Plymouth Prowler
| Plymouth Prowler | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer |
Plymouth (1997-2001) Chrysler (2001–2002) |
| Also called | Chrysler Prowler |
| Production | 1997, 1999–2002 |
| Assembly |
Shadyside, Ohio, United States Detroit, Michigan, United States |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class |
Sports car Roadster |
| Body style | 2-door roadster |
| Layout | FR layout |
| 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) |
The Plymouth Prowler, later the Chrysler Prowler, is a retro-styled production car manufactured and marketed in 1997 and 1999-2002 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 — with an overall production of 11,700.
Chrysler engineers were given free rein to design whatever they wanted in a "hot rod" or "sportster" type vehicle. Thomas C. Gale, Chrysler's design and international director "love for 1930s-era hot rods inspired Chrysler's latest design triumph, the retro-styled Plymouth Prowler." Gale, "who has a hotted up 1932 Ford in his garage, ... [approved] the rod-inspired Plymouth Prowler as the company's follow-up show-stopper to the Dodge Viper. An early influence is credited to a Chrysler-sponsored project at the Art Center College of Design that resulted in a thesis by Douglas "Chip" Foose that included drawings of a retro-roadster. Foose "designed it as a coupe for Chrysler to begin with but modified it to a roadster version."
One of the most striking design features of the Prowler are 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. Both engines were coupled to a four-speed Autostick semi-automatic transmission. The transmission was located at the rear of the vehicle and joined to the engine by a torque tube that rotated at engine speed, an arrangement similar to that used by the C5 Corvette, Porsche 944, and Alfa Romeo 75, and helped to facilitate a desirable 50-50 front-rear weight distribution. The Prowler was the first rear-wheel drive Plymouth since the 1989 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 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, Prowler's light weight helped to achieve rapid off-the-line acceleration.
...
Wikipedia