Plymouth does not build many cars like the Plymouth Pronto Spyder: a 2-door convertible with 2.4 L turbocharged I4, built from 1998 when airbags, anti-lock brakes and Japanese build quality became the world standard.
The story
The Plymouth Pronto Spyder was a 2-door roadster concept that debuted in 1998, using a mid-mounted, turbocharged, 2.4 L, 225 hp (168 kW), 4-cylinder engine and a five-speed manual transmission.
Styled to recall European roadsters, the Pronto Spyder's bodywork used lightweight recycled materials, largely polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, over a steel chassis. The vehicle weighed 2,700 lb (1,225 kg). The interior used spray-applied color, in red, and a tortoise-shell steering wheel rim, subsequently used on the Chrysler 300C. To enter production, the concept would have needed to meet safety regulations, have better body stiffness (the A-pillar would need revision), suspension travel clearance for the wheelhouse, and rear-view mirrors, among other changes.
What is underneath
Under the skin sits 2.4 L turbocharged I4. Kerb weight is 2,700 lb. The gearbox is a 5-speed manual. The layout matters: the engine sits behind the driver and ahead of the rear axle, which puts the mass in the middle of the car and is why mid-engined cars change direction the way they do. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Its place in the line
On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Ford Focus, the Saab Automobile Saab 9-3, the Peugeot 206. Nearby in the Plymouth catalogue sit the Plymouth XNR and the Plymouth Laser.
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