Chrysler Crossfire vs. Atlantic

Chrysler Crossfire vs. Atlantic
by Doug Breithaupt

Crossfire (Racing Champions)
Atlantic (Johnny Lightning)

For the past 15 years, Chrysler has been the king of the concept car. Beginning with the Dodge Viper concept of the late 1980's, Chrysler has continued to produce concept cars that challenged the competition. Even more impressive, Chrysler has actually put cars like the Viper, Prowler and PT Cruiser into production.

When I first saw photos of the Chrysler Atlantic concept, I was smitten. The Atlantic was the result of Tom Gale and Bob Lutz deciding to do a modern version of the famous Bugatti Atlantic of 1937. The Bugatti Atlantic was designed by Jean Bugatti and is considered one of the most beautiful of all pre-war automobiles. The Chrysler Atlantic celebrated it's Bugatti namesake and the Talbot Lago of 1937 in a retro-styled luxury coupe for the 1990's. For me, the style of new Atlantic surpassed the beauty of the cars used for inspiration. It featured a straight-eight engine and the some of most sensuous curves to ever grace an automobile. I would put it up with the Jaguar 'E' type and Ferrari 308GTB for automotive sex-appeal.

After seeing the Chrysler Atlantic I did something rare for me. I actually sent a letter to Lutz and Gale, encouraging them to build the Atlantic. They responded with a very nice personal letter and a wonderful selection of press photos of the car. They also said that alas, the Atlantic would not be put into production as the market for a luxury GT coupe was considered too small to justify the cost.

When I saw that Matchbox would produce the Atlantic, I was thrilled. I remember when I first found the model at the store and even better, the Premier Edition version. Later, Johnny Lightning and Maisto did the Atlantic although the Matchbox casting (shown above) is the best. I have also bought 1:24 and 1:18 scale models of this car.

In 2001, Chrysler offered a new GT/coupe concept car, the Crossfire and have now announced it will see production. While it is more sporty than the Atlantic, it still competes in the same market segment as would the Atlantic. The Crossfire is a handsome beast but seems to have more of a Mercedes-Benz flavor to it's styling. It is not a retro design.

While I am sure there are good reasons to build the Crossfire today, I cannot help comparing it to the Atlantic and wondering why it's too late to put this beautiful retro-coupe into production? The Atlantic styling is timeless to my eye so it does not appear dated in any way. Which would you want to own?

The comparison of the Matchbox Atlantic and Racing Champions Crossfire clearly show which is the more beautiful design. the side-by-side comparison of the Racing Champions Crossfire and the Johnny Lightning Atlantic leave little doubt which car is the more stylish. I still think the Atlantic could be a production hit that would become an instant classic. I don't see the same response for the Crossfire. I would seriously consider selling the prizes of my real car collection to buy an Atlantic. The Crossfire does not tempt me to sell anything. Thank goodness for Matchbox.