Cars that were almost cool: Plymouth Prowler

Most car companies play it pretty safe with the models they release, but Chrysler is a company that isn’t afraid to do something a little crazy from time to time. Case in point: the Plymouth Prowler. Plymouth was a Chrysler sub-brand from 1928 until 2001 when they went out of business. Most Plymouths of the modern era were boring sedans and minivans, but in 1997 they released the Prowler.

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The Prowler was unlike any other modern car and could only be produced by a company like Chrysler. It was built in 1997, 1999, 2000, and then was renamed the Chrysler Prowler for the 2001 and 2002 model years. The Prowler was styled to look like a 30’s roadster and it was certainly eye-catching. But the Prowler has a fatal flaw: it has a Chrysler 3.5 liter V6. The Prowler’s styling screams “V8!!”, yet even after the slight increase in power for the 2001-2002 model years, the Prowler never made more than 253 ponies. While not pretty, the Prowler’s look is definitely interesting, but it is absolutely ruined by a lackluster V6 engine. Had Chrysler put a Hemi in the Prowler they would have had something really special.

The Prowler truly had the makings of a very cool and unique automobile had they put a V8 in it. They took the time and effort necessary to put the transmission at the rear, achieve 50-50 weight distribution, design a crazy body, and actually build it. This kind of lunacy is usually only found in concept cars, but the Prowler brought the concept to life with basically no changes. “Could’ve had a V8.”