In 1995, motoring editor Phil Scott drove a peanut-allergic Prowler idea automobile and came away shell-shocked.
Story originally released on 3 November, 1995
Peanuts. I can report the [Chrysler] Prowler is allergic to them. Little much more can I give on this fabulously emotive incredibly hot rod, following what the magazines would phone a scoop to start with push unique.
As street tests go, this just one was a dud, but prototype drives usually are. It is the mother nature of hand-created cars and trucks and their tremendous careful custodians that anything beyond next equipment is frowned on.
Second equipment was progressing effectively until finally the Chrysler guy hollered as if I’d just stuck a leg out of mattress an in-the-know expression describing a piston staying punched through the aspect of an motor, a grave offence when testing million-dollar just one-offs.
“Wow, slow down!” bellowed the fellow from Detroit. Easing his head and shoulders out of the Prowler’s pretty exposed, extremely cherry-colored cockpit, he surveyed the highway underneath.
It was strewn with peanut shells… enough in amount and random more than enough in distribution to surmise the previous Police Driver Coaching Centre at St Ives had been overrun by monkeys.
From powering the wheel, I couldn’t see the offending husks couldn’t see a great deal at all of the Prowler’s wonderfully aggro needlepoint nose, just a glimpse, some way off in the middle length, of a wine-purple mudguard blinking metallic micra highlights.
But I could hear them, the offending shells, even earlier mentioned the basso exhaust. Peanut shells make temporary but fascinating crunchy noises less than thigh-significant rear tyres body fat more than enough to shoe a jumbo jet. When flattened, they did their most effective to shot-blast the underside of the Prowler’s enormous wheel flares.
Peanuts in this form of mood can destruction a extremely expensive motorshow paint task, which is why the Prowler’s American minder was becoming visibly upset. Emotional even.
“Sluggish down, sluggish down! We didn’t sweep this aspect of the observe, male. Twenty is a great deal quick ample!”
He intended miles an hour.
So started the globe’s slowest highway check in a vehicle that seems to be quick just standing however and exerts enough psychological charm to have blokes around 40 wishing Brylcreem was again and they could nevertheless in good shape into pegged denims and winklepickers.
The Prowler prototype had just been pulled off its stand as a single of the highlights of the Sydney Motor Exhibit. Its up coming quit was to be Detroit for a further distinctive visual appearance, component of Chrysler’s pre-advertising PR tour for the true point.
Early upcoming January, Chrysler will unveil the creation version, one particular American citizens can obtain for about $40,000. For now, the mega-greenback prototype is a just one-off, to be safeguarded, cossetted even. Unquestionably not to be driven previously mentioned 20mph on a peanut-infested closed examination track.
Hand-designed, on an aluminium body with some high priced fabricated panels and a neat hydraulically operated motor hood, the Prowler proto uses a somewhat warmed-more than 3.5-litre Chrysler V6, which comes from Chrysler’s Commodore equivalent in the United states of america, a product named the LH.
It’s this sharing of creation car or truck components that has tipped the Prowler from strategy vehicle to showroom truth. Detroit’s rumour mill says Chrysler has been performing on a V8 set up for the Prowler and using Lotus as a dealing with benchmark.
The prototype would be enhanced by this kind of do the job, simply because even at lower speeds it is rarely a fantastic managing automobile and whilst the V6 is prepared ample for burbling to the diner, all self-respecting hot-rodders know the initially need is a V8 beat.
Substantially of the prototype will, on the other hand, carry above to the manufacturing line.
The outrageous styling, what a person American writer called a Extra fat Boy on 4 wheels, will survive nearly unscathed following its brush with US Federal Motor Auto Requirements. The slash-eyed headlights which are these an integral function of the car or truck most likely gained’t make it. They search sensational but apparently don’t toss ample mild down the highway.
Locating rubber to match the showcar’s 20-inch diameter wheels was a position for Goodyear’s racing tyre division.
How will it generate?
The correct reply is almost certainly, who cares?
Harley-Davidson has developed a cult next with bikes that do their finest work standing however or idling noisily down Principal Street. The Prowler follows the exact ethos.
And you can be rather certain the serious thing gained’t demand the very same driving-on-eggshells technique vital to protect the proto’s paintwork.
The publish Peanuts: ‘The Prowler is allergic to them!’ | Generate Flashback appeared 1st on Travel.
