If you ever wondered if there was a Mopar that I couldn’t possibly love, it’s the Chrysler Crossfire. Why? It’s mostly just a Mercedes SLK reskinned to be more American. Sure, the SRT-6 model tried it’s best and performance-wise, it did the job, but if you can get past the looks, you are a better man than me. The front end doesn’t bother me. It’s the back third of the car where everything falls apart. When TopGear reviewed the Crossfire, Jeremy Clarkson summed up the design perfectly: “You know when a dog is doing it’s “number two”…that kind of arched-back thing…that’s what it is!” Other journalists thought it looked like a Rambler Marlin…sorry, guys, but I’ve got to go with the Brit here.

So somewhat disappointing performance, looks that make the AMC Gremlin look rather handsome by comparison, and a desirability factor of just about zero in most people’s book…that is the beginning of a proper sleeper. And the owner of this 2004 Crossfire thought so too, because he took the easy route by jamming it chock full of…say it with me now…LS power! Which member of the LS family is anyone’s guess, because the seller refers to the engine as a “built LS1 6.0”. We do know that a rear-mounted 76mm turbo is pushing the engine north of the 550hp mark, and that the power is fed through a TH400 auto with a 3,000 RPM stall converter out to an 8.8″ rear axle on a four-link setup. Inside, it’s obvious that the car isn’t stock, but at least it isn’t gutted. In fact, most of the interior is intact and looks pretty damn good.

While I wish that the builder had gone with a third-gen Hemi for the Chrysler, there’s no doubt that if you kept everything quiet that you would be taking home money every time someone was stupid enough to line up next to you. This Crossfire isn’t a sleeper, but it will get the job done if you so desire.

Craigslist Link: 2004 Chrysler Crossfire