posted 12-05-2015 08:56 PM                  

They had a show at IRP in Cleremont, Indiana and had the concept there. We went and Sue and I both loved the car and said if they build it we will have to get one

A friends daughter was one of the Indianapolis 500 Princesses in 96 and they had a gathering of some sort in a theater down town Indianapolis that we went to and several Chrysler executives where there since Chrysler had the pace cars that year. I was able to talk to a guy that was from the Mack Road plant ( where the viper was built) and he told me production was to start January 17th 1997 (have slept since then but think it was the 17th)

In Feb. 1996 the dealer that I had been buying company cars from and I had told I wanted to know when they found out anything on the Prowler because I wanted one called and said if you want the 2nd Prowler the dealer gets I would need to put a deposit down since the owner took a deposit for the 1st one that day. The next day I stopped by and put a $1,000 deposit for the second Prowler the dealer might get.

Times goes on, I buy everything I can find Prowler related. Since I worked for a OEM manufacturer we got lots of magazines related to the automobile industry and I would look thru them all and if the Prowler was mentioned I would take it home

In the early spring 1998 they recieved the 1st purple Prowler, so we were getting excited about our car. In June of 98 the local dealer on the east side of Indianapolis had a yellow Prowler sitting out front. Seen it on my lunch break one night and loved the look and told Sue she needed to go look at it.

Tim Staton never called and ask me but they had contacted him to see what color he wanted for his second Prowler, he said he had already gotten a Purple and since the yellow was coming out he would like to get a yellow.

I'm really glad he choose the yellow for the second car they got

Sue use to come meet me for dinner at work some nights and on Monday the 13th she came and my dad was with her. When he said the dealer had called him and I needed to call the dealership the next day. Seems the salesman that I had dealt with had left and they didn't know how to get ahold of me but knew how to get ahold of my dad.

The next day dad and I went to the dealer and seen the car and got the paperwork I needed to get the money arranged to pick it up. The dealership was a very small dealer in a town about 40 miles east of Indianapolis. They had it in the wash bay so it was out of site. They didn't want people all over it, so out of site was best.

When I 1st seen it I had butterflies in my stomach and it was an unbelievable feeling. The service manager said I probably knew more about the car than anyone there.

They next day Dad, Sue and I went to pick it up. It was a nice sunny morning, we took pictures at the dealer and then started home, before getting home it rained on us, so I had to wash it when I got home and then leave to go to work

Sue said she didn't want to drive it on the way home, but I stopped and had her drive it a couple miles.

Since I worked evenings we couldn't go to the Fridday night cruise in, but Sue had been going some without me in out 67 Coronet convertible (which we sold to get the Prowler) but she wouldn't take the Prowler.

When we would be out she didn't want to drive it, she was afraid to drive it. So again one day I had her drive it. She was nervous but once she drove it some she was OK.

My dad never drove the Prowler either, think he also was afraid to drive it also.

Everyone thought I was crazy to put money down on a car that I didn't know when would come in if ever or how much it would cost, I'm just glad that we were able to get the car.

posted 12-05-2015 10:07 PM                  

Ran across one on eBay that was a black tie that got away for 23k but it was in Orlando about 110o miles away! Came across one about 3 hrs away but no asking price...hmmmmm ...maybe I'll bid 19k.....hi bid but didn't meet his reserve. Waited a couple of days and bid 24k....oh crap! I met his reserve! I wasn't ready for this! Won it At 23k!
So got a money Oder and headed to go get it, got there and it had been detailed but had some hood corrosion , interior was very clean, hardly any creases in leather, all Speakers shot, four differs brand tires on it ,peeling wheels, good top ,but small wear spot at latch, but ran good and looked good from 10-15 feet!
Well I bid sight unseen and had no idea if I could back out on the deal or not,so I went thru with the deal, got keys,title and off to abbq joint to grab a quick bite, rained on the way. Started eating and owner came to chase us down to give us a bill of sale on a small piece of paper.
Fed and watered we headed out toward home, girl pulled up alongside and was doing a slight oral gesture but not outright gesturing.."..hmmmmmm ok" I thought.
Raind on and off, had to stop and latch the right side of the top ( wind noise) . Dry spots. I ran her up to about 90! Easily ! Tried cruise control, it worked! Ac heater all worked! Got it home to a new cleaned out spot in the garage.

