The Chrysler Crossfire…oh, lord, here we go. Where do you start, the Daimler-Chrysler merger, the fact that it’s a re-skinned Mercedes SLK that has one of the most unfortunate rear ends on a production car since the AMC Pacer, or that after the paint started to lose it’s luster, everybody and their mother dumped them for anything else, it seems? When they came out, I wasn’t a fan. Nevermind the Benz relationship, that actually had some promise at the time. But the looks turned me off. From the nose end, it was actually all right. But get a side or rear profile and it lost the plot badly. Even if you scored one of the hot, supercharged SRT-6 variations with the supercharged 3.2L V6, you lost…the six-speed came off of the options list and you were stuck with the five-speed automatic. Oh. Joy.
Too harsh? I don’t think so, but to be fair, the SRT-6 does have some promise. The car is short, and pretty much square. Get past the awkward, “dog having a poo” looks, and get into the mechanical bits, and there is a handler underneath that skin. But how many actually bring out the good? Few, but this one proves that beauty is more than skin deep.
That reminds me…I need to see if someone has crammed a new Hemi into one of these.
These cars were alot of fun at beaver run during the SRT track experience. Even though it was 30 miles slower than than the 6.1 cars .
When they use to show up at the drag strip, many people called them crotch fires. Don’t know why?
Track day car without at least a four point bar, and I’ll bet the shoulder harnesses are anchored to the floor….perfect for crushing a vertebra or two.
Would love to know what mods he made to get 400hp. If it was in here, you buried it with useless rambling.
Bryan, you cut me to the quick. I am on my third Crossfire, having owned the base N/A coupe and the SRT coupe and roadster. A lot of folks like the art deco design judging by the number of them who tell me “nice car” at the gas station and grocery store. The 6-speed was fun but the car was underpowered. SRTs got the 5-speed automatic because Daimler-Chrysler didn’t have a stick that could take the supercharged engine’s power. I love that transmission. You can set your watch by it and if you need the manual experience just pound your left foot on the floor and use the manual shift feature. There is a small but enthusiastic racing subgroup among Crossfire owners. Some have successfully swapped in V8s. Find out more at crossfireforum.org.
I always thought they would make a great drag car.
I enjoy my Roadster, under 60,000 miles and it still gets comments!
I always thought they were pretty cool looking honestly. There are certainly far uglier cars being produced today.
Guys I spent 20 years with Chrysler a few years back. Aren’t there a bunch of these abortion cars still at docks and back lots of dealerships?
Way too much hyperbole and small talk…get to the point…you are not good at this…I don\’t believe you understand cars.
Actually, I’ve seen a YouTube video of one that was Hemi-swapped. Apparently it’s simpler than a Hemi swap in a Prowler. The MB V6 is wide like a Hemi. IIRC, all the mods are for the extra length at the front of the motor. Looks like a cool swap, actually.
The author of the article probably drives a Camero! That\’s sounds like his intelligence level. The styling of the Crossfire is mimicked today in the GP cars at the tracks all over the world. Long nose and sloped back. Good aero styling. A hell of a lot better styling than the American made Camero\’s and the like\’s. I never heard dragracer\’s call them croch fire\’s. That must have been at some outlaw track in the hills of nowhere!. Crossfire\’s are very unique, fun to drive, and always draw compliments wherever they are driven.