Chip Foose is such a cool and humble guy, my favorite car designer since I was young. Truly inspiring.

The Prowler set the 'Retro Design' trend in motion. After it came out, we got the PT Cruiser, Chevy HHR and such. Great job, Chip!

This was my father's first sports car he bought brand new in 2001 after surviving khmer rouge, escaping from Vietnam, without any adolescent education and graduating from Baylor college of dentistry. He sadly passed away 3 years after purchasing one of his dream cars but luckily the Orange prowler is still in the family and will always be a special car to us. Because of this, after building numerous cars, including one that was showcased in SEMA 2022 inside the Toyo Tires Treadpass exhibit, I must give this vehicle justice one day and swap the motor with something proper. For now the plans will be to try and stuff a viper gen 4 motor! Thanks Jay for sharing this incredible interview and shedding some new light on a forgotten vehicle.

Chip is so insanely talented. His design influence has had a bigger impact than most people realize.

I bought my Prowler in July, 1998. It is a yellow 99. I still enjoy the car and get it out during the Summer.

Chip is a legend. So is Jay in his own right.

My grandad designed the suspension blue prints for this car. I have a photo in my wallet that my dad used to carry before he pressed away of him holding the blueprints up for a photo. He’s even got his name on several of the patents for suspension components. I have always had such a soft spot for this car, and this color specifically. It’s just such a cool machine!

As a kid who grew up in the 90s - I LOVED this car. They used to have little diecasts of them everywhere.

“Go look at and buy a neon” lol that’s exactly what happened. My dad’s truck broke down and I begged him to get a prowler. I was so excited when I saw it in the showroom. Man I was the most hateful little 7 year old when we left in that neon later that day. Still love the prowler.

So awesome to see Chip finally get some recognition for this car. Years passed without many knowing he was the spiritual designer. And this car, despite not having a V8, was a test bed for Chrysler, including building with aluminum (the v6 was aluminum and later on made 255hp, as much as their 5.9 v8) 😎

I officially feel old. Thanks Jay and Chip. I was 11 when these came out and I remember the first time seeing one.

Jay and Chip... two heroes that might not let down the regular kid

I was an engineer for Alcoa when the Prowler was being developed. I formed all of initial frame structure at the Alcoa Research lab outside of Pittsburgh then moved production to Toledo. Fun project to work on@ I did not know that Chip was the inspiration behind the design. Cool to know. I never got to drive one myself so it was nice to watch your video of it

I would think Chip Foose has to be in the top ten of the nicest people in the world today for sure & not to mention his artistic talent...

I helped build this car. It started out in the Norwalk, Ohio Mayflower Plant that made truck cabs for Mack and Freightliner. Old biker guys hand jigged them up. My company Henkel supplied the structural foam that made it crash test worthy. Terracore.

Still a beautiful car to this day. Classic design.

We inherited one with 260,000 miles on it!!! That black beauty was awesome! Attention everywhere.

So happy to finally catch an episode live. Love Chip Foose, we haul a lot of his stuff. Nice to see him on the show!

I'd heard somewhere that one of Chrysler's V8s (4.6L I'm guessing) was considered, but actually had less horsepower than their new V6. Of course the V8 had considerably more torque, but as the old adage goes, "torque wins races, but horsepower sells cars." The Prowler might be one of just a few cars in which that consideration was ill-advised, since everyone agreed a V8 was more in the spirit of the car. The 3.5L SOHC was actually a great engine, though. I had a 300M with the same powertrain and it was an excellent balance of good low end/midrange torque, but still kept pulling strong all the way to a fairly high redline (back then you usually had to pick one or the other). Sounded pretty good (again, for a V6), ran smooth, and was very reliable. I'd forgive the use of the (good) V6 in the Prowler if you could have at least had a manual. The auto used in these was also reliable and smooth, but they sapped tons of power, as most automatics did back in the day. Of course, the desirable V8 sound would still be absent, but the car would otherwise have been a pretty strong performer with the lower power loss and an extra ratio or two. At any rate, gotta at least give Chrysler credit for having the balls to produce vehicles like this. Can you think of a vehicle produced by a mainstream brand in the last 20 years that's even half as bold? I can't.

Saw Chip Foose on the 55 freeway in Orange County CA years ago, gave him a thumbs up he smiled and waived. He was in a Ford F150 Harley Davidson Edition.

Chip is so beyond the gimmicky show Overhaulin.....so nice to see and hear him speak on this episode. He has so much car knowledge to share.

