The practice of vehicle manufacturers building concept vehicles isn’t as common as it once was, although a few occasionally break cover to entice potential buyers to their stands at motor shows. Few of these cars ever make the leap from concept to production model, with the 1997 Plymouth Prowler one of the exceptions. Our feature car is one of those vehicles, and its spotless presentation is understandable. It has a genuine 1,170 miles on its odometer, needing nothing but a new home. I must say a big thank you to Barn Finder Rocco B. for spotting this stunning survivor.
Plymouth unveiled the Prowler concept in 1993, with no firm plans to introduce the vehicle as a production model. However, the automotive industry was embracing retro cars, and the concept’s warm reception by potential buyers motivated the company to commence full-scale production in 1997. Buyer acceptance wasn’t as anticipated, and there were several factors at play. The first was the appearance. The car’s styling was little changed from the 1993 version, but the bumpers required to comply with safety standards were viewed by many as a feature that detracted from the car’s overall appearance. I have seen these cars minus the bumpers, and they look far cleaner. Buyers ordering a 1997 Prowler could choose to cloak its panels in a unique shade of Purple, or…actually, that was it! Additional shades became available in subsequent years, but Purple is considered the most iconic. Faulting this Plymouth’s presentation is as difficult as you might expect from a classic with a low four-digit odometer reading. The paint looks flawless, the panels are laser-straight, and the top is as tight as a drum. The wheels have always been a highlight for me, with those on this classic free from stains and physical damage.
Lifting the hood reveals what many believe to be the prime reason why the Prowler filed to generate market excitement. With styling reminiscent of classic hot rods, many potential buyers expected to find a V8 occupying the engine bay. However, Plymouth selected a 3.5-liter V6, generating 214hp and 221 ft/lbs of torque. That hurt, but teaming this with a four-speed automatic as part of the single-spec approach probably sealed its fate with many. The saving grace was the car’s relatively low curb weight of 2,833 lbs, which allowed the Prowler to cover the ¼-mile in 15.1 seconds. A more powerful V6 became available in 1999, leaving potential collectors to decide whether they prefer the rarity of the first-year model or the significant performance improvements delivered by the later and more common examples. The news for potential buyers is positive, with this Prowler in excellent mechanical health as a turnkey proposition. The seller recently performed a fluid change and replaced the tires. However, they retained the original rubber and will include it at the buyer’s discretion. It has a genuine 1,170 miles on its odometer, and while that isn’t the lowest figure we have seen, it definitely places this classic in elite company.
Buyers paid a premium for the Prowler, but the company ensured the vehicle was lavishly equipped to justify the price. Standard equipment included dual airbags, air conditioning, leather trim, power windows, power locks, power seats, cruise control, a leather-wrapped tilt wheel, a premium stereo, and a funky dash with retro-style gauges. The presentation is all you would rightly expect from a car of this caliber, with no evidence of wear or other problems. I’m unsure if describing it as factory-fresh is accurate, but it will cause the new owner no shame when they hit the road with the top down.
The Plymouth Prowler wasn’t the sales success the company anticipated, and the 1997 model is the rarest of the breed. Only 457 cars rolled off the line that year, although the situation didn’t improve significantly before Chrysler pulled the plug on the Prowler’s life support in 2002. This amazing survivor is listed here on Craigslist in Fishers, Indiana. The seller set their price at $38,500, and with values falling during the past year, that figure places it at the top end of the market. The condition and odometer reading probably justify the price, but the declining value suggests the seller may need to be patient in their quest to find this Prowler a new home. Do you agree?
Every time I see one I shake my head and say to myself, “if only they’d have shoehorned a 5.7 Hemi in it”. Even so, their value is rising rapidly.
Their value is rising rapidly??
Totally agree, a Hemi would have sold like hotcakes.
Or at least the Merc V6 from the Crossfire.
Always loved the look of these, but auto only? A very big no. Should be manual only.
Well Terry the 5.7 L hemi wasn’t released until the 2003 MY so it wasn’t available during the Prowler’s production run.
The Prowler was about the use of aluminum for the frame and body panels. Existing components were to be used as much as possible, hence the use of the powertrain used in the LH cars.
Tom Gale was the designer of the car. Not sure if Chip Foose was part of the design team. The car was built in the Viper plant and was never meant to be a high volume seller.
✔️ Manual option at least Davey 👍
I guess Plymouth brass thought the Autostick™️ was good enough.
These are liteweight, and have a sweet exhaust note. I’ve heard a few motor by me.
Stan, the Plymouth brass, also made the PT Cruiser, front wheel drive. 2 very bad decisions.
Totally agree, Dave.
