to be used as a daily driver. These features included keyless entry, power windows, and door locks, dual airbags, leather-trimmed bucket seats, air conditioning with manual controls, a high-fidelity sound system with AM/FM stereo and cassette player (a multi-disc CD changer was an available option), a leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio system controls mounted on the rear of the wheel, a color-keyed instrument panel bezel painted to match the exterior color of the Prowler (a similar feature found on the Chrysler PT Cruiser, which was also originally intended to be sold as a Plymouth), digital odometer and full instrumentation, and, on later models, a speed-sensitive volume control activated via a switch mounted on the Prowler's instrument panel.
The Plymouth Prowler was produced for 1997 and then for the 1999 and 2000 model years. After the Plymouth brand was discontinued in 2001, the Prowler was marketed as a Chrysler Prowler for the 2001 and 2002 model years. However, DaimlerChrysler continued to market the Prowler as a Plymouth in Canada for the 2000 model year; the Prowler was the last Plymouth sold in Canada.
1997 | 457 |
---|---|
1999 | 3,921 |
2000 | 2,746 |
2001 | 3,142 |
2002 | 1,436 |
Total Plymouth Prowlers | 8,532 |
Total Chrysler Prowlers | 3,170 |
Grand total production | 11,702 |
The last Prowler was built on February 15, 2002, and the model niche was later filled by the Chrysler Crossfire in 2004.
Across the two production runs, the Prowler was available in 12 colors. [10]
The original manufacturer's suggested retail price (in US$) for each model year for the Prowler:
Due to limited trunk space, a $5,000 Prowler trailer option was available from Chrysler dealers. These trailers resembled the back end of a Prowler and had 15-inch versions of the five-spoke wheels found on the car. [12] They could be ordered to match a car's factory color. The vehicles were equipped with a trailer hitch to accommodate the trailer option; however, a warning was affixed to the hitch indicating that it was not to be used to tow any other trailer, such as for a boat, camper, etc. Doing so would void the factory warranty. [13]
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 within 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. [14]
In 1999, Chrysler unveiled the Plymouth Howler concept at the Specialty Equipment Market Association's annual car show in Las Vegas, Nevada. 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 new 4.7 L PowerTech V8 engine replaced the production model's 3.5 L V6. A BorgWarner five-speed manual replaced the production four-speed automatic.
Chrysler Corporation hosted a tenth-anniversary celebration on August 16, 2007, at the Walter P. Chrysler Museum in Auburn Hills, Michigan, to commemorate the production of the Plymouth Prowler in 1997.
The Chrysler Cirrus is a mid-sized 4-door notchback sedan introduced by Chrysler motors for the 1995 model year. Built on the Chrysler JA platform, the 4-door notchback sedan joined Chrysler's roster of "Cloud Car" models drawing their names from meteorological terms, including the mid-priced Dodge Stratus it was based on introduced at the same time, and the low-priced Plymouth Breeze variant a year later.
The Audi TT is a production front-engine, 2-door, 2+2 sports coupé and roadster, manufactured and marketed by Audi from 1998 to 2023 across three generations.
The Dodge Spirit is a midsize automobile marketed by Dodge from the 1989 to the 1995 model years. The singular successor of the Dodge Aries, Dodge Lancer, and the Dodge 600, the Spirit was slotted between the Shadow and the Dynasty within the Dodge product line. In contrast to its predecessors, the Spirit was sold exclusively as a four-door notchback sedan.
The Dodge Shadow and Plymouth Sundance are compact 3-door and 5-door hatchbacks that were introduced for the 1987 model year by the Chrysler Corporation. For 1991, a 2-door convertible variant was added to the Shadow lineup; this bodystyle was not offered by Plymouth. The Sundance/Shadow replaced the Omni/Horizon models of their respective marque.
The Chrysler Crossfire is a rear-wheel drive, two-seat sports car, marketed by Chrysler and manufactured by Karmann of Germany for the 2004 through 2008 model years.
The Chrysler 300 is a full-size car manufactured and marketed by Stellantis North America and its predecessor companies as a four-door sedan and station wagon in its first generation and solely as a four-door sedan in its second generation.
The Eagle Vision is a full-sized, front-wheel drive four-door sports sedan produced from 1992 until 1997. It was marketed by Eagle, replacing the AMC/Renault-designed Eagle Premier. The Eagle Vision was badged as the Chrysler Vision in Europe. The Vision debuted at the 1992 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. As one of the LH sedans, it was Automobile Magazine's Automobile of the Year in 1993, and ultimately the only Eagle model to be completely designed and built in-house by Chrysler.
