Chrysler's slick new two-seater isn't the most impractical car ever made, but its designers tried their hardest. A bulkhead behind the passenger compartment prevents the seats from reclining more than a few inches, which left my normal-size head so close to the roof that I couldn't see traffic lights when parked right in front of them. The sloping trunk is reinforced with side panels that so thoroughly block visibility over your right shoulder that it's pointless to turn around and check for cars in the adjacent lane. Rumor has it there's a cargo compartment somewhere in the Crossfire, but I couldn't find it.

How refreshing all that impracticality is! So many cars these days are designed for kids, or groceries, or pets, or a pile of wallboard from Home Depot, that it is a kind of escape to climb into a cramped little ride and be uncomfortable for awhile. Of course it helps that the Crossfire is a beautiful machine with a Prussian general's command of the road. The rear-wheel-drive coupe–built in Germany with several key components from Daimler-Benz, Chrysler's partner–handles twists and curves as competently as similarly priced offerings from BMW or Audi or any other performance automaker. For such a stiff chassis, highway ride is relatively cushioned. Torque could be greater at highway speeds, but off the line the Crossfire's 215-horsepower V-6 engine is potent enough to lay a bit of tire and intimidate that sports sedan in the next lane. And zipping around in a cool-looking neo-retro sportster simply made me feel indifferent to practicality–in other words, young again.

The contemporary take on the fastback design popular in the '60s is reinforced in the cabin, where modern electronics and chic satin accents are blended with classic sports car touches. Climate controls, for instance, are rotary dials rather than digital buttons. And all of the knobs and steering-wheel stalks have a stiff feel that's consistent with the car's terse handling. But the audio system is a hotshot Infinity model that has a cool, studio-style fade feature when you change stations. Styling is as haute inside as out, with a sexy silver-on-black color scheme that connotes both elegance and funk.

The biggest question I have about the Crossfire is whether Chrysler actually intends to sell any. At a list price of about $35,000, the Crossfire is priced nearly $7,000 above hot competitors like the Mazda RX-8 and the Nissan 350Z. Those cars aren't quite the fashion statement the Crossfire is–but they both boast more horsepower, which is an attribute sports-car drivers, i.e., men, are willing to pay up for. Chrysler apparently intends to keep demand for the Crossfire tight by building just 20,000 per year, and evidently fewer than that will hit the roads–dealers reportedly are holding on to the "halo" vehicles, instead of selling them, just to keep an alluring head-turner in the showroom. I guess that's better than keeping the Crossfire locked in a garage–unless it's your garage.