2000 Plymouth Prowler: What's New

Vehicle Overview
Get one while you can.

The Plymouth division of DaimlerChrysler will go out of business in 2001, and the Prowler roadster will die with it.

Production of this factory hot rod started in July 1997 and purposely is kept at low volume (2,896 in 1999) to maintain its value and desirability.

A limited-production Woodward Edition Prowler is available in the spring of 2000. The name pays tribute to Woodward Avenue, the Detroit street drivers cruised in the 1960s. It comes with a two-tone paint scheme — black on top with red on the lower body, or black over silver with hand-painted pinstripes that give each one a unique appearance.

Production of the Woodward Edition Prowler will be limited to 150 units.

Exterior
The Prowler may look like a ’50s hot rod, but it is built with modern technology: about 900 pounds of aluminum for the frame and most body panels, and plastic compounds for the rear body panels and front fenders.

The Prowler comes with a manually folding convertible top and a glass rear window with a defogger. The front tires are 17-inch diameter, and the rears are 20-inch diameter.

Regular production colors for 2000 are black, red and silver, and the bumpers are painted black this year.

Interior
The gauge cluster is in the center of the dashboard, and Plymouth continues the retro theme by mounting the tachometer on the steering column, which imitates a custom look that was popular in the 1950s and 1960s.

The rest of the leather interior is up to date, with air conditioning, cruise control, a 320-watt sound system with a six-disc CD changer, and power windows, locks and mirrors. Because the two-seat Prowler lacks a trunk, a cargo trailer that matches the body color is optional.

Under the Hood
A 253-horsepower 3.5-liter V-6 powers the Prowler, and a four-speed automatic transmission is mounted at the rear of this rear-drive roadster. The transmission has the AutoStick feature, which allows changing gears manually by tipping the shift lever left or right.

Performance
Outrageously styled and guaranteed to turn heads wherever it goes, the Prowler is a celebration of the automobile as fun and as a fashion statement. The 1999 announcement that production will end in 2001 should only heighten demand for new and used versions.