It may not be quite gift-wrapped, but the enormous bow on the hood of this 1999 Plymouth Prowler suggests it may have been a present at some point. The Prowler was Plymouth’s attempt to ride the retro wave, but it ultimately failed its most critical test when sales were a fraction of the company’s predictions. Since it needs a new home, this could be the perfect opportunity to give yourself a gift. The Prowler is listed here on eBay in Ocoee, Florida. Twenty bids have pushed the price to $20,211, although it remains short of the reserve.
Plymouth released the Prowler in 1997 as a niche vehicle. planning a minimum production run of 10,000 cars per year. At no stage did it come close to that figure, with the 1999 tally of 3,921 cars proving the most successful. Although the company offered twelve paint colors during the Prowler’s lifetime, its distinctive shade of Prowler Purple is the most instantly recognizable. That graces this car’s panels, and the overall impression is positive. The paint shines well, with no problems with either it or the panels. The Black soft-top is in good order, although I am the first to admit that these classics look significantly better with the top lowered. Plymouth used a minimum of bright trim on the Prowler, but any present is in good order. The glass looks clear, and the distinctive wheels are faultless.
Some buyers felt disappointed when they lifted the hood of the Prowler to find a V6. There’s no denying the early cars lacked outright performance, but 1999 brought an upgrade to the aluminum-block 3.5-liter V6 producing 253hp. For many, the Prowler had grown an extra set of legs. One sticking point remained, and it could be one of the main issues that impacted Prowler sales. The power from that V6 fed to the road via a four-speed automatic transmission, and although the combination allowed this sports car to scorch the ¼-mile in 14.2 seconds, the general consensus was that a self-shifter had no place in a traditional hot rod. You must wonder whether the car would have achieved greater success with a five or six-speed manual at the driver’s disposal. The seller claims this classic has a genuine 40,500 miles on the clock, but they don’t mention verifying evidence. There is also no info on how it runs or drives, but I believe the news is probably positive.
The Prowler may have looked like a hot rod from the outside, but its interior carried plenty of luxury touches. Buyers received dual airbags, air conditioning, power windows, power locks with keyless entry, cruise control, an AM/FM radio/cassette player and six-disc CD changer, and leather on the seats and wrapping the wheel. The overall condition is impressive, with only the usual wrinkles on the seat leather. There is no evidence of wear and no aftermarket additions. The seller may not mention verifying evidence for the mileage claim, but the interior condition makes it seem plausible.
There is no single reason why the Plymouth Prowler failed to ignite excitement in the market, but there are a few worth considering. There was nothing inherently wrong with the styling because it did capture the essence of a classic hot rod. However, more minor details like the front bumpers looked cumbersome, which was one issue to which people took exception. Others point to the engine choice, lamenting that Plymouth didn’t fit a V8. That is not entirely fair because its V6 churned out enough power to satisfy most owners. The lack of a manual transmission could be one of the major factors at play. Hot rods didn’t feature an automatic option, and the self-shifter in the Prowler may have detracted from the driving pleasure. However, perhaps its most significant issue was the Prowler was an automotive orphan. Some retro models have garnered great market success, including the New Beetle, the Mini Cooper, and the Fiat 500. The common theme with those offerings is that the manufacturers attempted to recapture the magic of an earlier model. The Prowler didn’t follow that philosophy and was unlike anything produced by the company. Maybe that’s why it failed. However, a car that was largely unloved when new is slowly gaining traction in the classic market. With values beginning to climb, maybe the Prowler has finally found its place in the motoring world. Do you agree?
Does anyone actually give a car for a Christmas present (complete-
with a bow?
Makes me think of that fake commercial on Saturday Night Live
where a guys surprises his wife with a new Lexus SUV,& she reams
him for it,or the one where the wife gives her husband(& her) matching-
watches,& then he surprises her with brand new matching GMC peickups.
https://jalopnik.com/giant-bow-market-slowing-down-with-new-car-sales-1849914357
I’ll just leave this here…
I thought these were pretty hot back in the 90s. But as a friend pointed out, you can’t do anything sketchy in it. Like TP the neighbors house. Everybody knows who dun it.
There’s nothing like the “rumble” of that choked up V-6. To get the old time hot rod juices flowing!
The 1997-99 era had Chrysler Corporate with a strange allocation system
for its dealers. A dealer better be willing to accept lots of Cirrus and Concorde models to get a few high interest Prowlers. Of course Chrysler would deny this, but, that is the way it worked. Prowler was always to be a low production
number model. That’s what dealers were told. It was pay to play. Go in debt
with slow selling inventory to get some of the candy.
The gills in the side really work for me.
They are not factory, I like ’em too but the paint match is a bit off. Nice car, I almost bought one, having 2 children I needed more seats .
I’ve seen these with the front bumpers removed and it makes a world of difference visually. I always thought it was awesome that this car was built but yes, if there was a manual option they might have come close to making 10k a year. I had a 99 LHS daily driver back then with the same engine so that tells you everything. The only other car that had a more disappointing engine compared to looks was probably the DeLorean.
Chrysler had NO plans to build 10,000 Prowlers a year. It was a halo car and was supposed to sell in small numbers, total production for all years was just over 11,000. The Prowler was probably the most misunderstood car ever built. It was never meant to have a V8 and that was a deal breaker for most people, they just couldn’t understand that light weight doesn’t require big engines.
Think about this
Lee Iacocca started this with the Mustang.
The 641/2 limited release.
He save Chrysler with the same concept.
Remember the pt cruiser.
A friend paid 5k over retail because of the hype
(Limited production)
Iacocca genius.
We are such sheep!!!!!
My daughter hated this car. I had one for a week as a press loaner and when I took her to school (yeah, she should have been happy I didn’t make her ride the bus), she had to carry her trumpet case AND her backpack in her lap. Not only is there no spare room in the cockpit, there’s no trunk. If you can’t use the car for an overnighter or even a picnic, it really reduces its utility.
Another oddity is that if you run through a puddle at about 35 moh, you splash your own windshield.
It yeah, it should have been a little more, oh, manly. Was a v-6 “enough”? Sure. And a v-6 would have been enough for a Viper.
Seller has 20 vehicles listed. Cool color.
Would be a cool rod with any V8, even an old 340…anything but a 6 banger.
Would be a cool rod with any V8, even an old 340…anything but a 6 banger.
We got 3 in the old dealership where I once worked and they all sold 10k over the window sticker price one person even came from the next state to make his purchase I still have a couple of the new car brochures for these
The Prowler was castigated for not having a 4 or 5-speed manual box. But go to any hot rod show and all you see is red ’32 Fords or a facsimile thereof with a 350 Chevy and 350 slush box. The guys that whined the loudest probably wouldn’t have bought a Prowler with a manual anyway.
It should have but it didn’t because the bean counters prevented it from being what it should’ve
Every auto maker has flopped a car
And sadly this was just another…
How about way over priced? I remember over 30G when they came out. Great looking but not near enough automobile to justify price!
Most rod builds I’ve seen lately have had slush boxes. Of course a modern auto can shift faster than a human can. I don’t think Chrysler ever wanted to sell more than they did. I’d always heard they lost money on each one. It was more of a status thing for them.
One question I have always had, could you take out this engine and drop in a small HEMI, in its place? The only thing that holds me back is if I could convert it.
I have read about V8 conversions to the Prowler but have not seen one.
https://engineswapdepot.com/?p=24915