Just a little over a year ago, the Plymouth Prowler made Hagerty’s list of appreciating classics to watch. Now, a half-dozen Prowlers are due to cross the block at Mecum’s Glendale 2025 auction. If you’ve ever had a fetish for Chrysler’s weird, open-top Boomer cruiser, you’ll have your choice of finishes on this year’s crop of low-mileage roadsters, including one with the iconic purple exterior—and only 300 miles on the odometer.
Calling the Prowler “weird’ might be a bit unfair, but its decidedly unconventional styling was certainly polarizing if nothing else. The hot-rod-style front bumpers barely covering its exposed suspension suggested that its body had been stripped away to save weight in the name of performance. And it was relatively lightweight—nudging up against the soon-to-be-released Honda S2000 at a commendable 2,800 pounds.
But here’s the thing: The Prowler cost as much as an E36 BMW M3 with a starting MSRP just under $40,000. Adjusted for inflation, the Prowler’s original MSRP works out to approximately $80,000 today. And while it produces enough grunt to make a 2025 Miata driver sweat, the only view it would ever have of a modern sport sedan would be dominated by tail lights.
It was even outmatched for the time. Its 3.5-liter V6 made a paltry 214 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque. That wasn’t bad for a V6 back then, but it was not particularly good even by the standards of its contemporaries. Car and Driver clocked it at 7.0 seconds to 60 mph, which meant it would get its clock cleaned by virtually any basic European sports car. SLK? Check. Z3? Mmm-hmm. Even the base Porsche Boxster spanked it around with an identical curb weight and less horsepower. For comparison, a 1990 Miata needed 9.2 seconds to do the deed even with a stick and only 116 ponies.
Later models got an updated V6 and a power bump, roughly matching the 250-horsepower output of the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger/Magnum with the same engine. But even with nearly 25% more power, the Prowler remained more of an aesthetic preference. If it’s any consolation, its poor performance was likely at least in part due to the mandatory automatic transmission.
Of the six Prowlers up for sale at Mecum, no two are alike. There are two different orange finishes (including the two-tone Woodward Edition), a blue, silver, red and the aforementioned purple. Five of the six are from 2000 or later, meaning they’re equipped with the beefier V6. Two of them have fewer than 1,000 miles on the odometer, and a third shows a mere 1,229. They’re all due to be gaveled off March 18-22.
Got a tip? Send it in: tips@thedrive.com