Originally Posted by
BibaResto
Wow, I'm surprised by the number of quick replies from all of you that are mostly positive. I assume all cars today are uni-body construction in that you can no longer unbolt a fender. Of course doors, hoods, and trunk lids unbolt, but the rest are, for all intents and purposes, one part....or not? I'll just throw in that Alfa's have been built that way since 1955. So yes, I'm used to a dearth of body panel supplies.
How many were sold worldwide and just in the US? I'm purely guessing, but if it hasn't been done already, that eventually someone will have fiberglass or carbon fiber hoods made up for them by using a good, undamaged hood from which to pull a mold from. Wikipedia implies that Karmann went out of business in 2009. If so, not good timing for Crossfire owner's.
Not even being a card carrying Crossfire owner, but...might there be someone fairly high up in the Chrysler hierarchy whose baby this was? Of course, there's an entirely new head of the company (as well as Alfa). What I'm pie in the skying here is could at least some of the molds for the Crossfire be saved - unless they've all been melted down to make Toyota's?
I've yet to drive (is XF an okay shorthand?) but I'll try to do this soonish. All of the available Crossfires, at least on the Internet, are some distance away. The two nearest Chrysler dealers do Not get good reviews.
About 6.5 years ago, we had a well known Fiberglass Manufacturer interested in duplicating my all steel custom hood, all we needed were 10 orders. (We got eight). It would have been very simple for them to have started producing glass "stock" Crossfire hoods at that time.
A while later, another forum member built a run of custom Carbon fiber hoods, (I think about 25). They were finally all sold off.
As far as we know, nobody "High Up" in the Chrysler hierarchy gives a rats azz about anything that has to do with a Crossfire. So we figure we are all pretty much on our own.
I've had my 04 Crossfire for over 8 years, I purchased it brand new, and I have no desire to get rid of it anytime soon. Not even if I have to "HUNT" for parts to keep it running. But then I have another 2 seater sports Car (that I purchased brand new) that's been out of production for 43 years, with a uni-body, so locating parts is just 2nd. nature to me. (By the way, the 1941 Nash used uni-body construction too.
