The Plymouth Prowler is back in a digital avatar, packing in the mighty Hellcat V8 under its hood.
IThe Plymouth Prowler is one of the coolest cars from the 90s. It had an out-of-the-box styling which was unique for its time. It resulted from Chrysler giving complete freedom to its designers and engineers. To some, this unique Mopar is a highly desirable vehicle. But many out there aren’t impressed with the Prowler in the least bit. Whatever your opinion on this Hot Rod-styled Plymouth may be, there is no denying that it is an integral part of American car culture.
Hotcars’ digital artist Timothy Adry Emmanuel has come up with an incredible rendering of what a modern-day Prowler might look like if Chrysler decided to bring back this unique roadster today. Besides giving this digital imagination a stunning exterior design, he has also dropped a Hellcat V8 under its hood. Many rejected the original Prowler for only having a V6. This one addresses all those issues fair and square. If this rendering ever becomes a reality, it will surely put all modern muscle cars on notice!
Plymouth Prowlers Returns In 2024 As The Ultimate Hot Rod
The Prowler was a sportscar in Hot Rod clothing. It was the brainchild of Thomas C. Gale, who was also behind the excellent design of the Dodge Viper. The production version of this unique roadster looked quite close to its concept. Many believe that Chip Foose also played a small part in the exterior styling of the show car. Critics thought that the shape of the Prowler concept was so different from the vehicles of that age that Chrysler would never put it into production. But the carmaker surprised everyone with the debut of the road-going version in 1997.
Gale was a big Hot Rod fan, which influenced this retro-styled roadster’s design. The arrowhead shape of the Prowler was inspired by the Hot Rods of the 1930s. In the 1990s, Plymouth was producing reliable but mundane cars. Meanwhile, Dodge had an exciting line-up of trucks and the incredible Viper. The Prowler was meant to arrive as a shot in the arm for Plymouth with its unique styling. Its distinct design attracted a lot of attention to the brand. But it never translated into actual sales.
Emmanuel’s rendering is a modern take on the iconic shape of the Prowler. It looks like a badass Hot Rod from the current age. But several styling bits hint that this roadster packs in some serious potential. The modern interpretation of the Plymouth Grille looks incredible. And the large chrome panels on either side add a touch of posh flair. In the original car, the headlights were integrated into the bodywork. But here, Emmanuel has decided to go for separate units that sit much lower to the ground.
They are a perfect interpretation of the headlights you’d see on a Hot Rod from the 1930s. The giant hood scoop gives an aggressive look to this Prowler and would allow the Hellcat V8 to gulp in the fresh air. The low-hung splitter at the front and the aggressive aero on the side skirts will provide this Prowler with the required downforce. Things look pretty interesting in the rear too. The design is a lot sleeker than the original car. The fender-mounted taillights have made way for a neat-looking LED light bar that runs across the length of the boot.
Besides the aggressive aero and sleek exterior, Emmanuel has given this Prowler a set of Pirelli P-Zero tires. These are wrapped around incredible multi-spoke chrome wheels that look much better than the ones available with the original car.
2024 Prowler Is Ready To Smoke Modern Muscle Cars On The Drag Strip
In the 1930s, people would drop high-output engines in old cars and race them down a straight line. That led to the birth of Hot Rods. For a while, these Frankenstein cars were quite popular in America. Enthusiasts would use these to have fun on the weekend and earn a few bucks. When Plymouth introduced the Prowler in 1997, it was a take on the Hot Rods of the 1930s. But, the inspiration from these wild classics didn’t make it past the exterior styling of the Prowler.
In the first two years of its introduction, this one-of-a-kind Plymouth came with a 3.5-liter V6. This engine had a power output of 214 horsepower. The 1997 Prowler reached 60 MPH in 7.9 seconds and had a top speed of 118 MPH. These figures weren’t impressive for a ‘Hot Rod’ with an MSRP of $38,300. Plymouth dropped this engine in 1999 and introduced an all-new aluminum-block V6 that produced 253 horsepower. It reduced the 0 to 60 MPH sprint to 5.9 seconds and increased the top speed to 126 MPH.
But Americans still weren’t impressed. They wanted to see a V8 under the hood of the Prowler and nothing else. But Plymouth couldn’t fit a V8 in the Prowler even if they wanted to. The arrowhead shape at the front meant that there was no room to place an eight-cylinder engine. Mind you; the new aluminum block motor produced nearly as much power as Plymouth’s Magnum V8s from that period. And with the car clocking the scales at just 2,800 lbs, it had an impressive power-to-weight ratio.
This 2024 Prowler packs in a Hellcat V8, making it an instant hit. Emmanuel has designed the front end of this modern interpretation a bit wider than the original car. This means there is enough room for the mighty eight-cylinder motor out of the SRT Challenger. Though the standard version of this V8 that produces 717 horsepower should be sufficient for the new version of this Hot Rod, we reckon to go for the more powerful 807 horsepower version out of the SRT Super Stock.
Thanks to modern lightweight materials, a new version of the Prowler will have a significantly lower weight than the actual car from the 90s. This would lead to a pretty epic power-to-weight ratio, making this Hot Rod simply unbeatable on the drag strip!
This Modern Plymouth Prowler Will Instantly Win Hearts
There were a bunch of reasons why the Plymouth Prowler failed and didn’t turn out to be the success Chrysler had hoped it would. The biggest one of these, of course, is the V6 engine under its hood. Even with the higher output motor, the powertrain didn’t match the personality of a Hot Rod. Other widely acclaimed causes for the failure of this unique roadster were its harsh ride, cramped cabin, no manual transmission, and the fact that it was only available in the shade of purple in its introductory year.
Emmanuel’s rendering suffers from no such issues. It looks fantastic, packs in a mighty V8, and has all the kit to offer one of the best ride and handling packages. If the Prowler returns in this avatar, it’ll likely be a huge hit and the perfect alternative to any modern-day muscle car.
The Plymouth Prowler Is Worth $31,000 Today
The Prowler wasn’t a popular car. It did grab a lot of attention, but that didn’t translate into sales figures. Between 1997 to 2002, Plymouth produced only 11,702 units of this Hot Rod roadster. The unique design and lackluster powertrain have also kept the demand for this vehicle low in the collector market. According to classics.com, on average, a Plymouth Prowler is worth $31,817. The highest sale registered for this vehicle so far was $70,000.
Source: Classics.com / Chrysler