I've always thought how cool it is the way Chip speaks so professionally about Boyd. The same Boyd who had nothing good to say about Chip until the day he died.

Chip is the coolest most humble great person. His car drawings are unbleivable. The guy is a living legend I have always admired him.

If there was anybody throughout time I could sit down and have a few hours to talk with, it would be Jay Leno. So much history and passion for cars

To this day I have an awful memory of seeing one of these in public for the first time. I was with my dad, I brought him over to show that it had an automatic and looked like a minivan on the inside. I was pointing at it and said something like "it's for people who don't know anything about hot rods but like the look" and when I turned around the owner was standing right there with her groceries, the meanest look on her face too. I felt terrible.

This car was a model car kit that I remember building as a kid, it will be forever stuck in my head

Having Chip make a car for you would definitely be a Bucket List item. Absolute legend.

We bought a LHS with the 3.5 engine, and it was a very good car-good performance, and good mileage-and that was in a heavy car-these Prowlers were cool-congrats on your design, Chip, and thank you Jay for bringing these videos to us!

The biography of Chip Foose is a very special one. I did not know about his ties to the Prowler, but I did know, he learned from Boyd Coddington way back in the day...

I think the Prowler has aged so well !! It looks better today than it did in the 90's . A true collectors car that will only go up in price 😊

It aged like wine. The only thing I would change is the gearbox, for a manual one with clutch and everything. A V6, retro-styled car an manual can be a hell of a fun. Loved it at first sight as a kid in the 90s, loving more now as an adult. And that purple color... jeeez. Wonderful. Thanks Chip and Jay!

Chip is one of the inspirations for me going to school for Industrial Design. He is way beyond just a figure in the automotive world, he has always had an amazing sense of vision, and a wonderful sense of blending greatness from the past with modern possibilities. Thank you Chip!

Growing up in the 80's and 90's THIS car was my dream everyday driver. even if it was majorly underpowered, I think it appealed to many younger (90's) modern wanna be modern hot rodders like myself.

Always loved the Plum-Crazy Purple!!!

It cracks me up that Chip laughs like the old heads he's been around his whole life. I met him at a Show and Go in Riverside -- super nice guy.

Both these guys are so talented, but they could not be more down to earth.

2 legends, 1 car. 😁 But it's so cool to learn that Chip actually had a hand in the design of the Prowler. And that it started his career. 😎🤟

The design of this car will be unique at all times. Wonderful car!!!

Thank you Mr. Leno for taking the time to give to the lowly Prowler! I was working for Chrysler in between jobs for a 2-year h life change rite when the towers fell in New York and had some strong Prowler exposure at the time. Thank you both Mr. Leno and Mr. Foose i have 40 yrs of autobody experience that i could fill your reply space up with, but I wont.Thank you both!

Thanks to Jay and Chip for all theyve done for the car community.

I agree with Jay & Chip 100%. The car really is a pleasure to drive and is surprisingly nimble. I was a Senior Manager at JTE (Jeep and Truck Engineering) at that time and it was the old AMC/Jeep Engineering team working for Francois Castaing plus Tom Gale and his design team. Everyone had their own project car or Jeep or race car at home in their garage. So working on cars like the Viper and Prowler was a labor of love. Everyone wanted to put a Hemi in the car but the financials didn’t work out creating a whole new power train for the car. So we used the power train out of the Chrysler 300 which meant we could piggyback on that cars expensive EPA government certification.

Two of my absolute favorite car guru’s and enthusiasts! The King of Art & Design Chip and the King of Art & Design Appreciation Jay!

I love chip.. his line quality is top notch, and he's got a mind for proportion like no one else

Chip Foose lives his job as main passion 24/7. All of his builds are top work. Huge respect!

My dad was a Plymouth guy. When I was a little kid his pride and joy was a 1959 Plymouth Savoy. It had really, really big fins in the back!

I've always felt the Prowler was under appreciated, though I'm one of the people that think a manual trans should have been an option and it should have had a V8. That isn't me saying the car didn't have it's niche, and I felt it served it quite well. Very awesome seeing Chip Foose on the show. Thanks Jayu!!!

I have always liked these,and the Cross fire

Chip and Jay, you guys are legends. As a proud 1997 purple plymouth prowler owner with 16k miles, this is an absolutely gem of a cruiser and collector car that I have in my collection. The history behind this car with Chip Foose and Tom Gale and how it was built is fascinating. I appreciate you guys doing a great episode. Keep them coming!

