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Designer Chip Foose just lately stopped by Jay Leno’s Storage to pore over some of the controversial tasks he is ever been concerned in: the Plymouth Prowler.
The Prowler shocked the automotive world when it entered manufacturing as a 1997 mannequin. Whereas Plymouth had telegraphed the two-seater with a 1993 idea automobile, it was nonetheless stunning to see its hot-rod-inspired styling on a automobile truly being offered at dealerships—significantly these of then-declining Plymouth. That styling was undoubtedly of the love-it-or-hate-it selection, however the Prowler lasted till the 2002 mannequin yr, ending its manufacturing run as a Chrysler following the loss of life of Plymouth.
Whereas he did not design the completed product, or have any affect on the choice to get the automobile into manufacturing, Foose helped lay the groundwork for the Prowler’s design. Then a scholar at California’s Artwork Heart, Foose introduced the thought of a retro mannequin to then-Chrysler design boss Tom Gale, in response to a immediate to create a brand new area of interest car.
Within the video, Foose says his rationale was that many scorching rod and muscle automobile lovers needed to mix the traditional seems of older automobiles with new know-how that may permit them for use on daily basis. Certainly one of his proposals, primarily based on a Nineteen Thirties Plymouth scorching rod, caught the attention of Gale, who pushed for the Prowler to turn into a manufacturing automobile.
The manufacturing automobile stored lots of the wilder parts of Foose’s proposal, together with cycle fenders masking 20-inch wheels that have been gigantic on the time. But it surely was let down by uninspiring mechanicals, together with an automated transmission and three.5-liter V-6 shared with different Chrysler fashions. The V-10 from the Dodge Viper additionally being offered on the time most likely would not match, however there’s room for a V-8 beneath the hood, Foose notes.
The driving expertise would not present the identical stage of pleasure because the styling, however the V-6 supplies an affordable 253 hp, and Leno was impressed by the shortage of cowl shake. It is onerous to say if the Prowler is sports-car-level enjoyable, however the cramped cockpit and tiny trunk are undoubtedly sports-car-level impractical.
These components, mixed with a comparatively excessive value (about $32,000 within the late Nineties) restricted the Prowler’s enchantment, however the lack of a V-8 was doubtless the largest turnoff, Foose believes. Attitudes could have modified over time, although. The stigma in opposition to V-6 engines has abated considerably, and the Prowler has even been tipped as a stable collector-car funding by insurer Hagerty.
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