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Chrysler launched the Prowler as a Plymouth, and then Plymouth went away before the Prowler did. That is how a 2002 model ended up wearing a Chrysler badge on a car most people still file under the dead brand. This 2002 Chrysler Prowler is live on eBay Motors with 450 miles on the odometer, according to the listing, offered by D&M Motorsports in Glen Ellyn, Illinois.
As of Tuesday morning, the bidding sat at $27,898 after four bids, and the reserve had not been met. The auction ends Sunday, November 15, at 4:54 p.m. ET, and bids placed in the final minute reset the clock to 60 seconds, so the real finish can slide. The seller also lists a Buy It Now price of $52,995 with a $250 deposit.
What the Prowler Was
The Prowler began as a 1993 concept built around designer Tom Gale's love of 1930s hot rods, and Chrysler took the unusual step of putting it into production. It reached showrooms for the 1997 model year as a factory hot rod with open front fenders, a long hood and a wedge-shaped tail. Underneath, it was a serious piece of engineering for the money. Much of the chassis and body was aluminum, with many parts bonded together with adhesive, and the finished car weighed about 2,800 pounds.
The drivetrain was just as unconventional. A 3.5-liter V6 sat up front, rated at 253 horsepower after the engine was updated for 1999, and it sent power through a torque tube to a four-speed Autostick automatic mounted at the rear axle. That layout gave the car a roughly 50/50 weight balance. There was never a manual option. Chrysler also sold a matching $5,000 trailer through its dealers because the trunk was tiny.
Why It Disappeared
Sales never matched the attention. About 11,702 Prowlers were built across six model years, and there was no 1998 model. The 1997 cars came only in purple, and just 457 were sold that year. Critics pointed at the V6 in a car that looked like it wanted a V8, along with the small trunk and the polarizing styling. Gale has argued that the project succeeded because it was meant to be a concept that reached production, not a volume seller.
Then the corporate ground shifted. The Plymouth brand was discontinued in 2001, so the Prowler was sold as a Chrysler for 2001 and 2002. According to Wikipedia, the last one was built on February 15, 2002, and 1,436 were made for the 2002 model year. The slot it occupied stayed empty until the Chrysler Crossfire arrived in 2004. For a deeper look at how it happened, see Motorious' history of the Plymouth Prowler, and our earlier profile of the car.
This Car
The seller lists this Prowler in Prowler Candy Red Pearl over an Agate interior. It has the 3.5-liter V6, the automatic and a clean title, and the listing includes 40 photos. D&M Motorsports lists the car as a dealer sale. The mileage, condition and title status are the seller's statements. A vehicle history report is available for purchase through the listing, and Motorious has not seen one. As with any car this low-mileage and this unusual, a pre-purchase inspection and a conversation with the seller are worth the effort.
A 2002 Prowler listed new at $44,625, according to Wikipedia's price table, so the Buy It Now figure is well above the sticker. That says nothing about where bidding will land, and the reserve remains unmet. What it does say is that a car most people have forgotten is still getting attention, and this one is a chance to see the final year of Chrysler's strangest idea with almost no wear on it.
If you like forgotten oddities, this Cartier-edition Lincoln Mark V and this 2002 Blazer Xtreme are worth a look too.
View the 2002 Chrysler Prowler on eBay Motors
