An Old but Gold Chrysler Concept – the ME Four-Twelve

The Chrysler Me Four-Twelve is not a new concept vehicle, but it is one that made it through all production stages and was able to be seen on the track, roaring all 850 HP.

When I first saw the ME I thought it was an Audi R8 Coupe. Nope! You see the Chrysler emblem there on the front. Just look at it for a minute. Low and sleek front-end, perfect for keeping it pressed to the ground. A ‘thick’ back-side houses the motor offering even more grip to the rear-wheeler. Makes sense that the shape mimics that of other supercars, aerodynamics is a very tested field.

To get an idea of what the car can do we can break down its name. The ‘ME’ stands for Mid-Engine. The ‘Four’ represents the engine's use of noless than four turbochargers. And the ‘Twelve’ is for the V12 engine.

It uses a bespoke Mercedes-AMG M120 V12 engine, which pushes out 850 HP to get you from 0-60 mph (97 kph) in just 2.9 seconds and to an estimated top speed of 250 Mph (402 Kph). A seven-speed dual-clutch automated manual transmission offered a shifting capability within 200 milliseconds.

Favorable of mid-engine vehicles, the ME features only two doors and only two seats. The interior was put together with a carbon-fiber dashboard and chrome accents, leather seats and leather tilt steering wheel.

The chassis of the ME uses a carbon-fiber and aluminum honeycomb configuration to offer as much weight reduction as possible. To further reduce weight, the body of the ME was fabricated using carbon-fiber as well. This offered a racing style shape and durability for the vehicle.

Now, you’re going to be going fast, so there are four 15-inch carbon-ceramic disc brakes with six-piston calipers, which allow for race level performance during turns, stops and high-speed donuts. It is a rear-drive vehicle after all.

But why didn’t Chrysler ever push more of these into production? It could be that most cars of such capabilities are rarely using a common namplate. It could be that Chrysler wanted to keep this beauty in the one-of-a-kind category. Back then, the 'marriage made in heaven' between Daimler and Chrysler was not exactly florishing either. It could be this, or it could be that. The truth is we’ll never know. I mean, until now, did you really even know this car existed?

Here, imagine this scenario for a moment. You are out at the track, minding your own business, checking out the eye candy, and suddenly this gunmetal growler pulls up in front of you. The driver side window rolls down and you see a person you don’t recognize. They ask you, “Hey, do you know what this is?” Seeing as how you don’t, you lean to the left to see the emblem on the front of the car. “A Chrysler?” you ask. “That’s right. With a quad-turbocharged V12!” the driver answers. You can’t say anything. You try to, but no words come out. And then, with a smirk on his face, the driver adds “Hop in!” What do you do? Remember now, Mama always said to never talk to strangers.

Mama probably never had an 850 HP machine to shoot her across a quarter mile.