" Even those with bad taste, know good taste when they see it. " - LateNightCable
Hello all,
It's time for another edition to the Analysis Series, by your friendly long lost uncles LateNight and PolarFox. I hope we're not the only ones reading these, because they are both entertaining
and informative.
This time around, we feature the Chrysler Crossfire. At the time of writing, the Crossfire is about ready to enter it's second year of production. But it's a very noteworthy design to analyze, since it's the first Chrysler vehicle to fully display the shift in philosophy since the marriage of Chrysler, and Daimler of Germany. It's the first love child you could say. It's also the first Chrysler to borrow heavily from it's German parent's parts bin, including such things as the engine and entire platform.
Let's see how this concept car for the streets turned out. - LateNightCable
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* Front
The Crossfire made a remarkable transition from concept to production, with most changes being very subtle and done to meet regulations. A big reason for this is because the platform it's based upon, the Mercedes SLK, is a natural fit, being a short two seater coupe by nature. So the styling didn't have to be streched around a platform that was foreign to that, so to speak.
The biggest styling change made for production was to the front. It is far less dramatic or destinctive than that of the showcar original, but it is still proportionate to the car, and makes good use of available space. Chrysler chose horizontal headlamps, rather than the vertical ones of the showcar, because they learned a competitor was considering useing the same theme. Which I think is a silly reason to change the styling. I would say, just beat them to the punch. Either way, the front works, even if it does look more appropriate for a more conservative car. The headlamp shape remind me of the ones on the upcoming BMW 6-Series, although they look considerably better on this car. The lower fascia with it's front splitter is strong and sharp, reaching out to the corners of the Cross. Bringing the front close to the ground. The foglamps, with their corner placement also do their part to lower the car visually, and accentuate the width.
Indented strakes along the hood add a lot of charictor, and lengthen the nose, I'm glad they made production. The metalic finish of the windshield frame is a nice bit of retro flash, and the side mirrors look very natural to the design.
Overall, the front exudes the image that it should. That of a sporty and stable little coupe, ready for the road.
* Profile
The Crossfire is intended to reflect Chrysler's penchant for Art Deco-ish design cues. But being part German, it also possess a strong European flare. An aspect of it's identity that it obviously revels in, which this photo of the Cross parked in front of the Kempinski Hotel in Munich clearly shows.
From the side, the Cross is a tubby car, but the roof is low, as an asthetic, it's not bad. The short overhangs keep the car looking tight and solid. The large diameter of the factory wheels also help to maintain this quality. The body is pleasantly chisled. The deep horizontal wedge below the door, and in particular, the upper body one which catches the shadows leading to the front wheel arch lengthen the car, and look great. The flanks are clean, but contain just the right tweak hear and there. As I have seen the car in person, I can vouch that the effect looks really good up close too. The straked air vent is a thoughtful touch, and throws some interest into the large expanse between the front wheel and door. The lip of each wheel arch is flattend, helping to integrate the body around the wheels. The windshield is slightly higher than the concept car's, but it takes nothing form the sleek, low roofline. This car is a great example of how a tub shaped car with decent interior room can be made to look sleek and fast as well.
* Rear
The Crossfire is very destinctive especially from the rear, where the roof flows down like a waterfall to the bumper. Aside from the bumper being raised, the rear window section being widend, and the window losing the center crease of the concept, the rear is very faithful to the showcar's. The fenders jut form either side providing an athletic, broad shouldered effect. The center above the licence plate is nicely detailed, as is the area below the bumper. With it's cut out space, and very showcar like center exhaust, it definitely looks sporty form the rear. I also find the way the sloping roof slightly overlaps the rear window to be a good touch.
In closing, I find the Chrysler Crossfire to be a wonderfully executed design peice, especially for a production car. It shows that in the right hands, relatively affordable cars can be brought to market containing most, if not all of the charictor, and originality of a concept car. The key ingrediant, is a strong theme, which the Crossfire has. Good job
!
Now, lets see what PolarFox has to say about the nuts and bolts of this EuroAmerican ...