Plymouth Prowler
A hot-rod drawing escaped the concept-car stage and became a real aluminum-intensive roadster with its engine in front and its gearbox at the back.
1997 USA Plymouth Prowler · Greg Gjerdingen · CC BY 2.0
$35,750
Based on a completed sale at Bring a Trailer on December 30, 2024, an estimated value for this vehicle is $35,750.
Why this sale: Exact first-production-year 1997 U.S.-market Plymouth Prowler with 3.5-liter V6 and rear-mounted four-speed AutoStick automatic transaxle. Only 81 miles and retained in the selling dealer's collection for roughly nine years. The dealer said it needed service before regular use, the Carfax showed at least one open recall, and the tires were the early Goodyear specification.
Winning bid; Bring a Trailer's 5% buyer service fee, taxes and transport are excluded. The listing states $0 in additional dealer charges. One auction result is a reference, not an appraisal; condition, history, options, location and market timing can change value. Accepted after excluding two newer sales: a January 21, 2025 result bundled a matching trailer, and a September 10, 2025 result was serial number 00002, bought new by former Chrysler executive Bob Lutz and sold with provenance documents plus a front-bumper-delete modification. The accepted car's extremely low mileage also makes it an exceptional rather than typical comparable.
More than a set of wheels.
The Prowler began as Chrysler's modern interpretation of an American highboy roadster. Production started at Detroit's Conner Avenue plant in 1997 alongside the Dodge Viper. The first-year car used a 214 hp 3.5-litre V6; the stronger all-aluminum 253 hp engine announced in 1998 belongs to the later 1999 model-year version, not this launch profile.
Look a little closer.
Its rear tyres were mounted on 20-inch wheels while the fronts used 17-inch wheels, exaggerating the nose-down hot-rod stance.
Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.
A shape that doubled as a materials laboratory
The exposed-front-wheel shape attracted attention, but Chrysler also treated the Prowler as a testbed. The frame, stamped hood-side panels, doors and decklid used aluminum, and the company said roughly 900 pounds of the vehicle were aluminum. The experiment therefore reached well beyond cosmetic panels: production engineers had to learn how to form and join the metal throughout a road car.
Source: Chrysler Corporation release · Plymouth Prowler Coming to Chicago ↗The gearbox moved away from the engine
Most front-engined cars keep the gearbox directly behind the engine. The Prowler placed its four-speed automatic transaxle at the rear and linked it to the engine by a shaft. AutoStick let the driver request gears without a clutch pedal. The unusual packaging helped the modern chassis keep the long-nose, rear-drive proportions of the old hot rods it referenced.
Source: Consumer Guide · 1997–2002 Plymouth Prowler ↗Where these facts come from
- Chrysler Corporation release · Plymouth Prowler: Where Retro Styling Meets State-of-the-Art Technology
- Chrysler Corporation release · Plymouth Prowler Coming to Chicago
- Edmunds · 1997 Plymouth Prowler specifications
- Consumer Guide · 1997–2002 Plymouth Prowler
Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed 2026-10-02.