Designer Chip Foose lately stopped by Jay Leno’s Storage to pore over some of the controversial initiatives he is ever been concerned in: the Plymouth Prowler.

The Prowler shocked the automotive world when it entered manufacturing as a 1997 mannequin. Whereas Plymouth had telegraphed the two-seater with a 1993 idea automobile, it was nonetheless shocking to see its hot-rod-inspired styling on a automobile really being offered at dealerships—notably these of then-declining Plymouth. That styling was positively of the love-it-or-hate-it selection, however the Prowler lasted till the 2002 mannequin yr, ending its manufacturing run as a Chrysler following the demise of Plymouth.

Whereas he did not design the completed product, or have any affect on the choice to get the automobile into manufacturing, Foose helped lay the groundwork for the Prowler’s design. Then a scholar at California’s Artwork Heart, Foose introduced the thought of a retro mannequin to then-Chrysler design boss Tom Gale, in response to a immediate to create a brand new area of interest automobile.

Within the video, Foose says his rationale was that many sizzling rod and muscle automobile fanatics needed to mix the traditional seems to be of older automobiles with new expertise that will enable them for use each day. One in all his proposals, based mostly on a Thirties Plymouth sizzling rod, caught the attention of Gale, who pushed for the Prowler to turn out to be a manufacturing automobile.

The manufacturing automobile stored lots of the wilder parts of Foose’s proposal, together with cycle fenders overlaying 20-inch wheels that have been gigantic on the time. But it surely was let down by uninspiring mechanicals, together with an computerized transmission and three.5-liter V-6 shared with different Chrysler fashions. The V-10 from the Dodge Viper additionally being offered on the time in all probability would not match, however there may be room for a V-8 underneath the hood, Foose notes.

The driving expertise would not present the identical stage of pleasure because the styling, however the V-6 offers an inexpensive 253 hp, and Leno was impressed by the dearth of cowl shake. It is exhausting to say if the Prowler is sports-car-level enjoyable, however the cramped cockpit and tiny trunk are positively sports-car-level impractical.

These elements, mixed with a comparatively excessive value (about $32,000 within the late Nineties) restricted the Prowler’s attraction, however the lack of a V-8 was possible the most important turnoff, Foose believes. Attitudes could have modified over time, although. The stigma towards V-6 engines has abated considerably, and the Prowler has even been tipped as a strong collector-car funding by insurer Hagerty.