The Chrysler ME Four-Twelve Was A Quad-Turbo V12 Monster With A Major Flaw

Looking at Chrysler’s list of production cars over the last two decades, it’s hard to believe there was a time when it was seriously considering building a hypercar. Beyond a few V8-powered 300Cs and the confusing Crossfire, it’s done little beyond building minivans and otherwise forgettable SUVs. That was almost oh-so different, though.

Back in January 2004, Chrysler rocked up at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit with a concept car that would stun everyone. This was the ME Four-Twelve, named as such for being mid-engined, with said engine a quad-turbo V12. A Town & Country this was not.

Beyond the Chrysler badge sprawled across the front, there was little to suggest this was even remotely related to the American brand’s beige production line-up. With a bespoke part-carbon fibre, part-aluminium tub wrapped in carbon fibre bodywork, it was mechanically a far cry from anything else it offered, too.

It’s worth remembering the ME Four-Twelve was built at a time when Chrysler was merged with Daimler (you know, Mercedes), allowing it to use an AMG-built 6.0-litre, quad-turbo M120 V12. That was the same engine found in a Pagani Zonda, only with four turbos strapped to it.

Chrysler said it was producing 850bhp which is still a little mad for a supercar in 2024, yet this was 2004 - when the Ferrari Enzo had ‘just’ 650bhp. That was all sent to the rear wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Yet, the ME Four-Twelve weighed just 1,310kg despite the gargantuan engine.

As a result, it was said to be capable of 0-60mph in 2.9 seconds, 0-100mph in 6.2 seconds and with a 248mph top speed. Remember, this was still a year before the Bugatti Veyron would stun the world with a 253mph run.

Although bonkers on paper, the ME Four-Twelve didn’t seem unrealistic. Its interior was a bit lavish but looked remarkably tame for a concept in the ‘00s and feasible for production.

Chrysler was seriously considering building the thing too. Although the show car in Detroit wasn’t capable of the numbers stated, in the background, a team at SRT (you know, the people behind the Viper) were hard at work building a second car with the intent of backing those claims up.

In the summer of 2004, that car was functional and - albeit with the V12 dialled back a bit and a much more prototype-looking interior - was even handed over to journalists at Laguna Seca. Reports weren’t conclusive on if the car was actually any good, but it showed Chrysler was serious.

So why did it never go into production? Ultimately, it came down to cost. Depending on who you believe, it would’ve had to sell any road-going ME Four-Twelve at a price tag between $500,000 and $750,000 just to break even on production costs. Take inflation into account, and that’d be about $825,000 to $1.25m.

This was at a time when DaimlerChrysler was bleeding cash and could ill afford to chance building a bespoke hypercar without guaranteed sales.

Perhaps a wise decision in hindsight, as the Ford GT would come along a year later with a $139,995 price tag. Sure, it wasn’t close to being a direct competitor on paper, but with it being billed as the all-American supercar, it would no doubt have made the ME Four-Twelve even less appealing to buyers.

And thus, the ME Four-Twelve was relegated to the history books of ‘oh, what could’ve been’. At least you could drive it in Forza Motorsport 2…