Retro-styled vehicles were all the array around the turn of the 21st century. The Chevrolet HHR, Plymouth Prowler, Volkswagen New Beetle, as well as Ford Thunderbird were a couple of examples of cars from around 2000 that harkened back to decades-old body lines.
The PT Cruiser first debuted in design year 2001 with lines attracted by developer Bryan Nesbitt. It slotted in the compact class and also was developed with retro styling that evokes hints of the 1930s and also 40s. Reception was cozy, and also Motor Trend awarded it with “Car of the Year” accolades. Among the very early adopters of this special design were my granny and her spouse Russell that acquired a new 2002 PT Cruiser Limited Edition in Dark Plum Pearl.
Family PT Cruiser History On a recent vacation trip to northern Utah, my brothers as well as I got the idea that we ought to get grandma’s 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser running as well as take it for a spin.
By several steps, this should not be a huge offer. The automobile is hardly 20 years old and also according to some meanings it hasn’t yet attained”classic “condition. Yet this PT Cruiser, at just over 120,000 miles, had actually been parked for over 6 years considering that my granny’s partner Russell passed away in November 2016. Its license plates expired in October 2017. Several of my favored YouTube videos feature rebirths and re-awakenings. I love a good”barn find, “so I figured it would make an enjoyable fulfilling mid-day task to see what we could do. The Dark Plum PT Cruiser hasn’t seen a night in a garage its entire life. A lot of its trips for its very first decade included day-to-day trips to the shopping mall as well as Sam’s Club. Every Friday, it made the 50-mile round-trip trek from Logan, Utah to Franklin, Idaho so granny and also Russell might purchase lottery game tickets. There was excellent exercise, however the outdoors elements started taking a toll on the aesthetic condition. Corrosion consumed the appropriate rear quarter panel as well as a big area of the front fender, as well as the clear coat fell short on several panels.
The PT Gets a Revival The day after Thanksgiving, we appeared to restore the PT Cruiser as well as it was sitting on 4 reduced tires. The electrical dive box that my father offered did not give sufficient juice to turn the electric motor over, so we pulled my bro’s Ram pickup over to provide an extra substantial dive with cables. That sufficed. We weren’t sure just how the PT would operate on six-year-old gas, but it seemed to idle penalty. The automatic gearshift felt sloppy, as well as it was tough to tell which gear was involved. We rolled out as well as took it easy on surface area streets as we drove to my daddy’s place where we filled up the flat-spotted tires. Upon going back to granny’s, we parked the PT in the precise same place where it had actually been before our go to(which was easy to see many thanks to the tire marks in the concrete). Time will tell whether it flights once again. PT Cruiser Model Chronology Several of the PT Cruiser’s design
was associated with the Dodge Neon compact car
: Powertrain design centered around a 1.6-liter inline-four coupled with a four-speed automatic transaxle or a five-speed handbook transaxle directing power to the front wheels. At 150 horse power, it was barely a dragracer, however Chrysler made some updates in the years that adhered to. In 2003, a 2.4-liter turbocharged variation of the PT Cruiser debuted with
a more powerful 215 horsepower output. In 2006, styling was updated to consist of scalloped fronts lights, a brand-new front fascia, modified taillights, as well as a refreshed facility pile on the inside. Several special trim versions of the PT Cruiser were supplied throughout the years.
Some featured substitute wood panels, some was available in unique Route 66 livery, some were styled as a tribute to the Pacific Coast Highway, a convertible appeared, and there was even a two-tone Couture version. The total design language, nevertheless, was unchanged for almost a decade. The Last Hurrah The PT Cruiser lived right up until 2010 before being ceased. That last year, just the Classic trim degree with the lower-output four-cylinder wasused. The automobile headed out without much fanfare. Today, the PT Cruiser has a little yet devout following. There is even a website committed to data on performance, repair work, awards, as well as accessories. Maybe grandmother’s PT would certainly make a great prospect for repair to one of those collection agencies! Up until after that, it has resumed its spot as a placeholder in her driveway for passers-by to admire. Follow more of Tyson’s household background of vehicles by clicking here.
