{{{Chevrolet Corvette}}} Vs {{{Plymouth Prowler}}}
Full-Blooded American Roadsters
Passion-evoking American two-seaters have fueled our automotive dreams ever since the days of the '53 Corvette and '55 T-Bird. Today's renegade roadsters fend off the world's best ragtops with a potent combination of feisty performance, aggressive big-tired stances, and distinctive retro flavor.
The fifth-generation Corvette is a rolling technology showcase that delivers a road-hugging yet amazingly comfortably riding suspension, ferocious but refined V-8, and masterful interior ergonomics.
Its manually operated top is super quick and easy for one person to manage. While a power mechanism would be expected at this price range, the Corvette's engineers went for the weight, space, and cost savings of this design. With the top dropped, an attractive hard boot creates a smooth rear deck that pours like a waterfall between the leather-wrapped bucket seats. A great bonus: Enough trunk room for two people on a week-long road trip.
Though seemingly sealed tight and free from intrusive highway wind noise, the Corvette did poorly in our high-pressure spray wash test, with water squrting inside from above the passenger-side glass. However, a recent five-hour El Nio hell drive through torrential downpours couldn't force water into the cabin, so just don't wear your good clothes to the ride-along car wash.
Big news for the Plymouth retro roadster's second model year is the replacement of the old iron-block 3.5-liter/214-horsepower V-6 with a new all-aluminum 3.5-liter/253-horsepower engine that knocks 1.3 seconds off 0-60-mph times. Combined with the AutoStick, this updated powertrain transforms the previously sedate Prowler into an invigorating thrill ride. Though no longer the performance poseur it was in '97, the screaming yellow '99 Prowler is still more at home at the malt shop on cruise night than at the dragstrip or road course. And that's perfectly fine. The Prowler is an escape mechanism, a machine to be rolled out of the garage on weekends to whisk away stress and transport the driver back to a time when hot rods were king.
Open-air cruising is as simple as releasing two windshield frame catches, pulling a rear lever, then tucking the cloth top neatly away under the massive rear-hinged trunklid. (Don't bring any luggage; there's only enough room for a single T-shirt.) Up front, the low windshield ensures tousled hair, though sun visors can be tilted to divert oncoming jet streams and adjust wind buffeting. With the manual cloth roof in place, the Prowler maintains a proper hot-rod appearance though visibility is reduced by the wide-and-forward B-pillars and mail-slot rear glass. Despite being quite air-tight, the top proved less than water-tight in the car wash test, moistening the leather buckets.
Both flag-waving American roadsters ignite the premium fuel pumping through an enthusiast's heart.
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