Yahoo Autos Learn The History Of The Plymouth Prowler
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It’s been called the first and last production hotrod, an experiment many perceived as having failed, but the truth is the Plymouth Prowler was far bolder and more influential than most people really understand.
Like a thunderclap, the Plymouth Prowler concept took the automotive world by storm in January of 1993. For too long, Chrysler had pumped out a never-ending array of boxy and quite frankly uninspiring vehicles. Even coming from the most ambitious automakers of the time, the Prowler would have been a complete shock, so the fact it emerged from the halls of Chrysler made it that much more jarring to the industry. Retro before retro was hot, the hotrod generated buzz beyond just gearheads and auto journalists, getting the general public talking.
Not everyone was sold on the Prowler. Some called the design indulgent, pointless, or even downright hideous. Harsh words were uttered and written by automotive journalists, but Chrysler persisted, knowing it had something special in the works.
The fact the Prowler came about under the watch of Bob Lutz is no coincidence. Known for being bold, it was a gutsy move to turn such a crazy design concept into a production car, even though the final product didn’t turn out perfectly. Just about every other automotive executive would’ve killed the project before it was entertained as a production vehicle, using the design concept as inspiration for far more practical vehicles and nothing more. Lutz saw an opportunity to break away from crippling dependency on K-cars and minivans, vehicles he likened to bologna being produced by a butcher. He wanted to make Chrysler great again.
We had seen Chrysler pull a similar rabbit out of its hat with a dramatic auto show reveal back in 1989 when the wraps were taken off the Dodge Viper concept. However, nobody was anticipating lowly Plymouth would get such attention, making the Prowler an even bigger surprise.
It was at Pacifica, Chrysler’s design studio in Carlsbad, California where the idea to make a factory hotrod first came about. According to Kevin Verduyn, a former Chrysler designer, an intern threw out the notion of designing a hotrod when they were brainstorming. Management saw some of the sketches by Verduyn he had on his office wall and gave the direction to make such a car for Plymouth.
Even the Prowler’s designers thought it would just be an interesting concept car and nothing more. They decided to use the opportunity to experiment on forming an aluminum body, something which was cutting-edge for its time. The aim was to learn how to better lightweight cars since aggressive fuel economy standards looked likely.
