I am working on an article about the genesis and production of the Crossfire with the editor of The Star, the magazine of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America. The focus on the article involves how DaimlerChrysler came to manufacture the car, its basis in the Mercedes SLK320 and SLK32 and a general overview of the vehicle. My editor believes the time period involved is a fascinating chapter in Daimler’s history. To publish the article in The Star, we need high-resolution photographs of Crossfires, exterior and interior, as well as engine bay. We would like to have available photos of coupes and convertibles, and the SRT variants, to illustrate the article. We prefer to picture cars in original condition. The Star is an award winning magazine, and it is a quality publication. This could be an opportunity to share pictures of your car with Mercedes-Benz enthusiasts and could increase the knowledge about Crossfires on a broader scale.

if you wish to send high resolution photos to me for the article, please include the year and model of the car, your name and location and a statement releasing one-time publication rights for the photograph(s) to The Star. Also include a phone number so I can contact you with any questions.

I have more than four decades experience in newspaper publishing, and I am very serious about raising the reputation of the Crossfire in the Mercedes-Benz community. My hope is that this effort helps.

 

Where do you want the photos to be sent ??

 

So you don't have to reinvent the wheel, here's an article we wrote for Motor Cities Heritage a few years back with some of the car's history. Pics got deleted somehow, but I bet Valk can track them down.


Story of the Week

Posted: 08.13.2010
The Crossfire Story

Although the 1998 ill-fated �merger of equals� between Daimler-Benz and Chrysler Corporation was a rocky marriage at best, the DaimlerChrysler union did produce some interesting automotive offspring prior to the 2007 divorce.

Basic component sharing began in the Chrysler Pacifica and 300 and carried over to the Jeep Grand Cherokee. The Mercedes Sprinter van was simply rebadged as a Dodge and sold to U.S. consumers. But there was only one vehicle that truly reflected the synergies between the two companies � the Chrysler Crossfire.

To Wolfgang Bernhard, then Chief Operating Officer and product champion of the Crossfire, the concept was simple: combine Mercedes engineering with American design flair. Accordingly, the Crossfire was based on a Mercedes SLK platform, designed by American stylists based in Auburn Hills, Michigan and assembled by Karmann in Osnabruck, Germany.

Crossfire styling kudos go to Eric Stoddard, the car�s creator and Chrysler product stylist. In a February 2001 interview with MotorTrend magazine, Stoddard commented, �It�s intended to blend the youthful, sophisticated small sports look of coupes from Europe with the classic, powerful appearance of all-American coupes. And it has to be a driver�s machine, nimble and agile.� Thanks to Stoddard�s brilliant design skills, the vehicle easily accomplished its mission, and a concept Crossfire was displayed at the 2001 North American International Auto Show. Consumer reaction to the Crossfire concept was favorable, and the vehicle was given the production green light.

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Crossfire Concept Car Unveiled


In just 24 months, the Crossfire went from concept to production. The first 2004 model year Crossfire rolled off the Karmann assembly line in 2003. As Bernhard marked the occasion by driving the first production vehicle off the line, he stated, �Today we celebrate the production launch of the Chrysler Crossfire, a vehicle that combines stunning American design with proven German engineering.�

The 2004 Crossfire coupe was quickly joined by a stunning drop-top version in 2005; and both the coupe and roadster were offered in various trim levels, including: Base, Limited, Special Editions and the rare, SRT6 high performance version. The contract with Karmann was for five years with a model year run from 2004 through 2008.

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Crossfire Convertible


Despite the Crossfire�s solid lineage and auspicious beginnings, it wasn�t well received in the market place. In the U.S., it was priced in the $40K range, which placed it up against vehicles in the already crowded and competitive segment of the Porsche Boxster, Audi TT, BMW Z3/4 and Nissan 350Z. Projected volumes were ambitious, and as dealers shied away from the vehicle, inventory backed up in Germany. To compound the vehicle�s sales problems, Bernhard joined rival VW in 2004, thereby leaving the Crossfire without a high level executive product champion.

