During the mid 2000s, Chrysler had some amazing concepts. Everything to the Challenger, which saw the green light, to the Imperial, which would have solidified Chrysler as a true luxury brand. Out of all of the concepts of the time, Chrysler’s ME-Four-Twelve was the most epic. It was an American supercar unlike most. Had it seen production, other supercar brands would have been on their heels.
The 2004 ME Four-Twelve concept was powered by a Mercedes sourced 6.0L M120 V12, which was the same engine used in the Mercedes CLK-GTR and the Pagani Zonda. This example was unique because it used four turbos to push out 850HP which would have made it the most powerful production car of it’s time. With that being said, it had a 0-60 time of 2.9 seconds and a proposed top speed of 248mph, which would have tied the McLaren F1.
The name was unique as well. ME stood for Mid-Engine, the Four stood for Four turbos and the Twelve stood for 12 cylinders. Other key pieces included a seven speed sequential dual-clutch transmission, 16 inch rotors with brembo brakes. The aerodynamic body was built with carbon fiber and an aluminum frame.
The exterior features a glass roof and multiple air intakes to produce more effective cooling. Inside, the ME Four-Twelve was as luxurious as it was powerful with amenities such as keyless entry, leather seats and premium audio.
The ME Four-Twelve was an impressive machine. So impressive that a fully functional prototype was built. So why was this beast not produced?
Simple. A vehicle of this magnitude would have been super expensive. The price point would have been anywhere from a quarter million to three quarters of a million dollars. Typical for a supercar. However, producing the ME Four-Twelve would have cost millions. Between that and the fact that Chrysler was still in a rebuilding stage, made the ME Four-Twelve a no-go. Basically, the perfect car at the wrong time.
Another interesting fact was that the ME Four-Twelve would have impeaded on SLR territory and would have been faster. Maybe the higher ups at Mercedes, didn’t want Chrysler to beat their supercar.
All in all, the ME Four-Twelve was a legend without a doubt. However, the timing was wrong. It would have been one of the greatest Supercars ever, but between Chrysler rebuilding, the amount of money it would have cost to build and some miss-management, the ME Four-Twelve never came to fruition. Had the ME Four-Twelve seen the green light, it would have been a monster. Maybe the FCA partnership could re-spawn the ME Four-Twelve.
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