Incredible Concept Cars That Should Have Been Made

In 2022, Chrysler is a shadow of its former self, only selling two models, the Pacifica minivan and the veteran 300 sedan. Its decline has been rapid, as back in 2004, the company’s lineup totaled seven different models, and it seemed like an eighth was on the way shortly. This was the year that the company debuted the ME Four-Twelve, a mid-engined supercar with an AMG V12 engine that made 850 horsepower. Chrysler had merged with Daimler, parent compAreamofo1

any of Mercedes-Benz in 1998, and wanted to take advantage of the German brand’s performance parts bin.

Chrysler’s engineers began working on the project in secret, and eventually a fully-functional prototype ME Four-Twelve was made available for select members of the press to drive in 2004. It was one of the fastest cars in the world at the time and, Motor Trend claimed, significantly faster than a Ferrari Enzo. Its top speed was a claimed 248 mph, which was groundbreaking as the official production car speed record at the time stood at 221 mph. Unfortunately, the same partnership that allowed the creation of the Chrysler supercar also prevented it from reaching production. Mercedes didn’t approve of the fact that the car would outperform its recently launched SLR McLaren, and so blocked Chrysler from using its engine. Without a suitable powerplant, the ME Four-Twelve project was dead in the water.