We all need to thank Chrysler’s former head of design, Tom Gale, for giving us the Plymouth Prowler. No, the car is not perfect, but Tom’s love of classic hot rods made the Prowler a reality.
The original idea behind the Prowler has an interesting history. It was the design thesis for an ArtCenter College of Design student named Douglas “Chip” Foose. His project featured several radical elements for a modern production car, the most interesting being the open, Indy racer-style front fenders.
The Prowler is also a very low-volume production car. A total of only 11,702 were built during its six-year run.
Now on AutoHunter is one of these cars, a one-owner, 4,930-mile 2000 Plymouth Prowler.
The seller describes this car as a 2000 Plymouth Prowler that is powered by its original 3.5-liter 24-valve SOHC V6, which is mated to a four-speed adaptive automatic transaxle. The car wears its original Prowler Red paint over the original black leather interior. It is now offered by the selling dealer with the original purchase receipt, window sticker, owner’s manual, a clean CARFAX report, and a clear title.
The exterior looks like what you would expect from a sub-5K-mile Prowler. It has flawless paint, a perfect convertible top, and wheels and trim in true show-ready condition.
The interior is much the same, with perfect black leather and retro center-mounted instruments. Basically, this Prowler is a time capsule.
People say all the time that the only problem with the Prowler is that it did not have a V8. That is an interesting comment, but it completely ignores that fact that vintage hot rods often had four- and six-cylinder engines. In addition, the V6-powered Prowler is capable of hitting 60 mph in a very respectable 5.7 seconds, which seems incredibly quick. Combine that with mechanicals that are modern, available, and affordable and a Prowler like this one seems like a great way to enjoy a vintage-style hot rod in a modern form.
If I seem a bit bullish on these cars it is because I truly think that the Prowler is a future collector car and those that are as well preserved as this one are going to get more and more expensive as time goes on.
The auction for this 4,930-mile 2000 Plymouth Prowler ends on Monday, January 27, 2025 at 12:00 p.m. (MST).
Visit the AutoHunter listing for more information and a photo gallery