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The words that defined the essence of the future concept "retro car in hot rod style" were firstborn in the Chrysler design center in California in 1990. First presented as a concept at the 1993 Detroit Auto Show, the Plymouth Prowler was put into production from 1997 to 2002, when it was discontinued. In the same year, the future "serial hot rod" was made in the form of a 1: 4 scale model and approved by Chrysler President Bob Lutz, who, by the way, is a hot rodder himself. The idea of embodying the image of the old American legend was, of course, also based on a pragmatic calculation: the number of hot rod fans in America totals several million people, and the industry's annual turnover serving their needs exceeds more than $ 10 billion.
A year later, the "retro-genus" was named Prowler, which is best translated as "creeping." Panther images on the leather upholstery complete this look. In 1992, work began on the embodiment of the concept car, which is planned to be exhibited at the Detroit Auto Show in 1993. The result exceeds expectations: crazy purple shapes (purple will become Prowler's signature color for several years), spinning on the podium in the beams of spotlights to the sound of rock and roll, gather admiring crowds.
Bob Lutz requires his engineers and designers to determine within 90 days how realistic it is to introduce the concept into production. At the other extreme, Chrysler dealers begin to probe the market with enthusiasm. The engineers made the first prototype: the carrier frame, the wheel suspension arms, and almost the entire body are aluminum.
Since then, the car has continuously participated in various exhibitions, shows, and even test runs on American highways and mountain tracks. Already in 1996, prototypes became available to some automotive publications for the first test drives. In 1997, Chrysler began producing the first series of cars, but in a relatively small edition.
However, a year later, the car undergoes significant changes: at the auto show in Los Angeles, the Prowler is already making its debut with an aluminum 3.5-liter V6 engine producing 253 hp. The previous engine had "only" 214 horsepower. An important detail: the car exhibited at the show is painted yellow, which should further emphasize the old "hot rod" spirit. Soon, red and black bodies appear, in 1999 for the first time - silver, and then - two-tone: blacktop, red bottom. However, having acquired two-color, the car has already lost the Plymouth brand.
Nevertheless, the image of Prowler continues to excite designers seriously - evidence of this is the Chrysler Howler concept: practically the same shapes, So the "creeping" is replaced by the "yelling."
Source: "American Beauty" (DMITRY POPOV) - "Autopilot" magazine number 07 for 2000
Images: Chrysler; www.kimballstock.com; shorey.net
