RE: Plymouth Prowler: Spotted
Discussion
K50 DEL said:
Yep, chalk me up as another fan.... though I wish it was V8 and manual.
That said, I certainly wouldn't pay that much for one... half that figure would be tempting though.
Don't get me wrong, I'd certainly love it if it was a lot less money. But is it really that much?That said, I certainly wouldn't pay that much for one... half that figure would be tempting though.
A new MX-5 RF starts at £23k, a few options and you are right around this sort of money, for instance.
300bhp/ton said:
1974foggy said:
although it does need a V8.
Why?Period hot rods would have had 4 pots in the originally. And at the time of the Prowler the Chysler V8 would have been bigger, heavier and maybe not much more power than the V6 they used.
swisstoni said:
300bhp/ton said:
1974foggy said:
although it does need a V8.
Why?Period hot rods would have had 4 pots in the originally. And at the time of the Prowler the Chysler V8 would have been bigger, heavier and maybe not much more power than the V6 they used.
The engine and gearbox are stock items from other cars, rather than bespoke units. The Magnum V8 at the time was 5.2 or 5.9 litres. Cool engines in their own right, but bigger and heavier than the V8, so would have upped the total weight and made the Prowler nose heavy.
214hp for the Prowlers and 255hp for the latter ones. The Magnum 5.9 made something like 240hp.... if they were building this today, then the modern Hemi engines would make sense. But I can see the sense in going for the V6 back in 1997.
D-Angle said:
You can get a genuine hot rod and save yourself 2 grand over the Prowler:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1936-FORD-MODEL-B-HOTRO...
f:1
It's a no from me.
"First Registered on 01 01 1936" - Well no, the vehicle that log book belongs to might have been, but that "Model B", certainly not.https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1936-FORD-MODEL-B-HOTRO...
f:1 It's a no from me.
K50 DEL said:
Yep, chalk me up as another fan.... though I wish it was V8 and manual.
That said, I certainly wouldn't pay that much for one... half that figure would be tempting though.
How are you del? Hope all is well.That said, I certainly wouldn't pay that much for one... half that figure would be tempting though.
I drove one here a few weeks ago. I love the look of them, but it was lethargic, has a hideous gearbox, not especially fast in a straight line, understeered terribly--on the test track I'm sure you are familiar with- and not especially well screwed together.
Better still, it was in ras, so the one owner, full history could be taken with a pinch of salt bigger than its fuel tank.
More poke, a better interior and some semblance of handling..... Tempting enough
Dusty964 said:
K50 DEL said:
Yep, chalk me up as another fan.... though I wish it was V8 and manual.
That said, I certainly wouldn't pay that much for one... half that figure would be tempting though.
How are you del? Hope all is well.That said, I certainly wouldn't pay that much for one... half that figure would be tempting though.
I drove one here a few weeks ago. I love the look of them, but it was lethargic, has a hideous gearbox, not especially fast in a straight line, understeered terribly--on the test track I'm sure you are familiar with- and not especially well screwed together.
Better still, it was in ras, so the one owner, full history could be taken with a pinch of salt bigger than its fuel tank.
More poke, a better interior and some semblance of handling..... Tempting enough
A fresh import it was indeed... in several boxes after having been written off twice over in California due to floods and accident damage, sold at a salvage auction, shipped to RAS and repaired on the (very) cheap.
Given the first google result when the VIN was searched was the salvage auction photos, I wasn't hugely surprised when it was still for sale more than a year later..... I was disappointed not to scratch that Viper itch though!
Anyway, I'm good cheers Stu, missing the M.E, still, but sadly my time there is fading ever further into history!
AlexRS2782 said:
Whenever i see reference to one of these it always reminds me of a poster that used to be on here that had one of these.
In a failed attempt to keep it covered (rather than using a cover) he managed to get in the s
t with his neighbours & council for attempting to build a massive fk off eyesore of a wooden framed car port at the front of his house / over the entire drive, but ended up having to remove it 
Edit - Found the thread if anyone fancies a read if they're bored
- https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=14...
