I think this has been posted before as it looks familiar. One thing they don't mention is why production ended in 2002. Although most anyone else would assume it was because it was a poor seller, Bob Longstreth told me of pending safety requirements that would require more distance between the windshield header and the occupants, thereby requiring a costly redesign. Bob, feel free to correct or add more to that topic...It's the first time I have read someone comparing the Prowler design to someone like Syd Mead, but when you look at Syd's art, I suppose there could be a connection there. In many ways the Prowler looks like something a kid from the 50's would draw as a futuristic car.
Although I was intrigued by the Prowler when it debuted, being a young father at the time meant I could never imagine it could be car I would ever own. But i also didn't know if it's unique look would later get copied by others. The fact that no other car in its price range has ever come close made it all the more enticing 20 years later.
When I first brought my Prowler home, my wife Sally didn't really know the car and was somewhat skeptical, and considered it kind of funny looking. When i had it covered up in the garage with a yellow Prowler-specific car cover, she called it a big banana. When the cover was off, she called it a big cheese wedge. When my 23-year-old son Chris first saw it, he said "Dad, you bought a triangle!" Well they both came around eventually; Chris right away after his first ride in it, and Sally grew to appreciate her over this past summer. She now hopes that the Prowler can stay in the family with my boys long after we're gone. Thanks to my extended Prowler family, I hope we keep her looking and feeling young for years to come.