Back in the day I was returning from a weekend at Winternationals. My mother in law mentioned Boyd’s was a few blocks from her house so I stopped and checked it out. He had just opened a showroom, lots of cool cars, the Hertz GT Mustang is one I really remember. Anyhow, the t-shirt I wanted was not in my size, guy tells me they have more around the corner at the actual shop. I go there, secretary sells me the shirt, asks me if I want to go back and look around, of course! I remember the checkerboard floor, the biggest Snap-on box I’d ever seen, cnc machine cutting on its own, I get out to the back and there’s a guy working on what would become the Roadstar. He was working through lunch and the only one there. He proceeded to tell me what he was doing and show me Michael Anthony’s Blazer project, and several other cool cars. I wonder now if that was Chip? It was an awesome experience, if that was you Chip, Thanks!

Thank you Jay, for this amazing episode, as the proud owner of a yellow 2000 Plymouth Prowler , i must admit it took me actually driving one to realize how much fun and understated the car is. It is def no daily commute vehicle reference the almost non existent trunk space but as a weekend driver its an amazing piece of machinery. thank you all who were involved and made this car happen, we are forever in your debt.

We need more Chip Foose on Jay Leno's Garage.

A neighbor I had when I was like 7-9 had one of these. It never gets old seeing it even 20 years later. It was the same purple

omg it's Chip! Hes an awesome guy, very very humble. Good to see Jay and Chip together

The great Chip Foose. Thanks for everything you've done over the years.🥶

I saw a prowler at a show lowered with a supercharged v8, the thing was a beast and the lowered stance and they widen the wells it looked awesome. I always liked the looked of these. Alot of potential

Just ran into Chip over in Maryville TN this afternoon, super nice guy.

A gutsy move by Chrysler but full credit to them for making this Prowler happen. V6/Auto. aside, it's still a fun car and looks great. Watching Jay and Chip chewing the fat I can do all day. Thanks Jay, great job giving this car a little love today.

Jay, as I recall when I worked at our local Chrysler-Plymouth dealership, we were allocated just one 1997 Plymouth Prowler for the whole model year. Chrysler made each dealer make a significant investment in the service bay namely specialized tools and a lift if we wanted a Prowler. When the car arrived, it was serviced and driven onto the showroom floor then cordoned off where it couldn't be touched or even sat in by employees or customers. MSRP was about $37k or so, and after 90 days on the showroom, we wholesaled it to another dealer for $10K over MSRP. The Prowlers were sought after in the larger markets but not in our small market. I think we received one more in the 98 model year. By then the bloom had come off the rose.

What an incredible story. How did I not know this?!?

There were plenty of 6 cylinder performance cars before the Prowler came out, so I'm not sure why it was ok for them and heresy for the Prowler. Some of these cars include the Grand National, '89 Turbo T/A, Stealth R/T, Taurus SHO, NSX, M3, 300ZX, Supra and plenty more. The Prowler V6 was every bit a Hot Rod engine too. It featured 10.4:1 compression ratio, aluminum SOHC heads with 4 valves per cylinder, a long ram intake manifold with sequential multi port fuel injection and distributorless ignition. The power was underpinned by a stout bottom end that included forged crank, forged rods, full floating pistons and 6 bolt main caps, that's right 6. It had 4 bolts coming in from the bottom and 2 more cross bolted in through the side of the block(just like the old 427 Cobra Demand blocks). No turbo, no supercharger, no vvt and it still put out a hair less than 1 NET hp per cubic inch. That was the first year Prowler. After the initial year, they added an aluminum block, and a sophisticated valved intake manifold with twin throttle bodies. Was it quick? The first year did 0-60 in 7 seconds flat and the 1/4 mile in 15.4. The refreshed 2nd gen engine was good for 5.7 0-60 and 14.3 1/4 mjle. How does this compare to the competition? '96 Mustang GT 0-60 6.7, 1/4 15.1, 1999 Z28 conv. 0-60 5.5, 1/4 14.0, 1999 SVT Cobra 0-60 5.4, 1/4 14.0, 1999 M3 0-60 5.6, 1/4 14.3, 1996 Porsche 911 0-60 6.3, 1/4 14.3, 1993 Ferrari 348TS O-60 5.5, 1/4 13.9 1996 Acura NSX(auto) 0-60 5.8, 1/4 14.3. Obviously the performance was plenty competitive. The biggest mistake that Chrysler made with the Prowler was overestimating the intelligence of the car community at large. The press and the public got hung up on the lack of V8, and failed to see the substance and competence that was actually there. Unfortunately, judging by most of the current reviews and comments, nothing has changed to this day.