Plymouth Voyager is a nameplate for a range of vans that were marketed by the Plymouth division of Chrysler. From 1974 until 1983, the Voyager was a full-size van, sold as the counterpart of Dodge Sportsman. Starting with the 1984 model year, the Voyager was marketed as one of the new Chrysler minivan, along with the Dodge Caravan. As a minivan, there were three generations of the Voyager from 1984 until 2000. Following the closure of the Plymouth division in 2000, the Voyager was marketed under the Chrysler brand as a lower-trim version of the Chrysler Town & Country through 2003.
The Chrysler 300M is a full-size luxury car that was produced by Daimler/Chrysler from 1999 to 2004. It is a front-wheel drive, 255 hp V6 engined car using the Chrysler LH platform. Versus its platform mates, the 300M was roughly 10 inches (25 cm) shorter to make it more easily exportable to Europe. Priced above the Concorde and identically to the LHS, the 300M shared Chrysler's flagship position with the LHS until the LHS's discontinuation after 2001, upon which it became Chrysler's sole flagship model.
The Dodge Stratus is a mid-size car that was introduced by Dodge in December 1994 and was based on the 4-door sedan Chrysler JA platform. The Stratus, Plymouth Breeze, and Chrysler Cirrus were all on Car and Driver magazine's Ten Best list for 1996 and 1997. It received critical acclaim at launch, but ratings fell over time. An updated version of the Stratus was introduced for 2001, with the Cirrus being renamed as the Chrysler Sebring, and a coupé model was also added to the range. Production ended in early 2006 at the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant after building 1,308,123 Stratus and Sebrings since 2000.
The Nissan 350Z is a two-door, two-seater sports car that was manufactured by Nissan Motor Corporation from 2002 until 2009 and marks the fifth generation of Nissan's Z-car line. The 350Z entered production in 2002 and was sold and marketed as a 2003 model from August 2002. The first year there was only a coupe, as the roadster did not debut until the following year. Initially, the coupe came in Base, Enthusiast, Performance, Touring and Track versions, while the Roadster was limited to Enthusiast and Touring trim levels. The Track trim came with lightweight wheels and Brembo brakes, but its suspension tuning was the same as all other coupes. The Nissan 350Z was succeeded by the 370Z for the 2009 model year.
The Chrysler Town & Country is a minivan that was manufactured and marketed by Chrysler from 1990 to the 2016 model years. The third Chrysler minivan introduced in North America, the Town & Country adopted its nameplate from the flagship Chrysler station wagon line, adopting its exterior woodgrain trim as a design feature for several generations.
The Chrysler PT Cruiser is a Mini MPV that was built by the American company Chrysler from 2001 until 2010. Introduced as a five-door hatchback wagon, a two-door convertible variant was also made from 2005 until 2008.
TorqueFlite is the trademarked name of Chrysler Corporation's automatic transmissions, starting with the three-speed unit introduced late in the 1956 model year as a successor to Chrysler's two-speed PowerFlite. In the 1990s, the TorqueFlite name was dropped in favor of alphanumeric designations, although the latest Chrysler eight-speed automatic transmission has revived the name.
The sixth and seventh-generation Dodge Charger are full-size four-door sedans, first introduced at the 2005 North American International Auto Show and built by American automobile manufacturer Stellantis North America, a subsidiary of Stellantis. It is available in rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive drivetrains. The Charger was developed to continue the Dodge Charger line with its muscle car heritage, and replaced the Dodge Intrepid as Dodge's full-size sedan. The seventh-generation Charger debuted for the 2011 model year.
The Ultradrive is an automatic transmission manufactured by Chrysler beginning in the 1989 model year.
The Dodge Ram SRT-10 is a sport pickup truck produced by Dodge, based on the standard Ram 1500, with only 10,046 units built. It was introduced as a concept at the January 2002 North American International Auto Show, while the production model was introduced in 2003 as a 2004 model year.
The first-generation Chrysler minivans are a series of minivans produced and marketed by the Chrysler Corporation from the 1984 to the 1990 model years. Introduced as the first minivans from an American-brand manufacturer and popularizing the minivan as a vehicle, the Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager were launched ahead of chief competitors Chevrolet Astro/GMC Safari and Ford Aerostar.
The third-generation Chrysler minivans are a series of passenger minivans that were marketed by the Chrysler Corporation from the 1996 to 2000 model years. The first ground-up redesign of the model lines since their introduction, designers added a further degree of divisional identity between the Plymouth Voyager, Dodge Caravan, and Chrysler Town & Country. In a notable change, the cargo van was discontinued, with all examples sold as passenger vans. Coinciding with the retirement of the Plymouth brand during 2001, this is the final generation marketed as the Plymouth Voyager.
Chrysler is an American brand of automobiles and division owned by Stellantis North America. The automaker was founded in 1925 by Walter Chrysler from the remains of the Maxwell Motor Company. The brand primarily focused on building luxury vehicles as the broader Chrysler Corporation expanded, following a strategy of brand diversification and hierarchy largely adopted from General Motors.