Vehicle Description
This is the car that started the factory built Retro craze. Before
Chevy's SSR or HHR. Before the Retro T-Bird, Mustang, Camaro or
Challenger. Chrysler engineers were given free rein to design a
modern Hot Rod type of vehicle. They were inspired in large part by
an Art College of Design thesis written by Chip Foose, and they
equipped the car with many features that allow it to be used as a
daily driver. Introduced in 1997, this car is one of only 457 that
were built that year. And this one even comes with the optional
Prowler trailer! Check it out.
Prowler Purple was the only color offered for this first year of
production. The body was produced in Ohio, and the car was hand
assembled in Detroit, making it a truly limited production
automobile. The open front wheels and narrow hood with the deep V
grill reaching forward and low to the ground recalls the look of a
1930s roadster. But that look is backed up by a modern Indy racer
style front suspension and brakes. (More on that later). The smooth
lines of the body sweep up and back, turning in and down over a
rounded trunk. The car sits low with an aggressive stance.
Distinctive body colored running boards blend into the rear fender
flares that cover those big 20" rear wheels that are staggered with
the 17s in the front. A manual convertible top offers all weather
flexibility and looks great when it is up, but really, this car is
most dramatic looking when it is stashed under its cover. The
trailer is an awesome option and offers tremendous amount of room
for traveling.
Open the door, or just take a look inside if the roof is down, and
you will find a nice black leather interior with all the luxury
features and conveniences of a modern car. The high back bucket
seats look great and have nice side bolsters that keep you
comfortably cradled even during spirited driving. A beefy leather
wrapped steering wheel is mounted on a tilt column and has the
cruise controls at your fingertips with a Prowler logo in the
center on the air bag cover. White faced gauges are arrayed across
the dash set in a body colored panel, and like in a '30s roadster,
a tachometer is mounted on the column. There are power windows and
locks along with air conditioning to keep you cool. An
AM/FM/Cassette deck with remote CD changer is there for your
listening pleasure and the shifter for the 4-speed automatic
transmission with manual shifting mode sits in the center
console.
Pop the hood and you will find a 3.5 liter 24-valve V6 motor
nestled snuggly down in the engine bay which makes plenty of power
to make this lightweight roadster scoot. It sends that power back
to the rear mounted "autostick" transaxle in an arrangement similar
to the C5 Corvette which helps facilitate a very desirable 50-50
weight distribution. The chassis benefits tremendously from modern
technology. It uses aluminum construction for low weight and
structural rigidity. The front suspension uses an IndyCar style
cantilever suspension that mounts the coil over shock springs
inboard, out of sight, and provides for that awesome look at the
front of the car. The rear suspension is coil over set up also and
big ventilated disc brakes fill up those big wheels at all four
corners. This car handles well and stops on a dime. For traveling,
hook up the matching trailer and pile in the luggage. When you get
where your going, check in, leave the stuff in the room and go
cruise the boulevard or burn up some back roads.
The first and most dramatic of the retro cars. Comfortable, quick,
fun, and rare. Come on down and check it out.
