The Chrysler PT Cruiser was intended as a replacement for the saloon Neon, sold under the Plymouth and Dodge marques. The PT Cruiser was originally intended as a Plymouth – PT – Plymouth Truck, however the Plymouth marque was to be discontinued, and the PT Cruiser allocated to Chrysler. Noted for its exterior recalling styling from the 1930s, the PT Cruiser was designed by Bryan Nesbitt. The car is is lightly modified with large (Hotwheels) style wheels. The PT Cruiser lends itself to this type of customisation, many versions were seen at SEMA at the time. The car though, was generally regarded as fairly ‘lame’, and has nt continued to build up a strong customisation community. The PT cruiser arrived on the market at a similar time to other retrofuturistic cars, such as the New Mini, New Beetle, FIAT 500 and Chrysler’s own Prowler. The PT Cruiser’s design was loosely inspired by the Chrysler Pronto Cruizer concept car, which was a car that was styled after the Chrysler and Desoto Airflow, the PT Cruiser’s back is slightly similar to the one that was made for the Chrysler CCV which was a retro-styled compact vehicle that was styled after the Citroen 2CV.
