Future of the Past

In the late nineties our beloved internet was in full bloom, everything looked toward a chrome plated future those atomic age tales depicted. Plymouth wanted to capture a shot of America's golden post-war era with the Prowler. Yes this is a factory produced automobile and not a Chip Foose/Boyd Coddington one off creation. Introduced in 1997 the design alone was enough to make old school hot rodders swoon and little kids say 'COOL!". So what's under the hood? A Magnum V8? New Hemi? Viper Power?! Something supercharged? Nope. Chysler's 3.5 liter V6 sourced from their LH platform wheezed out just over 200 horsepower for year 1 and 2. This isn't exactly a figure fit for a modern "hot rod". A four speed "Auto Stik" transmission got you through what power band existed. For what it lacked in performance, that body kept interested parties appeased. Those bumperettes were just enough to satisfy safety soldiers and could surely not pass today. Plymouth's Prowler made it before the gate closed on free design forever.

As the fear of computer retaliation began to heat up in '99, Prowler gained some power; 253 horsepower now from that 3.5. Whether or not earth was about to become a green ball of radioactive horror had to be irrelevant within the Prowler. Optimism comparable to the era that inspired Plymouth occupied a driver's mind. You began to think on another side of possibility. Supposing 2000 comes full of fireworks and good nature kisses from near standing family or strangers, we're simply one year nearer to a future long promised. Food in pill form, teleportation, thin foil strong as steel, cleaner air, and neutral nations. Let's drive their with an automobile that embraces the future while paying due tribute to our ancestors. It is difficult to pass a Prowler parked somewhere without taking at least one lap around. These did not sell well due to their performance and lack of practicality (that trailer wasn't going to house a third person anyway). The Prowler was a fun weekend toy from day one. Once Plymouth folded in '01 Chrysler put their name on the hood. However, this lasted a single model year before painless death in 2002, rolling toward the light with Firebirds and Camaros. If you want to pick one of these black sheep icons it is possible for sub 20k investments. How wicked would the Prowler have been if some dimensional adjustments allocated Viper V10 absurdity?