As I pulled into the casino this morning a young guy that had followed me into the parking lot asked at the elevator if that was my XF .....he then said it looked like a Mercedes.....you know how the next 3 minutes went after that......

10/15 to 11/3 ....1000 miles exactly ....40.0 gal exactly.....= 25 mpg.
07 6spd.

Spent 4-5 hours washing / waxing my mother in law's T-Bird yesterday......how did Ford survive all these years? Pretty-Crap.

 

I give up. Did you beat him senseless in the elevator?

 

talked him senseless more than likely.....lol

 

I seem to have those "chats" weekly with someone. I dont mind. At least they're interested.

I'm assuming it was the current/latest model T-Bird? I actually always sorta liked them. I feel about the T-Bird the same way I feel about the old BMW Z3. Overall not bad cars, (very good in some aspects) but both seem like an unorganized assembly of half-assed retro influences that didnt really add up to a cohesive package.

It always seemed crazy that you spent a decent chunk of $$$ on the T-Bird and all you got inside was a Lincoln LS dash and door panels with body-colored plastic inserts.

 

Most of the new-breed American muscle cars come off this way to me, especially the Camaro. You can pick up all the classic muscle cues, but the car just doesn't manage to look good.
They're that way with the interior as well - you sit down in one and it's cheap plastic junk mashed into something that's supposed to be retro and cool.

I had a guy at the gas station on Sunday notice the Mercedes too. Personally I can't tell if I can actually see much Mercedes styling in the Crossfire at all - most of the resemblances I notice I end up thinking are probably bias from knowing the car's true nature...

 

Maybe the T-Bird feels so loose & sounds so clunky to me because I'm so used to the tight & solid XF? I think that removable hardtop causes a lot of noise.

 

The front end dimensions and basic shape have a real SLK vibe to them, which is rather expected. It's the sides and rear that really display the unique yet retroesque homage to bygone classics. I read a few journalist reviews where they reflect on the rear end of an '62 AMC Marlin, and the often mentioned Talbot Lago teardrop. One car I haven't heard mentioned when speaking about the Crossfire however is how the rear haunches invoke a classic Chrysler in the '67-'69 Charger. I had a '69 Charger and every time I wash my XF or simply walk past it and run my had along the almost horizontal plane over the rear tire, I'm instantly transported back to when I had my Charger.

The design of the Crossfire is unique and emotional as intended by the designers, and in some regards goes against the grain of the conventional 'form follows function' design theory i.e. hatch...and that's why we love it! I would have bought my car with a 150hp 4 banger...but I'm glad its not! LOL.