This was one of the more interesting vehicles I worked on back in the day. I worked on the airbag crash sensor calibrations while working for TRW. It was quite exciting when we received the drawings of the chassis and had to figure out the best placement for those crash sensors.

I’ve always loved the look of the Prowler

What a treat to have these two legends sharing the same floorspace!!! I recently got to see the Hemisfear from Chip at Savoy Museum, along with some of his other amazing creations. The Hemisfear is absolutely stunning! Brilliant designer indeed!

I was working at LaBrea Chrysler Plymouth Jeep when they released the Prowler. They sent in about 20 cars for the press to drive and us to keep going while they did. Petersen publishing was right down the street and the dealership was filled daily with U.S. and foreign journalists driving and writing about it. It was a defining period of my life.

This is fantastic, as someone from the UK I was only ever aware of this car from pictures and so on, and I wasn’t a particularly big fan at the time. But as time has gone on this car has grown in to an incredible looking vehicle. It looks way more ‘modern’ than 1999! Brilliant

I remember having an rc model of the Prowler. So cool to hear the story of its genesis.

I recall reading some articles when this came out and everyone praised the retro design, the suspension innovation, the extensive use of chassis strengthening parts, aluminum sub frames, 1 off wheels, even all the std features like an HO stereo and a/c. And then.. ( I can't recall which magazine said it) "They stuck the drivetrain from an LHS in it and made it a turd". Well, the early models with 215hp were really slow. The Later 1s with the 255HP version of the 3.5 and a more aggressively tuned transmission made them pretty fun to drive. The Mopar small blocks were longer than the 3.5, and weighed more, plus they drank fuel. They made way more torque, but not much more HP. Also the RWD automatic transmissions of that time were huge. CAFE was still heavily looked at at the time In other words, they used the best of what they had that they knew would be 50 state legal, reliable, give decent mileage and still go 'ok' without the massive cost of development of a new powertrain for a serious low production car. As for Foose, I cannot imagine how cool it must have been to work with all those new 'car guys' at Chrysler and have his sketch chosen for a production vehicle!

That was thoroughly delightful. 31 minutes? They just flew by. Kudos to all

Love the chemistry between you two and how you bounce jokes and exaggerations off each other, this was a delight to watch! I was 10-14 years old during the era of the Copperhead, Prowler, GT90, and other concept cars were in magazines. I didn't care what engines or powertrains they had, they were just plain cool. Fast forward 25 years and I still think they're just as cool lol

Chip is a true legend. He's so good a creativity and so good at art. I also love Leno for his love of all sorts of rare cars and that Leno actually drives his cars all the time. I appreciate people who actually drive thwre nice cars hard to enjoy them. Why would anyone want to get a dream car to just stare at. If u don't drive your car things start to break like rubber and plastic oil seals ans things get caroted and things start to leak and fail in the engine . It's always good to drive a car atleast 5k miles a year to keep the parts from rotting away

So we have a Chip & a Jay, both daft names but two truly great men in different ways but their combined knowledge of cars is unmatched.

JAY! WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG? IT'S ABOUT TIME YOU HAD ONE OF THE GREATEST, IF NOT THE GREATEST, FABRICATOR OF DREAM MACHINES - ON THE PLANET! Thank you. Seeing two of the greatest auto enthusiasts (both creator & curators) together - in one car..., ABSOLUTELY PRICELESS! More Chip Foose, PLEASE!

Thank you for having Chip on the show, please bring him on a semi regular bases so you could both discuss automotive design together. I would love to see you visit Chip’s collection.

I met Chip briefly through a WD40 promotion when I worked at NAPA Auto Parts. Boyd Coddington was a very talented man and Mr Leno is amazing too.

My childhood dream car. 🙌🏻 I had a poster in my room for years of the tuxedo edition

Two of my favourite car guys...in a Prowler? Okay! I knew Chip's background with this car, so that wasn't surprising. What did surprise me is that this car has aged better than I would've expected. Update the engine with a twin-turbo setup and a Tremec, remove those bumpers, and it would be pretty fun! Thanks for coming out and giving us some personal background on the car, Chip! Great to see you! And as usual, kudos to Jay and The Crew for another great episode! ✌️❤️🙂🇨🇦

I was 12 when that came out and it was instantly my favorite car. It actually is what got me interested in cars, my school bus had a stop right by a chrysler dealership with one of these in the front showroom. 2850 lbs, 255 hp and the looks of a 30s chopped hot rod, I still think they're pretty amazing cars.

