They built it? Really? The Hot Wheels-made-real Plymouth Prowler has you asking the same question in 2024 as it did when the first of these retro roadsters prowled American streets in 1997.
Paying homage to ’32 Ford hot rods, this was Chrysler Corp designer Tom Gale’s even more extrovert follow-up to the bonkers Dodge Viper.
The Prowler wowed in concept form at the 1993 Detroit Auto Show, was somehow given the production green light, then they hand-built almost 12,000 of these overwhelming aluminium open-wheelers up until 2002.
Introverts need not apply, especially when yours is glimmering in orange pearl framed against a deep blue Queensland sky. Sunshine Coaster Sid James spotted his 2001 Prowler for sale in Los Angeles three years ago.
Handily, his son Corey is California-based so was tasked with inspecting and testing it before money changed hands. Sid had been burnt before. He’d transferred money over for a sight-unseen Prowler, was scammed, and lost the lot.
It was a happier story this time. “Part of the import rules is you must have new catalytic converters fitted,” Sid explained. “I got the high-flow cats, but regulations mean you can’t have them delivered to California. I had to go through three different muffler shops before I found someone who’d weld them in.”
He also had carbon brake pads fitted in the States to avoid any potential asbestos dramas, then transported the Prowler to San Francisco to set sail for Brisbane. Left-hand drive restrictions meant this 20-year-old Plymouth went straight to conversion specialist Performax, Sid’s being the 14th Prowler the company would convert.
“I’d ridden in a Prowler in the States in 2002,” Sid explained. “We were going down the freeway and people are beeping their horns and pointing and waving. I thought ‘what a unique car.’ I wanted one from the point on.”
It wasn’t his first rodeo in extrovert car land. Sid previously enjoyed a one-owner ’69 Mustang in the USA, then back home a modified 510hp XR6 Turbo ute. This Aussie pickup met a spectacular end, upside down on a roundabout.
The Prowler landed here before our currency nose-dived against the greenback, meaning it owes Sid about $90,000. It cost roughly $44,000 to buy and ship here, plus the same again for the right-hand drive conversion.
“Performax took out the whole dashboard, seats and steering column,” he said. “They’ve used a Commodore rack with some CNC machined parts, and a Jeep steering column. They made up a new fibreglass surround for the dash gauges, and overall did an excellent job.”
From the moment these Prowlers were slated for production, raiding Chrysler’s corporate parts bin was the plan. Pre-1999 cars used the group’s cast-iron 3.5L V6 with the rather tepid 160kW and 300Nm, otherwise found in the deeply uncool Dodge Intrepid and Eagle Vision sedans. Its rack-and-pinion steering was borrowed from Chrysler’s Town & Country, but better news was coil-spring independent suspension came from the Viper.
Like a C5 Corvette and Porsche 944, the rear mounted four-speed auto transmission is mated to the V6 by an open driveshaft. It makes the rear-end view just as spectacular as the front, with the trans and part of the aluminium frame between a pair of chrome exhaust tips and whopping 295/40 tyres over 20-inch rear chrome five-spoke wheels. Hot rod vibes are in full effect with comparatively titchy 17-inch fronts.
The aluminium chassis is complemented with sheet aluminium for the body, bonded with self-piercing rivets and industrial adhesives. The lightweight stuff’s also used for the rear brake discs. It helped this open-wheeler stay under 1300kg, meaning performance wasn’t terrible for a car you’d have otherwise thought was screaming out for a V8 Hemi
up front.
Positively, post-1999 cars like Sid’s were gifted an all-aluminium 3.5L 24v V6 with 60-degree single overhead cam, good for 189kW and 346Nm. That meant power similar to the Magnum V8 of the period, but torque was way down. And while Sid’s Prowler sounds the business with baffles removed, it does miss that proper hot rod bent-eight rumble.
Being rear-drive and with semi-auto AutoStick shifter – plus a 0-100km/h time around six seconds – driver involvement’s decent for this boulevard cruiser.
Bystanders don’t want it to go fast. We want it to hang around to enjoy the style of this IndyCar-like roadster. Especially when its funny-looking front bumpers have been removed (as Sid’s has had done), which otherwise gives it a comical-looking moustache.
A Prowler problem is the limited door opening swing – it’s certainly designed for little people. Sid’s has had a block kit fitted allowing a wider swing, and once inside it’s a sink-in leathery two-seater. Even so, it’s a bit plain, grey and sensible when compared to the mad exterior.
The folding soft top, meanwhile, means there’s next to no room for any luggage in this roadster. Little wonder almost 20 per cent of buyers bought a US$5075 trailer, styled in the same manner as the Prowler’s rear end.
Sid’s changed his car’s shocks and torsion bar to improve the ride, said general maintenance is easy and the Plymouth has proved largely reliable. He’s very active with the Prowler Owner’s Association, and it’s a bonus having his son in California for parts help.
“I’ve changed the plugs, done the air cleaner, put a new serpentine belt and pulley adjusters on,” Sid said, using bits he bought on his last visit to the States.
While it’s perfectly presented and hasn’t seen a drop of rain in its life, it’s a common sight on Sunshine Coast roads.
“Because it didn’t come to Australia and it’s so spectacular, people just assume it’s custom rather than factory,” said Sid. “My wife gets embarrassed when we’re driving it; she wants to slide under the dashboard. It gets so much attention, but it’s just a fun car.”
And really, seeing it in the metal remains scarcely believable. It’s true. They did actually build these things.