posted 12-07-2015 09:29 AM                  

Three days later I got him out of class and we drove to Paducah to pick up the car. At that point I had never seen one on the road and had never even sat in one much less drive a Prowler. When we pulled up the house where it was and saw it sitting there it was a real WOW moment. I just walked around and stared at it. After taking care of the paperwork I drove it a gas station and then handed the keys to my 17 year old son and let him drive it home. For 3 ½ hours I road behind it , next to it, in front of it, made Ryan get in the left lane so I could cruise next to the passenger side…..I just wanted to watch it from every angle. Of course he loved driving it. Two days later when he and his senior prom date were getting pictures taken for the Prom I threw the keys to him once again. I have to be honest, I was a little nervous about it until I saw the Prowler again the next morning. It is one of those stories he still tells people and will never forget.

posted 12-23-2015 01:17 PM                  

I was very connected to it as the motorsports company I worked for built and handled the Plymouth Prowler Road Show for Chrysler. Of course I was the perfect person to be the Program Manager . Team Prowler asked Bob to join the team as the Sales and Marketing Manager. He was involved in the allocation program. He agreed to take that on with one condition and that was to be able to allocate a car for purchase as my anniversary gift that year. They said ok. Three years later, I still didn't have my car. I'd pretty much given up on it. I always loved the Purple (that was the color of the concept vehicle we had on the road show). One day he took me over to Chrysler and showed me a brand new Black Prowler. Fell in love with the classic Black and chrome wheels, so I change my mind about the color I wanted if I ever got one. In July, 1999, my boss at the motorsport company told me that he, our VP and I had to go over to Chrysler, as Bob had called him. I was stressing out because we were finishing a new rig that was going to Sturges for their big rally. On the way over, I borrowed a cel phone from our VP which she happily let me use it. I called Bob to find out what was so important we had to leave and go over there as we had lots of work to do yet to get the rig on the road. I told him, "this had better be good". On the grounds of Chrysler, they had set up an event for the employees and their families and they had all models of their cars and you could drive them on a track. As we were walking, some of the guys from Chrysler that I knew and worked with, asked me if I'd ever gotten my Prowler to which I had to say no. So we stopped and there were a bunch of people and photographers from Chrysler standing around. There was a black Prowler sitting there and one of the guys said "why don't you get in the Prowler and drive it around the track". I said I didn't have time, I had to get back to work. I was not paying attention as I was stressing about getting back to work. Bob was talking, I was not listening. All of a sudden, he held up a Monroni label in front of me. I stood there looking at it and said, "what about it?" He said, "read the top" He had them put "Built especially for CJ Longstreth" on the label. It still did not register with me, so he took my arm and walked me over to the car, pointed at the plate and said, "IT's YOURS". I about fainted!! We had applied for vanity plates three years earlier and I just kept them on any car just to keep the plate. It was PProwlr (for Plymouth Prowler). That was when it hit me!! Everyone was clapping (and laughing) at me. I was so embarrassed! Photographers were taking photos. Then one of the guys I know said, "we were trying to get you in the car and drive it around the track and when you came back we were going to tell you to just drive it home!!" Then my boss said, "you are coming back to work, aren't you?" Of course I had to but it caused quite a stir at the office when I pulled into the parking lot!!!

Bob told me later that he had given up on an allocation, so he found a dealer in IN that he knew well and had a black one. He bought it, had Reliable transport it to MI to Chrysler and had them go over the car and make sure everything was perfect. It had been there for three weeks before he set all that up! Never thought I would eventually own three of them!!!! Best anniversary ever (even though it was 3 years late) lol!!!!

posted 12-24-2015 01:23 PM                  

Here are some photos of the Prowler Road Show.