And, whatever became of Eric Stoddard - the styling genius behind the Crossfireω He began design work for Hyundai shortly after leaving DaimlerChrysler in 2002. His deft touch can be recognized in vehicles such as the Hyundai Genesis Coupe. He is currently styling vehicles in Korea, but will soon be returning to the States. Eric has become a revered and active member among the Crossfire community and, with a 2004 Coupe stored safely away, he proudly counts himself among the owner-enthusiasts.

During its five year run, Chrysler sold just north of 76,000 Crossfires globally. There are currently approximately 50 thousand still in operation in the U.S. And, despite the Crossfire�s somewhat lackluster sales, the vehicle has a loyal, if not fanatical, enthusiast following. An extremely active international forum with more than 21,000 registered users is located at www.crossfireforum.org. Forum participants freely share maintenance tips, performance parts advice and general camaraderie. Forum users regularly organize regional and national road trips and events held at a wide variety of venues such as: The All Chrysler Nationals at Carlisle Events � Carlisle, Pennsylvania; the Woodward Dream Cruise, Detroit Michigan and Fall tours of the Smokey Mountains and the Tail of the Dragon in North Carolina. The group recently organized a Crossfires Across America meeting in St. Louis, Missouri in June of 2010.

The Crossfire gave rise to an official club in 2008: Crossfire International Car Club Incorporated (-C-I-C-C-I) was founded as a non-profit 501(c)7 corporation dedicated to preserving the history of the Crossfire. The club currently has over 340 members in 5 countries, including Eric Stoddard the designer. The online clubhouse is located at www.crossfireinternational.com. Many members have added two or more Crossfires to their collection, and many have owned multiple models over the years. The club continues to grow on both the domestic and international fronts; gaining recognition by on-line and real world activities.

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Fontana Dam, NC � Fall 2009 Tail of the Dragon



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UK Crossfire Owners at the Brooklands Motor Museum July 2010



Look for the Crossfire group at this year�s Woodward Dream Cruise. They�ll have approximately 40 vehicles parked at the Royal Oak Shrine High School on 13 Mile just west of Woodward. Cars will be attending from NY, OH, IN, IL, MD, MI and Canada. Other activities include touring the Chrysler Museum and cruising Woodward.

What does the future hold for the Crossfire - is it a valuable collector�s car or just another forgotten modelω Well one thing is certain: the Crossfire has a dedicated and faithful following; if the passion of the current owner�s is any indicator, bet on the former. It isn�t likely the doors of history will close on this rare, attractive and fun car. Although, the Crossfire coupe and roadster siblings may come from a broken home, these orphans will be sure to claim their rightful place in automotive history.

A Special Thanks to The Joester Loria Group and Chrysler for use of official photos. Thanks to Paul Dunning and Gary Wemple for group photos.

 

What size files are considered Hi Def?

 

Mike MB

Click on the link below for the high resolution pictures that you are looking for, both Limited and SRT6 models....

Dennis
DTMenace

https://www.conceptcarz.com/highRes/...fire.aspx#menu

 

The best privately taken photos of the Crossfire seem to come from the German owners, they are quite professionally done. Many of our car photos appear to have telephone poles or trees growing in them. One black roadster looks like another, it is the background that sets the car up.
There are a lot of pics on the web but they maybe copyrighted.

 

180
Usually (in the USA) if any photo, article or any other type of document would have a circled C to identify it as a copyrighted document. I'm not sure of any other country's copyright designation that protects any and all types documents. I did not observe any markings on the photos restricting the copying of those photos in the link.
Oh, I hear a siren, must be the Photo Police, must sign off and hide!
Dennis
DTMenace

 

I did not mention your link at all, some people post pics that are copyrighted and have cropped the C.
Permission for general publication is proper and gets around future problems.