It's hard to write about sports cars without being accused of promoting speeding. It's even harder when you find yourself in Germany and part of the test route includes unrestricted stretches of the autobahn. Michael McAleer reports.
The final temptation is when they tell you the car is rock steady at its limited top speed of 150 mph and that they're confident enough to happily encourage you to try it out to that limit on these open stretches of road. So, in the name of research and with empty autobahn stretching into the horizon in the early morning, we took up their challenge. With not a car in sight, we pushed the Chrysler Crossfire to its limit, and, if the speedometer is to be believed, beyond.
By 161 mph we had run out of clock and in the distance a long open corner was approaching. Given that it takes about four football pitches to come to a halt at this speed, we decided to err on the side of caution and bring our speed down to a more manageable 230kmh. It's not that the car was ever unmanageable. We were.
There's no mistaking the Crossfire's eye-catching looks, influenced up front by US parentage and at the back by more curvaceous European influences. This divide is evident in the advertising campaigns either side of the pond. In the US, TV ads concentrate on the long nose, the six "speed" lines the length of the car's hood, and the centre spine line that moves over the length of not only the exterior, but through the interior as well.
Here, the centre of attention is the unique boat-tail rear, its curvaceous expanded arches which hint towards futuristic designs such as the Lexus concept which featured in the film, Minority Report.
Bring both together and you have some "seriously seductive sheetmetal" as one member of the Crossfire team put it.
About 39 per cent of components come from Mercedes models, including suspension, heating, ventilation, air conditioning and powertrain. The German influence continues - limited-production specialist Karmann, in Osnabrück, Germany, is building the car.
Volumes are forecast at around 22,500 units a year but can increase to 40,000 units if it sells well. Of these, about 3,000 are set for sale outside the US, with estimates of about 20 for Ireland where it arrives in December. Irish prices are expected to be around €50,000.
The small production aims to maintain a measure of exclusivity. It also recognises the realities of an increasingly crowded sports car market, with already two other launches this summer - Nissan's 350Z and Mazda's RX-8. Audi's TT has worn the style crown for several years, but the newcomers are likely to topple it.
The Crossfire has the most distinctive looks of the newcomers. It's hard to miss. Even in a country where SL 55 AMGs fail to cause a flutter of an eyelid, the Crossfire's "seductive sheetmetal" attracted second glances and stares from many a fraulein and car fan.
You become blasé behind the wheel, until you see the reflection in a shop window. It's a car that warrants a backward glance in car parks, just out of admiration.
Perfection on wheels? As any catwalk model will tell you, style comes at a price. For them it may be razor-sharp high heels that need the balancing skills of a tightrope walker. For drivers it usually involves rear sensory perception.
The Crossfire's high-fashion tail means trying to reverse is more wing-and-prayer than mirror-and-window. This is not helped by the retractable rear wing, which reduces lift at high speed. A feature similar to the one fitted on Porsches, it deploys at either 57 mph or at the touch of a button.
Among the key Mercedes elements is the 18-valve, 3.2-liter SOHC V-6, here offering 215 bhp. Chrysler's version sounds better than the original, however, thanks to the centre-exiting exhaust, which gives a deeper throated American sports rumble to it.
Peak torque of 310 Newton Metres (Nm) comes on stream at 3,000 rpm, which helps make the Crossfire quick at low speeds. But open it up on the highway and the rush doesn't continue with the same urgency, at least with the automatic gearbox. There is a choice of two transmissions - a five-speed automatic which allows for manual upshift and downshift using the gearstick or a six-speed manual.
We would have preferred steering-wheel-mounted shift paddles. Though it does feature a neat trick whereby, if you pull the lever towards you in corners, it changes down to the optimum torque gear - this means you're in the middle of a corner with only one hand on the wheel.
We found it a very different car with the six-speed box. It let us intervene in the action far sooner, getting far more urgency out of that 3.2-litre engine, and was just more entertaining and more invigorating - what you want from a sports car.
Along with engine, brakes and suspension are Mercedes designs. Though it may fly the Star-Spangled Banner, the Crossfire has a regimental approach to orders and follows your lead in corners.
Thankfully, the European influences ring through in the suspension, which has been tuned firmer, and the larger wheels, and lower profile rubber: 18-inch wheels up front, 19-inch at the rear all add to ride quality and handling. Those who designed this car knew that corners are a feature of normal motoring outside the US and must be taken that into account.
Traction control is standard. When we switched it off for a few minutes on a country road, we found the futuristic rear intimating a desire to take over steering as well as power supply.
Combine that chassis set-up with the ultra-rigid body - stiffer than that of the Porsche 911, say Chrysler engineers - and you get a car that responds very well in hard driving. The Crossfire turns in sharply, corners flat, yet the ride isn't too harsh.
This is a true two-seater, without even vestigial rear seats. The boot begins just behind the rear seats, and, though a bulkhead keeps the principle of boot and cabin separate, there is no attempt to cover it up. So you can look straight back into the boot from the front seats.
With all these sports cars, the normal phrase that describes your position is cocoon. However, Chrysler has done well with the design and, while it may be a little low for elongated gentry, the bright two-tone colours make it seem a lot more airy than its competitors.
A criticism would be the use of silver plastics rather than brushed aluminium for the central console. The result is more Toyota Yaris than you want in a sports coupé.
The Crossfire in manual mode is worthy of serious commendation. Real success will depend on price but it's unlikely there will be many of our 20 left in the showrooms.
As the first two-seater from Chrysler in some time, and being developed as it did amid the major upheavals and uncertainties after the merger, all parties deserve full credit.