The year is 2004. People were still using MySpace. YouTube was still a year away. The Chevrolet Corvette was still in its fifth generation. And Chrysler unveiled a very un-Chrysler car at the 2004 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan. That’s right. The brand that was still making the oft-reviled PT Cruiser decided to roll out a V12-powered hypercar before hypercars were all the rage.
It’s the Chrysler ME Four-Twelve, a daring concept that MotorTrend called “Ford GT-challenging” upon first meeting it in the carbon-fiber flesh. A glance at Chrysler’s forgotten hypercar ancestor would be dramatic enough. But more wild than the Martian aesthetic of the ME Four-Twelve is what Chrysler said it could do when let off the leash. Unfortunately, the tire-eviscerating monster never got its chance to challenge the greatest supercars of the time.
The Chrysler ME Four-Twelve, A Forgotten American Hypercar
Chrysler executives were reportedly electrified to unveil the brand’s latest creation. Granted, rival Detroit native Ford Motor Company was still patting itself on the back for introducing the angular, fifth-generation Ford Mustang (S197) at the 2003 show. But the Daimler-Benz-era Chrysler went in a very different direction with its 2004 North American International Auto Show-stealer. Instead of an old-school pony car resurrection, Chrysler unveiled the 12-cylinder ME Four-Twelve concept vehicle. And it was positively brimming with the sort of technology and futuristic materials you’d find in much more modern hypercars.
A Never-Produced DaimlerChrysler-Era Weapon
It followed the formula for supercar and hypercar greatness. Hilariously powerful? Check. Massive engine behind the driver? You bet. Absolutely striking style? Also, yes. Unfortunately, the Chrysler ME Four-Twelve’s larger-than-life presence wasn’t enough to bridge the gap between concept and production. Chrysler built just two of the performance cars: one to show off the ME Four-Twelve’s looks and another for testing at sites like Laguna Seca. Hardly the sort of production numbers supercar dreamers and the genuinely interested were hoping would come to be.
The Numbers Simply Didn’t Work
Unlike the Bugatti Veyron, Chrysler’s powers that be couldn’t make the numbers work. Sure, Dieter Zetsche, the then-president and CEO of the Chrysler Group, said “there’s no doubt” he would put the car into production. “We have a very clear and good definition of the technical specifications of the car,” he added. “With that, we can do a calculation for building 10, 100, and 1000 cars and figure out the price points.” But it didn’t come to be. According to The Detroit News, a spokesperson reported that development and marketing for the supercar would have cost “hundreds of millions of dollars,” at a time when the brand was still rebuilding. The number was reportedly the result of an internal study at the company. Frankly, Chrysler didn’t have the stomach for it.
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Predictions Of Hypercar Tech To Come
Today, the hypercar segment and its offshoots are well-established. It’s not unusual to check out your favorite car show or YouTube channel and see hybrid and fully-electric performance weapons using the latest technology to break speed benchmarks. But, back in 2004, the Chrysler ME Four-Twelve worked in several of the mainstays you’d find in the greatest supercars and hypercars of the modern age. And not just a massive, fire-spitting V12, either. It has weight-saving materials, racing-inspired construction, and air-cheating design.
Lightness And Space-Age Materials
Chrysler’s mad engineers built the ME Four-Twelve around a carbon fiber and aluminum honeycomb monocoque tub. The monocoque construction is the sort of thing you’d find in more modern Koenigseggs and even the McLaren MP4-12C’s “MonoCell,” years after the ME Four-Twelve sported its carbon fiber and aluminum honeycomb affair. It’s something of a stiff, structural sandwich designed to keep things light and very, very strong. The onslaught of weight savings continued with the carbon fiber body, a popular presence in newer production hypercars.
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It’s All In The Name
Some cars get their monikers from fearsome wild animals or nods to motorsport greats. Not the Chrysler ME Four-Twelve, though. And while it might seem like a confusing mouthful, there’s a method to this madness. It’s all about the ME Four-Twelve’s ahead-of-its-time engine. It’s an AMG-developed 6.0-liter V12 sporting not one, not two, but four turbochargers. Therein lies the explanation of the silly name: mid-engine, four turbos, and 12 cylinders. Get it? You’d likely expect some serious numbers from such a mill. You’d be right.
Chrysler ME Four-Twelve Performance Specs
|
0-60 mph |
2.9 seconds |
|
0-100 mph |
6.2 seconds |
|
1/4 mile |
10.6 seconds at 142.0 mph |
|
Estimated Top Speed |
248 mph |
|
Horsepower |
850 HP at 5750 rpm |
Chrysler claims the AMG-sourced engine produced 850 horsepower and the same number in torque on pump gas. And the performance is better still. Chrysler says the sprint from zero to 60 mph was over in 2.9 seconds on the way to an estimated top speed of 248 mph. Anything close to that would have made the Chrysler one of the fastest cars in the world at the time.
Active Aero Before It Was Cool
Nowadays, plenty of supercars and hypercars feature active aerodynamic components to cheat the air at high speeds and create downforce for high-G cornering. The Chrysler ME Four-Twelve had it over 20 years ago. Chrysler built the car with active and passive aero, including an air-channeling front fascia splitter, an underbody with an integral rear diffuser, a “ski-slope” rear decklid, and channels to vent air into the engine bay. Of course, what aerodynamic arsenal would be complete without a spoiler? The ME Four-Twelve’s rear active spoiler deploys at high speeds, developing 925 pounds of downforce at 186 mph. Add electronically-controlled suspension and huge, 335mm rear tires to the mix, and the ME Four-Twelve would have been right at home on the track.
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Chrysler’s Formula To Rival The Bugatti Veyron
Now, if you’re an engine specs nerd, you likely read four turbos and thought of one name: the Bugatti Veyron. The Chrysler ME Four-Twelve and the Bugatti Veyron. It’s the epic rivalry that could have been. When the Veyron entered production in 2005, it produced an eye-watering 1,001 horsepower from its cavernous 8.0-liter quad-turbocharged W12 engine. What’s more, the Bugatti Veyron managed to dethrone the iconic McLaren F1 and its long-standing 1998 top speed record by hitting 253 mph. If Chrysler’s estimations for the ME Four-Twelve had rung true, the Veyron may have had a fight on its hands.
Not The First Crazy Thing Chrysler Group Rolled Out
So, 2004 was a wild year for concept Chryslers. But the Chrysler ME Four-Twelve isn’t the only wild child the auto group rolled out in that timeframe. A year earlier, at the 2003 North American International Auto Show, Chrysler Group rolled out the Dodge Tomahawk. Instead of a supercar, though, the Tomahawk was a concept motorcycle featuring the V10 engine from a Dodge Viper. Certainly no ME Four-Twelve, but no less bonkers. Needless to say, it was a wild time at Chrysler.
Sources: Petersen Automotive Museum, Chrysler, Stellantis, MotorTrend, The Detroit News