The Prowler was a cool looking car & still is. My understanding was that Chip Foose had gave Chrysler the design idea, but Chrysler finalized it into a production car. They should have used a V8 instead of an 6 cylinder. Then sales could have been alot better……It as over the top all show , but no go!!!
My former insurance agent drove one. He seemed typical of the drivers of this vehicle that I noticed around California- middle aged male, a little overweight, Sans A Belt pants pulled up high with a comb over. Kind of a “mid life crisis” car. Every time I would see him driving around with his wife (whose hair was flying around), she did not look like she was enjoying the ride. I think that it may have wound up being a marriage killer.
This is the other end of the spectrum from the company that produced the Viper.
This had 250 plus hp I thought.
I think that most of the people that bought these thought they were a good investment. A lot of people bought Beany Babies too. The few I have seen around are just joy riding on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Not many people used them for everyday transport. I agree with a lot of other poster in that no V-8 and no stick shift was a disappointment. Chevrolet made the SSR pickup with a V-8 and 6speed manual but also sold very few.
Hey, come-on you guys! Take it for what it is. A Kool Big Daddy Ed Roth, purple people eating ZZ Top, sunny day with the lady going out squishing bugs making all the kids wonder, “What the hell is that?” car.
I like it. Always have. Not every car has to have a hemi and a stick.
I love the “Big Daddy” Ed Roth reference. I almost didn’t make it past the 6th grade due to endlessly drawing Rat Fink and Weirdos cars during class. If he had designed this, however, it likely would have had a rear-hinged clear bubble top, like the “Beatnik Bandit”. Now THAT would be cool (as long as the HVAC was working). No bulging, blood shot eyes required.
Yeah John, you get the picture!
Wish my financial situation were different. If it was this ad would have been done this morning.
Long live the Weird ohs! Wish I had kept the ones I built.
I totally get all the negative comments about how much better it could have been with some basic changes. But I think you need to turn the funnel around
and look at what a positive it was as a tribute to the Hot Rod culture, and making the general population aware of its history. I f you think about it, it is amazing that it even got to production! If it wasn’t for upper management, like Tom Gale it would have died on the drafting table. At this time period I was in Detroit and went to a Breakfast and sat at a table with Tom Gale, what a great memory he was so gracious.
I worked at a Mopar Tech at a Plymouth dealer at the time. Some people were paying up to 75-80 k to get one of these 40k msrp cars. It was a bomb of an investment vehicle.
Chrysler was trying to give the public a cool car with some mpg. Me on the other hand I would have slammed a 5.9 360 in it out of the Dakota R/T. But they didn’t. Oh well I always thought if they would have put a magnum in there she would be a real hot rod.
Interesting comments about what this car was, and what all of us Barn Finders think it should have been. My perspective is that it clearly was/is meant to be a niche vehicle; as such few such exercises make it to production. And to make it to production it needs to be parts-bin-friendly with as few variations as possible. Unfortunately, but realistically, I think a bigger engine with a manual transmission would have not been a big seller. As it stands, it didn’t have wide appeal. So I’m glad it is what it is, and we get to talk about it.
A lot of wrinkles in that driver’s seat for less than 1200 miles. The car was interesting however it is nothing more than a fancy Plymouth Neon, that is why the prices aren’t going up regardless of condition.
Elbert, not even close to a Neon. The Prowler had its own chassis which was aluminum, was a V6 and was RWD. Hardly a Neon.
You are right about my Neon comparison – it was actually a Mr. Potato head project from Chryslers designers/engineers.
“Despite its out-there styling, the Prowler shared about 40 percent of its parts with other Chrysler products. Its 3.5-liter V-6, which made just 214 hp and 221 lb-ft of torque when the Prowler launched in 1997, was borrowed from Chrysler’s front-drive LH sedans (like the Dodge Intrepid and Eagle Vision) and turned longitudinally. Ditto for the Prowler’s four-speed automatic, which was mounted at the Plymouth’s rear axle and connected to the engine via an open driveshaft. The Prowler’s rack-and-pinion steering rack came from Chrysler’s Town & Country, Dodge Caravan, and Plymouth Voyager, and its coil-spring suspension was taken from the Viper.”
They were only about 2800lbs and I think the first year only produced ~350 in the US. I’ve always wondered what a powerplant swap would be like. LS maybe, but I’d like to see a hemi.
TCOPPS, I think that the reason for the physically smaller engine was to keep the dimensional look of the front of the car.
If you do the math when comparing weight to H.P., you will find that the engine is plenty for what this car was intended to be.
I don’t know, in inches, what space is available in a Prowler. I’ve only been around one and didn’t look at as to change it. Just thought it was kool and that I would look good in it.
I guess I would pick it over a riceburner