Someone’s made a Chrysler Crossfire into a... $300k Mercedes Gullwing

'You can't polish a t***,' the saying goes. But you can at least polish a car that looks like a dog doing one. Few will have forgotten Top Gear’s opinion on the 2004 Chrysler Crossfire, so perhaps wisely, an American tuner has decided to do away with that 'unique' design language entirely.

Signature Autosports has pulled the maligned roadster firmly back into Mercedes territory (it's based on an SLK, don't forget) by turning it into a Gullwing lookalike. This is its 300 SL-inspired coupe, and… well, it’s better than a Crossfire.

Of course most things – including a nasty cold – are better than a Crossfire. This coachbuilt example is apparently a “modern interpretation” of the 300 SL, designed do be “equal parts classic grand tourer and modern performance coupe”.

Ah. Few will have forgotten Top Gear’s opinion on the 2004 Chrysler Crossfire’s performance, not least because once you remember what Clarkson said about the acceleration, the ride, the steering and the handling, you will never un-remember it.

Signature Autosports claims its version of the SLK platform, complete with that 3.2-litre V6 and five-speed slush box, gives the car “genuine mechanical credibility beneath its dramatic exterior”.

Inside, there’s lots of leather, analogue dials, a flat dashboard and… let’s call it a ‘cosy’ feel to the cabin. The Crossfire was never big on accepting large humans inside its interior, anyway.

The price for this 300 SL-inspired Gullwing? $299,950. Yes, three hundred thousand bucks for a [checks notes] reskinned Crossfire.