Chrysler ME Four-Twelve

A journalist we know who writes for a design magazine quoted another journalist who doesn't like the taillamps on the Chrysler ME Four-Twelve, which consist of 96 LEDs. "It's a rash," she said. While we don't often quote journalists quoting other journalists, the criticism highlights the pitfalls of introducing a super/sports car at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit: Until we drive it this summer we have little to go by other than styling.

Chrysler understands this pitfall. Before the car could expose itself to public and critical scrutiny at Detroit, its automaker provided an impressive volume of technical and design information on it. We offered a first taste of it here last month, but felt it worth a longer look in advance of that first ride.

Enthusiasts will be impressed by the earnestness of Chrysler's audacious mission--dreaming up and building the kind of car that normally comes only from Italy or England. Cadillac demonstrated the notion of an American mid-engine exotic a few years back, but to date, the V-12-powered Cien remains just an idea. Another example that finally did make it to market is the $400,000 Saleen S7. The $140,000 Ford GT is certain to be a hit. Which path will the ME Four-Twelve follow? The name, by the way, stands for Mid-Engine Four (turbo) Twelve (cylinders).

We'd all take the ME Four-Twelve more seriously if it had a Mercedes badge, but an 850-horsepower, quad-turbo V-12 is always fun.

Wolfgang Bernhard, Chrysler Group chief operating officer and former AMG CEO, was a leading force behind the car's development. Last year's interesting but useless Tomahawk "was a design statement. This is an engineering statement," Bernhard says. The ME's AMG-developed 6.0-liter V-12 has an aluminum block and heads, two throttle valves, four catalysts, and dry-sump oiling. Each turbo has an intercooler, and boost is 1.4 bar, or roughly 20 psi. Compression ratio is 9.0:1. Its 850 horsepower was measured during extensive dyno testing in Germany, and its 850 pound-feet of torque is good from 2000 to 6000 rpm. "We started with an engine, and allowed no compromises to the engine whatsoever as we built a car around it," Bernhard explains. The quad-turbo V-12 is backed by a paddle-shifted seven-speed Ricardo double-clutch transaxle.

On paper, the ME has a better power-to-weight ratio than any other supercar. The exotic powerplant makes one horsepower for every 3.4 pounds, versus Chrysler's projections of 3.9 pounds for the McLaren (BMW) F1, 4.1 for the Bugatti Veyron, 4.2 for the Ferrari Enzo, 5.4 for the (also AMG V-12-powered) Pagani Zonda, and 6.6 for the Ford GT. When it came time to design a body around this impressive powerplant, Chrysler wanted a structure that met and exceeded all crash standards and built in modules to make repair not only possible, but easy. The monocoque tub is aluminum honeycomb and carbon fiber, and bodywork is carbon fiber. Crush structures are aluminum and the subframes are chrome-moly. Chrysler says this prototype's overall weight is just 2860 pounds (roughly the same as a Honda S2000).