Minneapolis Street Sighting: Plymouth Prowler

Chrysler had a history with both questionable cars, and retro cars; and it isn't just in the 2000s, either. Chrysler first hopped on the bandwagon with the Plymouth Prowler concept car in 1993, where it was a hit at major motorshows; in 1995, Chrysler wowed again with the throwback to the 1930s--the Atlantic concept car--and yet again in 1999 with the Pronto Cruizer concept. Just two of these vehicles would ultimately reach production; the Prowler first, then the production Pronto Cruizer bowed as the production PT Cruiser.

Chrysler really took a chance by producing the Prowler; it wasn't really a sports car because it didn't handle, and it wasn't really destined to be a cruiser either--mostly because it was cramped inside, and after awhile the spartan interior reminded drivers of the Dodge Viper-- but make no mistake, the Prowler wasn't fast. What it was, was an design exercise that enough people wanted to pay money for. And as that, the Prowler served Chrysler well; unlike most cars, Prowlers never became discount fodder--instead, most of them sat on dealer lots due to huge price gouges, and even today, they are far and few between--- the same can be said of PT Cruisers, but they're far and few between for an entirely different reason. 

Since the Prowler is so new, I'm not going to discuss overall condition; it's near spotless as any collector/niche car should be; it probably helps that I shot this one right after a rainstorm in the summer. Never the less, I love black cars--and I am also a sucker for the Prowler's styling--which is odd, because I detest most hotrods that looks similar. Maybe it's because the concept came out when I was young enough to appreciate "wild design"?

In an event, I am extremely proud of these set of photos; I had massive quantities of fun while shooting this subject, and it is likely a one-of-a-kind find; yes, there are probably more Prowlers around here, but I don't think I'll see another one on the street--much less in grimy downtown.

New Cars 2012: VW Beetle

In 1994, Volkswagen debuted its retrocool Concept 1 to much fanfare. After just three short calendar years, the car was headed to production as a the Volkswagen "VW New Beetle". Unlike the cult classic that bore its namesake, this new compact car bore a traditional F/F drivetrain, whereas the original piece was built on a rear engine, rear-drive platform. Also, unlike the cult classic, Volkswagen knew they could make a huge profit on this car based on image alone. During the late 1990s, and early 2000s, the retro boom was really beginning to take off, and the introduction of the New Beetle brought "retro-cool" to the masses. Sure, you had the legendary Porsche 993 available as a used car, but that wasn't exactly affordable.
Shortly after the New Beetle was launched, Chrysler saw need to jump into the fray with its own little hatchback, and like the Beetle, their PT Cruiser worked. All good trends must come to an end, right? Well.. the PT Cruiser died a slow and agonizing death; it was put out to pasture nearly ten years too late, as far as I'm concerned. The Volkswagen Beetle along with its convertible stablemate, however, have remained a staple in VW's North American lineup since it's original introduction nearly twenty years ago. With the arrival of the hardtop Beetle, one can only hope that the convertible is right around the corner. After all, despite the hardtop having "male variants" (ala Turbo), VW suspects that convertible is the primary choice of female buyers, and based on what I've seen locally, they may be right.
Would I spend my dollars on a Beetle? It's hard to say. I have grown to almost despise the first generation New Beetle, but I quite like the second generation; I bet its the rake roofline that does it for me, or maybe its the Porsche-esque wheels on the Turbo model. Not quite sure what it is, but I definitely approve of the new car's styling. What I am a little concerned about, though, is supposed reliability. I do realize VW has certainly made strides in their efforts of build quality, I'm not sure if they've made the cars actually better or they've simply tailored them to the American market-- aka made them cheap by cutting costs. We'll see just exactly how it stands up to real life when I start seeing more of them around.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Ford Model A Roadster Pickup

Yesterday I featured a beautiful, if not semi-worn stock Model A; today, I bring you its hot-rod cousin. This stunning pickup is owned by the same owner as the stock 1930 I previously featured. While I usually don't fall head over heels for hot-rods, this particular trucklet was extremely well-done, and... wait for it.. tasteful-- something most hot-rods I see aren't. Obviously this Model A garnered my attention because, honestly, how many hot-rods do you see on a daily basis this side of a car show? Exactly. And parked in Uptown with the rest of the yuppie-mobiles? Double win right there!
This example was clean; sporting a simple yet effective matte tan finish, this looked as if it could've come straight out of 1955. And judging by the 1940ish Ford chrome hubcap rings, it very well could've. No overdone anything here. Just a clean, simple throwback to what hot-rodding was like in yesteryear. No bling, no candy paint, no $25k engine, and no alcantara that's too nice to even sit in. This is a no-frills, to the point hot-rod. And for that I love it.
It's the kind of car you'd expect that badass in highschool circa 1955 to 1960 to drive. You know, the kid with the leather jacket, and slick backed hair? The one who drove a clean new pickup lowered on reverse chrome steelies? Yeah. This is his other car. All stereotypes aside, though, I dig this thing. I don't know what it is, either. There's just something about a clean, minimalist hot-rod that makes me go "oooooooooh". That reaction alone proves I am not a traditional car person, I am a total car geek.