"DISCIPLINED Pizzazz". That, to quote the American behind its design, is the Chrysler Crossfire in a nutshell.

Certainly it looks American. Not your brash vulgar American, but the sleek, slinky curvaceous side of America, the side blessed with good looks, wealth and with an eye on world domination... the world of coup motoring, that is.

The Crossfire started out as concept material two years ago. Bosses liked the idea and it was in production form a year later. Now, 12 months on, it goes on sale across the world, with the first 500 earmarked for the United Kingdom in a couple of months. There are production plans for 20,000 Crossfires a year.

Here it will compete against the Audi TT, Honda S2000, Porsche Boxter, BMW's new Z4, Alfa Romeo GTV Spider and Nissan's latest 350Z.

Chrysler says it is a unique car, but that is not quite true in that it carries nearly 40 per cent of Mercedes-Benz within it, including the V6 engine, and something of the Mercedes-Benz SLK from which it gets its inspiration.

It goes on sale in the United Kingdom in October, only two versions: a manual for £27,260 on the road; and an automatic for £28,500, the same price as an Audi TT but a fraction more expensive than the new Nissan 350Z.

Interestingly, 500 cars have already been sold, and Chrysler UK has asked for its allotment to be upped to 750 because of customer interest.

"We are building an order bank because demand is there in ever-increasing numbers," says Simon Elliot, Chrysler's UK's boss.

It is a great-looking car and that's important, because Chrysler's research says more than 50 per cent of its customers think appearance is the most important factor of their buying instincts.

Crossfire has wonderful flowing design lines, the most appealing the distinctive spinal line from the grill up over the bonnet (even visible across the engine top when the bonnet is opened) and onwards down to between the funky boxy twin tailpipes. There are also striking shoulder lines that run the length of the car, taking in wheel arches and sweeping to the tail lamp clusters. Similar design lines can also be followed inside the car, through the headliner, the dashboard top, centre console and even the gearshift knob.

A twin-cockpit theme means the cabin has been tailored for only two, providing more head, shoulder and leg room.

The driver's seat can be adjusted eight different ways, every which way, while the passenger has a four-way adjustment. Both seats are also heated and leather-trimmed, with the curved passenger air-bag panel mimicking the instrument cluster on the driver's side and the large satin silver finish centre console and transmission tunnel clearly dividing the cabin. The bright satin finish also highlights the steering wheel spokes, door sill, door pull handles, speaker grille rings, and instrument surrounds.

Crossfire buyers will have a choice of three interior colour schemes, dark slate throughout the cabin, or dark slate contrasted with medium slate, or dark slate with cedar.

On top of this stylish comfort, the Crossfire is an exciting car to drive. It features exceptional body shell stiffness, and the 3.2-litre V6 engine, taken from the Mercedes E320, is nicely refined and smooth, with the ride mostly vibration free, although some rural roads managed to confuse it.

Chrysler took the motoring press to Germany for Crossfire test drives, in particular to stretches of the autobahn that are free from speed restrictions. "Let it all hang out," was the advice given by the American production chiefs, and we did.

The engine has a speed limited to about 160mph. I write "about" because although the detailed top speed is 150mph, there was talk of 160mph maximum, and someone chalked up 156mph. The 0-62mph dash is given as 6.5-seconds.

The V6 is developed to deliver high torque across a broad band of engine speeds. While maximum torque of 229lb.ft is reached at 3,000rpm, more than 90 per cent of it is available from 2,600rpm to 5,300rpm, with 98 per cent available from 3,000rpm to 4,500rpm. Maximum power of 215bhp is reached at 5,700rpm.

Crossfire's wheels and tyres have been specially developed for the car, tuned for high speed stability on wet or dry roads, and staggered in size, like those of a racing car, 18-inch at the front for a positive steering feel, and wider 19-inch at the back to send more power to the road surface.

This combination of engine power and tyre size, together with a well-tuned suspension and chassis, also meant that once off the autobahns and on the winding roads of nearby hills, there was added performance, with bags of flexibility from the six-speed manual short throw gearbox.

An automatic transmission is optional, but both traction and electronic stability control are standard fittings.

It was difficult on the test drive to assess economy because overall speed was the essence, but Chrysler offers the figures of 15.4mpg at the town rate, 31.0mpg at extra urban and 22.7mpg combined, using the manual gearbox.

According to statistics, 70,000 sports cars have found homes in the United Kingdom, with more than 30,000 of them costing more than £25,000 each. The Crossfire is seen to fit in this category.

Overall sales of Chrysler models are blossoming in the UK.

This year sales are expected to top the 18,500 record reached a couple of years ago.

"We fell short by a couple of hundred or so last year, but fully expect to chalk up a new record this year, especially with the arrival of the Crossfire," says Mr Elliot.

Sales of the Chrysler family, the Jeep, Cherokee, Neon saloons have already been given a boost with the added offer of free servicing and £1,000 cash back.

There is also talk of launching Dodge vehicles on to the UK market, giving Chrysler UK a third brand.

However, details have still to be finalised, although Elliot reckons the American-branded cars in left-hand drive form will be on sale in the rest of Europe before the year end, and available here in right-hand drive soon after.

"It will be a youthful addition to the Chrysler brand," says Mr Elliot, confident that the Dodge slogan "Grab Life By The Horns" also epitomises the brand as a whole.

Updated: 11:23 Friday, July 25, 2003