Once we learn the identity of the investors behind Cerberus’ Chrysler FIATsco, the “debate” will move on as if nothing happened. Even if Osama Bin Laden steps forward as the automaker’s real owner, the furore will only last long enough to confiscate his shares while the Congress restocks the multi-billion dollar bailout buffet. Remember: back when the bailout bridge to nowhere loans were going down, Senator Corker pronounced ChryCo DOA. History. Toast. Unsustainable. A blot on the landscape. A zombie. Nobody even blinked. Here’s your $3b. See you in a month. OK, ar the precise moment of Corker’s Chrysler Crucifixion, CEO Bob Nardelli’s eyelids went into Morse Code mode (translation: I paid for this abuse?). And then everyone pretended that no one had farted. Hang on; that’s not the most self-flattering of metaphors. OK, let me put it this way: the day that we learn the real story behind Cerberus’ investment is the not the day the company will face the music. Meanwhile, someone should tell the American public that Chyrsler’s CEO owns one of these.
The Big Lie… yatta yatta yatta.
I like the Prowler. No, it’s not sporty or fast, but it looks cool, especially when you consider what most car companies were selling at this time. It’s far cooler than, say, the current Challenger.
Think about late-nineties car design. Just try to think of something even remotely interesting. I’m pretty much stumped.
psarhjinian:
“Interesting” is what you call the hideous dress one’s wife asks you to critique.
It is true when they say that you can tell a lot about a person from the car they drive.
Alan Mulally drove (still drives?) A last-gen Lexus LS, and had ordered one of the current gen when he was hired at Ford. The Lexus LS is a smart, capable car that is genuinely well thought out, and can get the job done right. It is low key and not a lot of hype surrounds it, but you know that it will get the job done right. Sounds a lot like Al, doesn’t it?
Bob Nardelli drives a Plymouth Prowler. A car that was nothing but PR and smoke and mirrors. Once that was all gone, the Prowler turned out to be a just a terrible car that accomplished nothing. Sound familiar?
Runfromcheney: Agreed!
The Prowler was a cool concept. That they wussed out and put a parts-bin V6 and a slushbox under the hood was the biggest insult to the driving public.
Nonetheless, they got some suckers to buy them. Guess it was a sign of the times: all show and no go.
Kind of like Chrysler today… just without the show.
That was one of very few cool looking Chrysler products. However, I took a look at local Autotrader site and found out that for the same price or even cheaper one could get a Viper. And it’s a shame that Prowler never got from the factory a real Hot Rod engine, a proper V8. If I remember correctly, Chrysler had a concept car with 5.9-liter V8 and a standard, instead of a slushbox.
I’m suprised RF is so hard on Prowler owners when I’ve seen him write a few times about liking the SSR.
Come on admit it, The prowler was a cool looking car. All show and no go. It started the “Retro” look trend and eventually the PT and the HHR, 05 Mustangs and now Challenger. I looked at these back then and wondered why they decided to come up so short. Especially since I had heard that Ford was looking at a similar open top with a V12 in it called Indigo. http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z409/Ford-Indigo.aspx
It would have been nice seeing some real performance on the road back then. But the times they have been a changin.
Cerberus, with the OPM investment strategy (including, possibly, Bob the Builder himself), isn’t that far off from a Ponzi scheme itself, is it?
Hey Jim Press, what’d they scam you for? I hope a whole bunch. (Though I’m sure my tax dollars will help make you whole.)
See, even smart and rich people fall for Ponzi’s, don’t they.
And as RF points out, maybe some foreign institutions, governments, corporations got Ponzied into Cerberus’ Chrysler deal.
And boy will you be mad and won’t they be embarrassed when you find out your taxbucks are propping up their investments.
What’d be even more embarrassing?
To find out certain AMERICAN institutions and inviduals are being bailed as well.
I mean, wouldn’t it be just crazy if someone like oh, Donald Trump, or Bill Gates, or Oprah Winfrey were Cerberus Chrysler investors. That you, Mr Littleguytaxpayer, are on the hook for their can’t-miss risk?
Or even worse — elected officials themselves are invested?
Or if certain PACs had invested funds, reserved for future elections, into the Cerberus deal?
Or that other certain well-placed big-time campaign contributors are on the Cerberus hook?
I maintain, tinfoilhat firmly in place, that what we’re seeing unfold over these next few months is the biggest re-distribution of wealth ever in the history of mankind. The biggest train robbery ever, all out in plain sight.
Shame on all of us for cowering in financial fear and allowing this to happen. We the people certainly have gotten the government we deserve.
The Prowler is unique and cool as hell. Don’t bash it. How many of these do you see on the road? Other than that Panoz ripoff, how many cars look remotely similar?
ajla :
The SSR was practical (ish) and FAST. And it sounded great and handled like a dream (believe it or not). The hardtop convertible thing was a USP. The style was an homage to some of my favorite Chevys in the history of everness.
The Prowler was an underpowered, ill-handing, badly built pastiche.
The difference between homage and a pastiche? The Chevy SSR and the Plymouth Prowler.
I guess the LS2-powered SSR was just a vehicle that never spoke to me. I always considered it a worse roadster than the Corvette, a worse truck than the Silverado SS, and it was slower than the GTO. It did look cool though.
Maybe the SSR was one of those cars you have to drive to fully appreciate.
The Farago I have come to know is not so naive.