It's even been updated recently too - turns out the car's still outside under a cover
Edit 2 - just noticed the plate - P12 DWL spaced / black capped in a lame attempt to spell PROWL
Can I just say, thank you for bringing that thread into my life. Superb.In a failed attempt to keep it covered (rather than using a cover) he managed to get in the s
t with his neighbours & council for attempting to build a massive fk off eyesore of a wooden framed car port at the front of his house / over the entire drive, but ended up having to remove it Edit - Found the thread if anyone fancies a read if they're bored
- https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=14...It's even been updated recently too - turns out the car's still outside under a cover
Edit 2 - just noticed the plate - P12 DWL spaced / black capped in a lame attempt to spell PROWL
yellowstreak said:
I guess its different and quirky, but its going to be a fairly slow cruiser with a lazy auto. Look at the Doug DeMuro pieve on youtubes. I remember him being equally bemused.
Don’t see why the auto would be lazy. They change gear quicker than a manual most of the time. Loads of cars are autos today. They might have more gears, but they still fundamentally work the same. And is sub 6 sec 0-60mph really considered slow? Let alone for something 15-20 years ago.
Paul 8v said:
Well that's put me off my breakfast... It reminds me of those awful PT cruiser things
My wife has a purple or cruiser that she loves like a child. Got to say, it’s comfy and roomy as anything this side of a Range Rover and at least they *tried*. At a time when everyone else made dull grey boxes like the meriva and the verso, they attempted to make something a bit fun. That PT cruiser cost me £650 as a throwaway hack one winter and it’s now got 174k on the clock and costs practically nothing to run: given it’s a family car, not a trackday special, I can’t argue with that.As for the Prowler, it’s definitely more show than go, but then again most hotrods are good at making noise and looking good whilst handling like a three wheeled shopping trolley and not actually being that quick. As a posing motor direct from a dealership, I’d say it was a bolder move than you’d expect from a manufacturer that dealt mainly in things like the Neon.
Not a great steer, but a bit of fun and we need more of that in life.
300bhp/ton said:
I like lots of cars. 
The Prowler was a homage to this sort of thing:
But built as a modern car to modern safety standards and regs. Meaning you could use it daily in all weathers if you wanted too. And would be no more hassle to own or run than your average saloon car of the same era.
At the time of the Prowler people like Boyd Coddington and others were being very successful with re-imaged hot rods in a smoother sleeker style than the classic ones.
But bespoke cars like this would set you back a huge amount of money compared to the Prowler. And obviously aren't production cars in the same sense.
Chrysler weren't the only ones to want to have a slice of this rich market.
Others offered similar "themed" vehicles.
And too a lesser extent:
The original Chip Foose concept (Hemisfear) was much along these lines, with a V8 of course, but could never have gone into production without the bumpers etc.The Prowler was a homage to this sort of thing:
But built as a modern car to modern safety standards and regs. Meaning you could use it daily in all weathers if you wanted too. And would be no more hassle to own or run than your average saloon car of the same era.
At the time of the Prowler people like Boyd Coddington and others were being very successful with re-imaged hot rods in a smoother sleeker style than the classic ones.
But bespoke cars like this would set you back a huge amount of money compared to the Prowler. And obviously aren't production cars in the same sense.
Chrysler weren't the only ones to want to have a slice of this rich market.
Others offered similar "themed" vehicles.
And too a lesser extent:
Regarding the production engine output, that would be plenty enough for their target audience.
It would be made to cruise through Death Valley in the summer, Minnesota in the winter and come with a 3 year, 30k warranty.
Sure, it could have had a blown 632ci blown Hemi but wouldn't have been reliable.
Just the sort of thing if you want a turn key Hot Rod, like being stared at, want airbags, bumpers, cruise control and a modern stereo.
Not my cup of tea though, I have this
shakotan said:
Electro1980 said:
RDMcG said:
a FWD automatic is not exactly a traditional hot rod. Nasty thing.
It is rear wheel drive, with a 4 speed auto, which is 100% traditional hot rod.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff