TriShield

Prowler was a vehicle ahead of its time





Posted on Dec 17, 2012
www.drivesrt.com

Today's current SRT® vehicle lineup owes a debt of gratitude to a legendary Chrysler Group nameplate — the Prowler. While not officially badged an SRT, the Prowler was crafted under Performance Vehicle Operations (PVO) – the predecessor to SRT. Nonetheless, Prowler is the sire of important strands of DNA that can be traced to the current crop of SRT vehicles, and aspects of its production remain an important ingredient in the modern-day SRT recipe.

After a 1993 debut as a concept car at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, the Prowler was well on its way to becoming a reality. Three years later at the same venue, a production version bowed, with the first customer Plymouth Prowler vehicles rolling off the line the following year out of the Conner Avenue Assembly Plant, also in Detroit.

The vehicle continued as a Chrysler product after the discontinuation of the Plymouth brand in 2000. More than 11,000 Prowler vehicles were produced, with the first models offered in Prowler Purple, and the final run of 300, after production ceased in 2002, trimmed in Deep Candy Red.

Although the high-end, hot-rod dream car has been out of production for more than a decade, the advanced technology and materials used to bring the Prowler to life live on in current SRT vehicles, according to Prowler engineer Saad Abouzahr.

"For SRT vehicles, we decided to take the weight out of those vehicles and use Prowler technology," says Abouzahr. "We created our suspension components using aluminum, and SRT vehicles also have unique aluminum hoods. Back when we were building the first SRT vehicles, aluminum technology at the time was still new. For us, it was taking what we learned from the Prowler in terms of lightweight construction and implementing it on the SRT vehicles. All SRT vehicles today, as a signature, have aluminum hoods and suspension — which can be traced directly to the Prowler. With the Prowler, we had the recipe for these SRT vehicles."

During the initial development and production of the Prowler in the 1990s, cars were made almost exclusively from steel. "There were very few applications for aluminum," recalls Abouzahr. "We decided the Prowler was an opportunity for us to actually develop some of this technology on a vehicle. The technology was new – how do you do an all-aluminum frame? We knew a lot about how to join steel, how steel manages energy, but in regards to aluminum, it was all-new."

"We had to come up with a concept to do a frame; the way it was made was called extrusion in casting, which was an all-new development process for us. When you put aluminum together using a process like arc welding, in some areas of the frame you weaken the material. We developed solutions to address these issues. After building the Prowler frame, we put it in a machining fixture and machined all the critical points, suspension points, body mounts. It was, and still is, the largest machined automotive part in history."

The use of magnesium instrument panels was also a first on the Prowler. Benefits of using magnesium included the ability to integrate 25 parts into a single casting, at half the weight of the previous structure. This technology was carried into the Viper SRT-10 where over 25 sheet metal stampings were integrated into a single magnesium casting to form what is called the "Toe Box." This part remains the largest magnesium casting in an automotive application.

"It was a very unique application, the first of its kind in the industry," says Abouzahr of the implementation of magnesium. "Now, many Chrysler Group vehicles have magnesium instrument panels including the new 2013 SRT Viper. We didn't know anything about magnesium until we worked on Prowler. A lot of the technology we learned from the Prowler has since spread to high-volume applications."

Magnesium instrument panels, aluminum hoods and aluminum suspensions, vital crash safety design. All are key traits featured on new SRT vehicles that originated on the Prowler.

gocartone

iTrader: (4)

It's too bad they put such a shitty driveline and interior in a great looking car. No manual option, a 253hp V6 at best for power, and an interior that would be considered bad if it were in a Neon really hurt this car.

Tainted

iTrader: (9)

I always did and still do think the prowlers are pretty cool. sure they could use a much needed ls3, but hey there still aint nothing else like it.

TriShield

That was big power from a V6 during that time. That was more than Chrysler's own 318 V8. GM was still cranking out 3.8s with blowers on them that were making 13 less.

The car is still an amazing feat of engineering and modern styling over ten years later.

MI-Z/28

It'd be cool to take one and drop a current 392 or 426 hemi in it.

gocartone

iTrader: (4)

It doesn't matter if it was big power from a V6 back then. It was priced higher than a C5 Corvette ($44k MSRP), and it actually managed to make the C5 interior look GREAT!

deft

iTrader: (7)

(edit)Nevermind, gocartone said my thoughts. I thought I read the prowler was closer to $60k new?


Still a beautiful car, and turns heads everywhere to this day.

gocartone

iTrader: (4)

$44k in 2002 was double the 2002 Z28's price. That was a ton of money for a 253hp 4-speed auto-only sports car back then.

mzoomora

iTrader: (36)

They were cool looking cars. Its funny that they are talking up the aluminum hoods on SRT vehicles when Oldsmobile was using them on Cutlass Supremes in the late 70's, maybe earlier even.

Dirty Dog

iTrader: (2)

The Prowler was an awesome car, with a pitiful driveline. One thing that was proven almost immediately was that there was room under the hood for a 5.9L swap, even with a turbo. I recall seeing a kit that everything needed.

djsanchez2

iTrader: (14)

A few people were swapping updated V6's from the Caravan, putting them on n2o and going street racing a few years ago. According to one guy around here who did the swap, everything swapped over pretty easily.