The manual V-8 Prowler that Plymouth should’ve built just sold for serious scratch

What if Plymouth had built the Prowler as fully-realized, no-compromises retro hot rod? Probably not a question that a lot of people are asking these days. While the Prowler was a fantastic-looking modern take on the classic hot rod, it was in the eyes of some a rather disappointing execution of what it could’ve been. The car’s 3.5-liter V-6 engine and automatic transmission are frequent targets of such criticism, elements that no self-respecting hot rod builder would tolerate. But what if Plymouth had included a V-8 and manual?

Someone resolved to find out. That is just what Canadian dealer and shop Legendary Motorcar did in 2006 to this highly customized 1999 Prowler. It sold today on Bring a Trailer for a substantial $73,500 (including fees). This thing is truly wild. It was stripped down and blessed with a more performance-oriented driveline; Legendary Motorcar chose the massively powerful LS7 engine, which was introduced in the Z06 Corvette the same year this car was built. A Porsche G50 transaxle replaced the factory four-speed Autostick.

The whole project obviously required a substantial amount of fabrication and surgery to make everything fit, judging from the photos and documents. Given the considerable cost of an LS7 when new and the untold hours it took to complete the build, it is safe to say that the final build cost is likely much higher than what someone just paid for it. For context, this result is $28,900 above the #1-condition (Concours) average price of a ’99 Prowler, which is $44,600. Do the bar-napkin math, and for the cost of purchasing a perfect Prowler and installing your own LS7 and G50 five-speed, buying this car would have cut out a lot of headache.

Whether or not you are a Prowler fan, it is hard to deny that this is one of the coolest Prowlers out there. Is it worth $73,500 to have one the way it arguably should’ve been built in the first place? Tell us in the comments.