Like it or not ...
by Volker Weber
I cannot make up my mind. Could this be my first car with a hard roof in 20 years? I should think about this again in the summer. :-)
Comments
Well, I like this view a lot better. But then, it's still got a major deficiency :-) As for the other problem: There are still can-openers out there ...
Your picture fell victim to the sanitize plugin:
<$MTCommentBody sanitize_html="* align,p,br/,a href,b,u,i"$>>
I now include the img tag and the picture is back in your post.
Chrysler will make a convertible. I expect this to be same desaster as the Audi TT "Roadster". The coupe is wonderful but the convertible is [bleech]
Well, the Crossfire is going to be built by Karmann in Osnabrück. So you get a german car with american styling, not like the BMW Z4, with german styling and american quality standards.
And yes. I only need 2 seats. :-)
Thanks for putting the picture back in :) And I guess you got me wrong. I'm not concerned about the number of seats. In fact I'd be happy with just one, as long as there are only two wheels on the vehicle ;-)
And, out of curiosity again, what was the desaster with the Audi TT convertible?
The design was broken, and the roof is not a good solution. Just take a look when the roof is down and the cover is still off. There is a gaping hole in the car. You can do that to a Chrysler Sebring but not to german built car.
The Crossfire platform is essentially an SLK. If you look at the interior you will notice the same A/C controls and radios, only this time in shiny plastic instead of black.
I think I need to see the new SLK design first. At least you can take the roof down with this car.
That was the original showcar with a much nicer front. But the same thing happened to my car. The showcar was much nicer than the production. After a while you forget the concept car.
Imho it was a good ideaa to lower the front as they did. But it's a shame they dropped the split windshield.
Uh, for the automotively challenged -- what car is this? The grille looks like Mercedes but in the 'concept car' photo the badge looks like Saab, and I know better than to think it is a Saab.
In the US, the Audi TT is a "chick magnet". When we were in the showroom buying my A4, my wife was quite interested in the TT ... except for the one that had brown leather seats with yellow whip-stitching. Bleach. Anyway, it is still considered a head-turner here.
Volker, did you get your hands on a final stage Z4 yet? I expect it to reach a production quality similar to those of Munich or Dingolfing works. However, I can't tell yet, as I only got my hands on prototype a while ago.
Ed, this is a Chrysler Crossfire. I was designed by the Chrysler Design Institute but will be built here in Germany in the same factory that builds a number of cars from different vendors: The Mercedes CLK Coupe and Covertible, the Mercedes SLK, the Audi Convertible and the body and roof for the Renault Megane Convertible. Karmann also has a great heritage. Their most famous car was the Karmann Ghia.
Haiko, the novelty of calling yourself "Ellen Feiss" quickly wears off. And it pulls too many poor souls from Google to this site. :-) No, I have not seen any Z4 "live". I am extrapolation from the Z3 here and may be completely wrong.
Ed, a chick magnet? That does not work here. But now I know why Thomas Gumz owns one. I think, it is already his second. He has become addicted or shall I say entitled? :-)
Checking "remember info?" is a feature for the lazy, but Ellen has left the building.
The final front design of the Crossfire seems to be a marketing decision: the radiator grill looks a lot like those of current upper class Mercedes models, and a tiny little bit like Lexus, too, and I am not sure if it really fits.
Volker, to get an idea of current Spartanburg production quality, check a X5 at your local dealer - they are built in the U.S., too.
As if I would need another reason not to buy one of these dinosaurs ... :-)
Ah yes, I am familiar with Karmann Ghia a bit.... my father's 76 Mustang II rustbucket had big "Ghia" badges on it. That was our "Fred Flintstone" special -- the floorboards had rusted out, so if you moved the carpet, you could put your feet on the ground.... but it was -fast-. Those were the days.
I think you are mixing something up. The Ghia signs on the Mustang rustbucket were a reference to the italian Ford Ghia design studio, but not to the Karmann factory or the Karmann Ghia vehicle.
sorry about that. just trying to perpetuate the stereotype of the self-centred American ;)
We haven't grown up, have we? So much to talk about and we comment on cars.
My favourite is the new Mini Cooper S in Dark Silver, with a white roof. I tried numerous cars lately. The problem is my height, I am 1,96 m or something like 6.5 feet and I am not really thin anylonger. The TT is nice, but I get claustrophobic in there, I wouldn't even be able to see the traffic lights. Surprise, surprise, I have a superb driver position in the Mini, spacewise, it even feels better than my old Benz S-Class. So this will be my new car in the first half of 2003... I hope.
Yes, that is indeed a very nice car. But the seats are awful. Much too short and my back hurts after 10 minutes.
