Designed by (then) 27 year old designer Bryan Nesbitt (he now works for General Motors), the Chrysler P/T Cruiser attracted a lot of attention not just because of her 1930 retro-style looks, but because dealers were flooded with so many bookings that buyers paid a premium to possess one. It is said that when the company started taking bookings, there were long queues outside the dealership.

The Panel Cruiser is the van version of the car (the rear-door got replaced with a body panel) with a wooden floor for cargo.