There was a show on Speed ch. I think it was called "5th Gear", that tested a Crossfire 6 spd. If memory servers, I think the British race car driver doing the test said the XF was actually designed by a Britt. Maybe that was just "vanity" on his part.
As an investment, I'll probably be old and grey, if I'm still around to ever see the Crossfire appreciate. But who knows, stranger things have happened.
I've been following this thread from the start, and there has been alot of things thrown out there so I just want to comment on a few that stand out to me.
I think it was BEN 47 who didn't think the new GTO or Mustang GT was thrilling. All I want to know is, "just exactly what does it take for you to get excited?" (automotivly speaking that is) I don't consider either one of those cars "sports cars" but I think there performance is anything but lackluster. The GTO in its 4 door form does an excellent job in Aussie sports sedan races.
And just a couple of week ends ago, Speed ch. broadcasted a very good Grand Am event in Virginia that the Mustangs did quite well in. (even with their solid rear axles)
Something alot of you young guys forget, is that guys my age, (like Firebase) are, as Wings put it,"old school", and we are most assuredly from a different era. So we look at alot of things quite differently than you would. We "cut our teeth" on Muscle cars, and as archaic as they may seem to alot of you, to most of us, those will probably always be our favorites.
I for one am in "awe" of the performance being offered by Subaru, and the EVO, even the Neon SRT blows me away. But no matter how fast they are, to most of my generation, they're always going to look like 4 door sh*t box's. Personally I'd really enjoy owning a new Honda SI, RSX, Tiburon GT, or Eclipse GT, because I think of them as "Asian Pony cars". But when ever I see a WRX or an EVO, I think, "Toyko Taxi" with an ironing board on the trunk. (Now I'm not trying to start a war of words, so please guys understand, I'm just being brutally honest here) I'm just trying to explain where alot of us are coming from, and of course I don't speak for everybody. Just my generation in general. (Firebase certainly doesn't need anybody to fight his battles, that's for sure)
My Viper GTS is supposed to be capable of running 12.1 sec. without even trying, I've read where you can drive it like you stole it and break into the 11's. But I'll never know because I don't believe in abusing my cars like that. Still I get alot of satisfaction just knowing it's there if I want to use it, and to me just driving it like a normal car can be "thrilling". My Crossfire is only supposed to run a 14.7 1/4 mile, but sofar it's been the most satisfying car I've ever owned. It handles like it's on rails, turns heads almost like my Viper, and it can be as thrilling to me as any other sports car that I have owned. But what gives me the most enjoyment is running 14.20's in my stock 1969 muscle car. Why? I don't know, maybe it's the sound of the V8 thru the side pipes, or the tire melting torque every time I stomp on the gas pedal. Or maybe it's just the 36 years of great times that come rushing back everytime I start it up. To me at least, that's what this whole crazy car thing is about, making some great memories to look back on, and to enjoy the ride along the way. As they say," the older I get, the faster I was." And "bench racing" doesn't cost anything.