--- title: "This Shop Made the Hellcat Plymouth Prowler a Turnkey Reality" date: "2025-09-22" modified: "2025-09-22" authors: - name: "Byron Hurd" job_title: "Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/byron-hurd" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/this-shop-made-the-hellcat-plymouth-prowler-a-turnkey-reality" categories: - "Builds" - "Culture" - "Dodge News" - "For Sale" - "News" - "News by Brand" tags: - "classic" - "Convertible" - "Plymouth" - "Prowler" - "sports car" --- # This Shop Made the Hellcat Plymouth Prowler a Turnkey Reality ![Sinister Plymouth Prowler by Michel's Auto Design]() *\Michel's Auto Design\* If you're too young to remember the Y2K era, I can sum it up pretty succinctly: Weird. But why tell when I can show? Just look at the picture above. And let me be clear: The [Plymouth Prowler]() was pretty out-there even for the year 2000, but viewing it through the lens of the 2025 automotive landscape just makes it seem even more unhinged. Visually, it was a direct appeal to hot-rodders, coming as close as possible to outright ignoring modern safety standards in an effort to evoke the chopped-and-slammed look that was synonymous with classic iron. And it looked the part, mostly in that it looked nothing like the melted-soap-bar sedans sold alongside it. By comparison, the Prowler was sleek and sinister. Remember, we were still doing *minivans* in 2001; the notion of Ram as a standalone brand would have elicited laughter from contemporary journalists. It weighed about the same as the Honda S2000—2,800 pounds—and made similar power, but did it not with a high-revving four-cylinder and snick-y, six-speed gearbox, but with a minivan-spec V6 and a four-speed automatic. Snoozeville. That's where [Michel's Auto Design]() comes in. This Wisconsin-based shop is offering a modest turnkey package that transforms your stock V6 Prowler into a Hellcat-powered, stick-shift monster. ![Sinister Plymouth Prowler by Michel's Auto Design]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() We've seen [Hellcat-swapped Prowlers before](), but so far, but we've yet to see a shop offer this as a standing build. The "Sinister" package includes a Mopar crate Hellcat motor (rated at the same 707 horsepower as the standard road engine), a Tremec T56 6-speed manual gearbox, a custom independent rear suspension, custom valved exhaust with integrated X-pipe, an upgraded cooling system, custom hood vents, and a front bumper delete. And yes, it retains the factory air conditioning. How'd they fit all that in there? Uh, carefully. As you can see from the video below, it was a tight fit: > [View this post on Instagram]() > [A post shared by Michels Auto Design (@michelsautodesign)]() So, the Prowler's biggest defect is solved, provided you can afford it, at least. The good news? The base cars are still (relatively) [cheap](), so the biggest investment here is in the upgrade itself. *Got a tip? Let us know via tips@thedrive.com!* ## Author Byron is an editor at The Drive with a keen eye for infrastructure, sales and regulatory stories. He brings a light, punchy style to all of his content, believing that there's plenty out there to be laughed at—himself included. Born and raised in Maryland but now based just a stone's throw from Detroit, Byron is an auto enthusiast and generalist who enjoys building and tinkering with things of all kinds, from cars, computers and digital cityscapes, to the new garage that will soon house his fleet (a CT4-V Blackwing, a JK Wrangler and an NA Miata). Inspired by an early love of rollercoasters, Byron quickly caught the high-performance driving itch. He's been tracking and auto-crossing his cars since 2007. In his downtime, Byron enjoys reading, playing city builders, and studying the history of the Motor City. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()