On the Prowl

Frequently on the CocoMats blog, I’ve waxed poetic over an interesting take on a classic, such as the Hoonigan Mustang, or a dream project that I would love to undertake, like Camaro IROC. This week, I’m combining both of these ideas to share the love for one of my all-time favorite cars, the weird and wonderful Plymouth Prowler.

I can already hear the collective groan from all of the old-school car guys out there, and there is a good reason. In the 1990s, the Prowler was the ultimate poser-mobile. Originally a concept car from Chip Foose’s master’s thesis at Art Center College of Design, the Prowler was greenlit by Thomas C. Gale, the head of Chrysler’s design and its international director. Gale was a huge fan of the 1930s hot rod image and actually outfitted his own garage in a ‘30s hot rod theme. Unfortunately, the Prowler didn’t come with any of the features that one would expect from an actual hot rod: no V8, no manual transmission, and far too many creatures comforts in place of raw power.

The original 1997 Prowler only came with a 214hp V6 that practically crawled to 60mph in 7.2 seconds. The 1999 model came with a 3.5L, 253hp V6 that was just over a full second faster. Many people hoped that with its aggressive styling and open fender design, the Prowler would provide a unique alternative to the purpose-built Viper, and a lot of them were disappointed.

But flash forward to 2018, and we find ourselves in a renaissance of Dodge and Chrysler muscle. The Charger SRT Hellcat is one of the finest muscle cars ever built, and there are plenty of people who are crazy enough to put a Hemi in just about anything the company makes. And the more I ruminate on the subject, the more I feel like I am one of those people.

This past weekend, inspiration roared to life in the most mundane of places - the Target parking lot on Saturday afternoon. My son and I were walking out of the store when a guy with only a few more gray hairs than me fired up a purple Prowler right in front of us. I have always loved the design of the car, and I’ve always dreamed of turning one into a true hot rod worthy of any local drag strip. I asked the guy how he liked it, and he gushed about the aftermarket community and all of the mods that enthusiasts had worked on in the last two decades. Then, he made my day. He informed me that there is a guy down in Wilmington, NC who shoehorned a 6.1-liter SRT Hemi V8 into an orange prowler, and it is an actual beast on wheels.

I now have a goal in life.

--Trey Fennell