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What Is It?

Chrysler ME Four-Twelve Prototype

What's Special About It?

Evidently, DaimlerChrysler executives couldn't sit idly by as Ford took its GT supercar from concept to 2005 production car. And so on the first day of the big show in Detroit, they surprised the tightly packed crowd by unveiling one of their own, the ME Four-Twelve.

"ME" stands for midengine, while "Four-Twelve" refers the car's 6.0-liter, 12-cylinder engine force-fed by four turbochargers. The engine, by the way, was developed with the help of the elite AMG performance division of Mercedes-Benz. Output is rated at an incredible 850 horsepower at 5,750 rpm and 850 pound-feet of torque from 2,500 to 4,500 rpm. With a curb weight of 2,800 pounds, the ME Four-Twelve has a power-to-weight of one horsepower for every 3.4 pounds of car. It's hard to get your mind around numbers like these, but the projected acceleration numbers are cause for faint-hearted enthusiasts to take a chair: The ME is said to be capable of pulling a 2.9-second 0-to-60-mph run and a 10.6-second quarter-mile at 142 mph. Top speed is 248 mph. Power flows to the 20-inch rear wheels via a seven-speed Ricardo double wet-clutch transmission. Drivers will use Formula One-style shift paddles to change gears.

It goes without saying that the ME Four-Twelve is constructed of extremely lightweight materials — carbon fiber and aluminum — that give it the rigid foundation necessary for supercar reflexes. The suspension employs a double wishbone design, and the compression and rebound that result from cornering forces are electronically controlled. The braking system makes use of 15-inch ventilated carbon ceramic rotors. The wheels measure 19 by 10 inches in front and 20 by 12.5 inches in back, and are respectively fitted with 265/35 and 335/30 Michelins. Inside the cockpit, designers allowed plenty of the car's carbon-fiber structure to show through, but company executives noted that all surfaces likely to come into contact with the car's occupants are covered in fine-quality materials.

What's Edmunds' Take?

Chrysler executives were adamant that the ME Four-Twelve is a prototype, not a concept, and insist that it will be road-ready by the summer of 2004. Besides providing the company with considerable bragging rights, the prospect of a production car gives well-to-do Mopar enthusiasts a new reason to dream. — Erin Riches