Your example of the “highly paid” unionized teachers students having low test scores is simply stupid. You wouldn’t possibly consider the insane amount of contributing factors would you?
Poorly devised state testing is not an effective tool to measure the quality of public education. Standardized testing has a place in our countries education; but the federally demanded testing you’ve referred to contains too many disadvantages. Most assumptions ascertained from the (like you just did) test scores are misused and a direct cause of neglect in students futures.
Actually, the Prowler’s looks are far closer to a ’34 Ford than a ’32. It’s just that a fair number of ’32s wind up with grilles off of 1934 models.
And yeah, the thing is a cartoon, but at least some thought was put into it. The V6/auto combo was a stupid choice, but there are some interesting things about the car, like the rear-located transmission similar to the Alfa 75 and Porsche 944.
I wish to second some of the sentiment above. I like the Prowler and apreciate when a car maker developes and puts into production something different than the usual drab econoboxes that fill our roads and landscapes. Sure, Chrysler failed at producing a decent car with its cost cutting but the same can be said for the Fiero, the MR2, or any number of other cars.
Gunblade :
The Rhode Island Department of Education is notorious for massaging their stats. But here are a few independent lowlights.
Infrastructure? 2006 ProJo
“Ocean State taxpayers are in fact among the most generous in spending on public schools in America — 10th in spending per pupil, according to the most recent Census numbers. The problem is that Rhode Island’s school leaders are spending those tax dollars in unbalanced ways: Rhode Island ranked first in the percentage of per-pupil spending that went to employees’ pay and benefits — and dead last in spending on capital improvements, such as building and repairing schools.”
Spending $10k per child. While we’re ranked mid-pack in the NCLB ranking, some 30% of students are ranked “below basic.” Dropouts? As far as I can tell, somewhere around 45k per year.
National Association of State Boards of Education report:
“The summit deliberations led to the identification of systemic problems of underachievement in the state’s high schools. One of the core findings was that many students were reading below grade level, making it difficult for them to access the high school curriculum. The summit participants also found that there was a fall-off in state assessment results for students as they progressed from grade 4 through grade 10, and summit participants further noted wide variation in the level of coursework both within schools (due to tracking) and across schools because of disparities in how well schools prepared students for more advanced learning and the world of work.”
Note the fall off in tracking comment. Again, our highly unionized educators (no teacher left behind, NO performance-related firings) are notorious for gaming the system. Thousands of healthy but under-performing students are transferred into special education programs, for example, where they fall of the official stats.
I’d also like to add that I have considerable personal experience in this matter. First, as volunteer tutor. Second, as a failed candidate for City Council.
With the exception of magnet schools, RI public school system is a disgrace. There is no question in my mind whatsoever that the union’s abject unwillingness to introduce any form of accountability leads to this failure. We are, simply, being bilked.
The only thing that was particularly “wrong” with the Prowler was that it had a very weak V6 engine, when it should’ve had a small V8 like the 4.7 SOHC.
And you have to admit, it was a helluv a lot more successful than the SSR was.
Let’s get back on message.
What kind of man buys a Prowler?
The theory of judging a companies management based on the cars they drive is actually a very clear indicator of their capabilities and decisions.
The cars parked out front of a companies building says ALOT about the company and it’s leadership.
What kind of man buys a Prowler?
Same kind of man that bought the retro Thunderbird
@ Kurt,
The MR2 a failure?? Really?? Maybe the Spyder never realized the full potential it could have, but the MkI and MkII did very well, thank you.
As for the Prowler, it wasn’t meant to be a speed demon, rather a stylish cruiser. That role it filled nicely. Say what you want about it, but Chrysler at least put forth something that sparked interest. I guess damned if they do, damed if they don’t…sure, they could have dropped a real engine into it, but it was never meant to be a competitor to the Viper, even if it was built at the same facility!
What kind’a guy buys a Prowler?A guy that thinks that he would like to own a Prowler,thats who. pretty simple eh?Not my choice,but I wouldn’t
have a Boxter either.If one can fit a toy car in ones budget,to each his own eh.My buddies tease me about my 6cyl white Firebird rag{chick car}I’d
love a C3 or 4 Vette but its out’a my budget.A good friend is in love with 70 and 71 Challenger/Cudas.He will be the first to tell you its a glorified tin can.He owns three of em.
I think a Jag is an overrated money pit, A lot of Jag people would probably disagree.If a Prowler is your thing and you want one go for it.
Who buys a Prowler…
Someone who is too cheap to get a real custom roadster, like the Foose Boydster.
Or, someone who doesn’t even know the whole Coddington (rest his soul) inspired scene even exists.
A poseur. Wannabe. Don’tknowhattobe.
However, RF, I think the main message you struck upon in this post and podcast is WHY THE OWNERSHIP OF CHRYSLER MATTERS. And who are these people behind the curtain? And who stands to benefit from our money? You have clarified your position better than ever. The MSM can’t even smell this story yet. Or know why it matters. Whoever breaks it and names names and amounts might just win a Pulitzer in Journalism.
What kind of man buys a Prowler?
I would. Take that for what you will.
It’s an interesting looking car that’s cheap to keep up and will probably be worth something someday.
Prowler is to hot rod as The Olive Garden is to Italian food.
Sorry Robert, the SSR wasn’t fast until the end, and it never handled well. It was a chopped Trailblazer.
“Interesting” is what you call the hideous dress one’s wife asks you to critique.”
And you would say “ugly”?
Now that’s “interesting”.