2001 Plymouth Prowler
"We live in an automotive era full of wonderful things, fantastic technical developments, where even the most mundane family crossover could absolutely spank most of the sports cars of our pasts. And yet, at the same time, for all the inane lip service carmaker PR teams give to the ideas of "driving satisfaction" or "performance-bred" or "dynamism" or the constant references to some bastardized idea of DNA, no modern company has the 'nads to build anything as remotely bonkers as the Prowler was." Jason Torchinsky in The Autotopian
For consignment, a 2001 Plymouth Prowler convertible with a title verified 55,397 actual miles and wearing a coat of Prowler Orange Metallic and of the 11,000 Prowlers built between 1998 and 2002. Just 1,039 of them were orange and in our house, orange Prowlers peel out of here faster than most of the other 11 colors offered. This car will come with an extra front and rear wheel, a car cover, manual, and front license plate bracket.
Exterior
In that same article, the Prowler orange was compared to chili oil and if you google images, that comes close to describing this deep translucent hue of burnt orange. The narrow eyed Prowler has open front wheels, part of its exotic offering, with body keyed fenders that turn with the wheels. Up front and contrasting are the Federally mandated bumpers in black, which coordinate well with the black canvas top and the black gravel guards on the flared rear fender flares. The steeply raked windshield creates a low roof and a chopped hot rod vibe while the staggered size chrome 5 spoke wheels present a raked stance on a low riding skate with low profile tires. The wheels are a full 3" in difference with 20's out back and 17's in front, and the tires are of different width which becomes obvious when you follow this car and its super wide back end, underlined by bumpers and with most real estate taken up by the rounded trunk lid. Dual exhaust looks aggressive out back, and the flush wrap around tail lights give instant cues of a modern car. The canvas top, wheels, and paint are excellent on the car and the only imperfection we found was some scrapes under the chin, and we didn't see that until we put it on the lift!
Interior
The bad boy exterior gives way to a clean and practical interior that starts with smooth door panels dressed in black plastic and leather, understated and clean. Padded and stitched leather bucket seats reveal a bit more style with bar style tops and the Prowler, a big cat of some kind, embossed on the seat back. That cat shows up again on the steering wheel which is leather wrapped and shares the column with an AutoMeter tachometer. The factory gauge cluster is housed in a color keyed skateboard shaped plastic housing in the center of the dash, old school hot rod style. Molded plastic makes up the remaining dash and has an integrated AM/FM/Cassette radio with EQ and simple climate controls. A little bit of flash is found on the base plate of the shifter in the center console which is mirror-like chrome, while a built in cupholder nearby lets you know you're not in the 50's anymore. Low pile charcoal carpet nicely covers the floor and under the rear hatch where the canvas top is stored.
Drivetrain
Under the hood we find a clean 3.5 liter V6 rated at 253 horsepower and tied to an 4-speed automatic transmission with Autostick and true to hot rod greatness, keeps power at the rear axle with 3.89 gears. Yes that's right, the transmission is in the back for a balance ratio of 50/50. Power disc brakes also bring us into the 21st century and are found on all four wheels.
Undercarriage
Very clean underneath as we take note of the tubular aluminum chassis and the dual exhaust which travels the length of the car and after some original equipment mufflers, heads out back in an epic, slightly upturned tail pipe display. There's no surface rust nor oil leaks anywhere, just some signs of light usage and no damage whatsoever. Coil over suspension is found front and rear.
Drive-Ability
Regardless of reputation, these have respectable acceleration, a comfortable cabin, and a very very good ride. We take this car through the paces where many Prowlers before it have passed, and it performed as well as we expected. As a pampered modern car, everything functional on the car operated as intended. While Classic Auto Mall represents that these functions were working at the time of our test drive, we cannot guarantee these functions will be working at the time of your purchase.
Prowlers made Hagerty's 2024 bull list which identified cars that were poised to increase in desirability, collectibility, and possibly even value. These were the ultimate retro ride in a market that included PT Cruisers, Chevy HHR's, and SSR's. None came close to being as exotic as the Prowler and appreciation for these factory hot rods is growing.
1P3EW65GX1V701596
1-USA
P-Plymouth
3-Passenger Car
E-Manual Belts, Front Airbags
W-Prowler
6-Performance/Image
5-Convertible
G-3.5L V6 Aluminum Block
X-Check Digit
1-2001
V-Conner Ave Plant, Detroit MI
701596-Sequential Unit Number
Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate controlled 336,000-square foot showroom (that's more than 8 acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic and collectible vehicles in the country is located in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information visit www.classicautomall.com or call us at (888) 227-0914. Contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.
With so many great cars, you know we have a lot to talk about, and we do that each week on the Classic Auto Mall Podcast with host Stewart Howden. Stewart discusses new inventory as well as trends in consignments and car prices, while interviewing celebrities and automotive professionals about amazing cars and their history. Tune in each week to the Classic Auto Mall Podcast wherever you enjoy listening. You can also watch on YouTube!