First years was 1998 and it had 214 horse power... Fun cars and always gets people to smile!

My last day of high school in 2008, we got out of class and made a b-line to the nearest smoke shop. While driving over there, we saw Chip Foose driving a Prowler (possibly this one) and we waved and ended up going into the same shopping center. We said hi to him briefly and he was of course super cool even though he was about to get a steak at Mortons steakhouse. Great memory, he is a legend

So nice to see Chip again! I never knew of his involvement with the Prowler. Good time listening to this pair sharing their thoughts on the car.

Another great episode. Chip Voest is iconic legend.

I remember my Dad fell in love with this car, but then there was a waiting list and then dealers started marking them up and he said no thanks...But because he had been to the dealer so many times he bought a 4X4 Dakota with the V8 and Loved it.

Great to see Chip again. What a team Jay and Chip would make. Almost too much talent in the room! It takes big balls to push the envelope in a big corporate environment. Chip rules

Thank you Mr. Leno for another amazing car review and also for having the legend Chip Foose on your show. You two are my favorite car people and I watch anything that you guys are a part of🙏🏽

My step-dad had a silver one of these he bought new and he customized the heck out of it. Chrome a-arms, chrome grill, supercharger, Borla exhaust, upgraded sound system with a kicker sub, hard-top, ghost flames by Steve Vandemon. Thing was pretty quick with that supercharger and it was quite a bit of fun.

I met Chip Foose at SEMA some years back. Such a nice guy, he never made me feel rushed as I talked to him. He seemed genuinely interested to meet me and others

Chip you are very humble. I love the fact that you did the drawings for the prowler. Its nice

Surprised to see Chip on the show, but it was great, to follow their conversation, pretty natural humour all round. Must admit, I quite like the car too; V6 and all. Thanks Jay!

Got to drive one of these when I was 16 and it was an awesome experience, had no idea Foose designed it. If this would’ve had a good power plant it would’ve been a legendary car.

one of the most impressionable silhouettes of my childhood, surely. i think whatever your stance on this car, the reaction to spotting one in the wild is universal; that is, you simply stop and gawk. the epitome of "road presence". about a year and a half ago, passing through niagara falls, we ran into a small party of prowler's stopped at a nearby park- chatted for a bit, all super cool and passionate folk, eager to chat about the car, it was a prowler meet-up/drive. very cool. would never own one.

Hi Jay . Really good to see Chip . I was aware of Chip being the designer . Such a talented and respectful man . And his artwork is sensational . Thanks Jay

That car is beautiful. It looks absolutely stunning.

Wow, I remember how weird it was back then but today looks so beautiful, fresh and cool !!

Love Chip use to watch overhaulin all the time his cars are legendary

I never knew Chip was behind this design but it makes perfect sense. Love his work.

Thanks, Jay, for giving the Prowler some long overdue credibility. I have owned my 2000 Plymouth Prowler since 2015. No regrets whatsoever. It is a very solid car. Fun to drive. Gets lots of attention (which I enjoy). Soft top goes up (or down) in seconds. I updated the sound system. I did remove the moustache bumpers and installed turn indicator inserts. Otherwise the car is 100% stock. It’s not an everyday driver, however I do drive it quite often.

This car looks so good for a car that was made in the 90's. Especially coming off the boxy era of 80's car designs. I grew up in the 90's and I don't recall ever seeing one, but they were probably not very common in Canada. I think it would be fun to own one of these if you are someone of my generation. A few tweaks to the engine, maybe do a supercharger mod and improve the injection system (as Jay alluded to), it would be tons of fun to drive.

In 1999 I was a car salesman at you guessed it, a Chrysler/Plymouth dealership. We were all blown away when we first learned of the prowler coming to our showroom floor. I will never forget the day it showed up in our parking lot on the car hauler and after the manager got his first test drive around the block, we all got to take it for a spin but just inside the dealership grounds, lol. The car was an instant hit but as chip and jay pointed out, it was under powered and no trunk space. That first Prowler we got my Buddy sold just a day later for 42,000. The MSRP was like 32 and some change and we had added a dealer mark up of 10 grand. Needless to say after the dealership closed that night, my buddy that made the sale, to a Lawyer I might add, took us all out for a night of drinking and a few other things 😂 and the Lawyer that bought the car joined us.

I can't wait! Ever since they came out I've wanted one to build. Chip is awesome so many of his builds are iconic and the work he's done for car lovers everywhere is heart warming

I visited the usa in the 90s, and the most striking car I found was this one... nice episode!