The Reason The Plymouth Prowler Was A Failure

As the design indicates, the Prowler was not designed to be a mass-market car. It’s hard to imagine most people walking into a Plymouth dealership and getting excited about the idea of one in their driveway. According to Car and Driver, the Prowler was actually a side effect of what Chrysler was working on at the time. While aluminum components are normal now in automotive production, that was not the case over 20 years ago. The Plymouth was one of the first cars constructed mostly out of aluminum. 

Despite looking like a life-size Hot Wheels car, Prowlers enjoy fairly healthy auction results. In May of this year, a Prowler with a scant 900 miles on the odometer brought in $50,000 at auction on Bring a Trailer. And earlier this month a Prowler and matching trailer went for over $33,000 on the same site.

As a car, the Prowler failed. It was uncomfortable to drive, and the strange cockpit layout was disorienting. Not to mention it had a weak engine, no manual transmission, and looked bizarre. All told, Chrysler sold less than 12,000 Prowlers (via Car and Driver). But when it came to making strides in the use of aluminum in cars, the Prowler’s sacrifice was not in vain.