Chrysler Joins the Supercar War

Chrysler is out to prove a point, and if twelve cylinders, four turbochargers and 6.0-litres of displacement aren't enough, then it's in a lot of trouble.

In stark contrast to its rather dull-sounding name, the ME Four-Twelve was conceived to reach breakneck speeds, and perhaps even shatter a few records along the way.

The business plan for the exotic Chrysler was not to make money, but to create credibility and a hero car that would make Ford's GT look like a has-been.

It's constructed from carbon fibre and aluminium honeycomb and is a big departure from Chrysler's current king of speed, the Dodge Viper.

Granted, the Viper is no slouch, but it's fast becoming the way of things in the automotive world that if you don't have a supercar that is capable of breaking the 350km/h barrier, you are but a minnow.

Another big departure from the norm for Chrysler is the mid-engine configuration. It isn't exactly a traditional American layout, and quad turbochargers? If it's good enough for Bugatti...

The look is also a bit different. Sure, it's exotic, but then it's not quite Euro, and not distinctly American either.

From some angles it looks great - directly in front, for instance, the large front apron, sleek windscreen and LED/Xenon headlight combo create an alluring picture.

Trevor Creed, the head of Chrysler's design department, was quick to talk up the new supercar: "ME Four-Twelve adds a new aura of performance to the Chrysler brand. It is aerodynamically honed, and it balances elegance and power. It exudes strength, performance and prestige."

As an image booster for the American brand, the ME Four-Twelve succeeds on a number of levels, least of which are the materials its built with.

Chrysler's supercar makes extensive use of carbon fibre, particularly in the bodywork, to increase rigidity and keep weight down.

It also reckons that its prototypes tip the scales at a waif-like 1310kg - impressive considering the capacity of the AMG-sourced engine. But whether the road-going version will be this light is another question altogether.

Aluminium crush structures and a chrome-moly sub-frame support structure also make the cut, culminating in what Chrysler calls "racecar-like structural rigidity".

In addition to the vehicle's über-rigid chassis, a computer controlled rear spoiler can articulate rearward by 100mm to increase downforce at higher speeds, which, in combination with bodywork conceived in a windtunnel, results in a coefficient of drag of 0.358.

"In terms of advanced materials, aerodynamic efficiency and vehicle dynamic performance, the ME Four-Twelve represents the ultimate engineering and design statement from Chrysler," said Wolfgang Bernhard, the top man and Chief Operating Officer at Chrysler Group.

"It's everything we've learned about creating exciting, desirable automobiles. And, as such, it's not really a concept car but is, in fact, a prototype that will be road-ready by summer."

When the car is finally offered for sale, it will be one of the fastest vehicles to ever hit the black top with a theoretical top speed of 400km/h (248mph).

In addition to exemplary aerodynamics, the ME Four-Twelve will reach the quadruple ton via its huge reserves of power.

To start with, Chrysler took AMG's already powerful all-aluminium 6.0-litre, 12-cylinder engine and then added not two, but four turbochargers, then mounted the engine block just in front of the rear axle for an optimal centre of gravity.

With a 9.0:1 compression ratio, 3-valves per cylinder and single overhead camshafts, the big V12 produces a phenomenal amount of twist: 1150Nm of torque between 2500rpm and 4500rpm.

A Ricardo-built transmission was developed specifically for the Four-Twelve, and with the help of twin clutches transfers the 1150Nm of torque to the rear wheels via 7 ratios.

The 7-speed sequential manual gearbox is expected to rival Ferrari's top end transmissions, with Chrysler claiming uninterrupted torque delivery to the rear wheels with shift times less than 200 milliseconds.

In addition to the mountains of torque the engine generates from low revs, an eye-opening 634kW of power peaks @ 5750rpm, and the benchmark 0-100km/h dash is dispatched in a gobsmacking 2.9 seconds, or about the time it takes to burp.

Furthermore, Chrysler's new secret weapon will hit 161km/h from rest (0-100mph) in 6.2 seconds and is claimed to nail 10.6 second quarter miles (400m).

According to Chrysler, keeping the engine cool was one of the key elements to extracting the engine's full potential and as a result a high-efficiency 'dual core' engine cooling module was developed, complete with central inlet and dual outlets keeps the quad turbocharged engine from overheating.

Like the Ferrari Enzo, the ME Four-Twelve is designed to corner well at high speeds and without losing traction. A fully developed underbody with integral rear diffuser help to reduce lift and provide additional rear downforce.

The suspension - comprised of double wishbones, aluminium control arms, horizontally-opposed coil-over dampers with electronically controlled compression and rebound tuning - is designed to be adaptable to changes in road camber, as well body pitching initiated via acceleration and deceleration.

The rear-wheel drive ME Four-Twelve rests on rather large 19-inch rims up front, fitted with 265/35ZR rated tyres, while at the rear the wheels are one inch larger - 20-inch rims shod with seriously wide 335/30ZR Michelin rubber.

In addition to the fat wheels, the brakes are quite chubby too, but this is to be expected of a car that can reach 400km/h. Made of an ultra-light carbon ceramic composite material that reduces unsprung weight, the disc brakes measure 381mm in diametre and are clasped by six-piston aluminium mono block calipers.

Step inside the Four-Twelve, and the carbon fibre structure of the body shell is visible to the naked eye, but refined for more visual impact. Leather-covered carbon fibre sport seats, automatic climate control and a premium audio system are some of the features expected to be standard on the road-going model, and it is also rumoured to breaks the mould of the super car genre because its packaging can easily accommodate drivers in a wide range of heights.

When all is said and done, has Chrysler proved a point? To a point. Four turbochargers does sound like overkill for such a massive engine, but whose going to argue with 1150Nm @ 2500rpm?

The new ME Four-Twelve sounds like an astonishingly powerful vehicle, and one that will be bettered by few - but that's just it - the thing is still a prototype. It certainly sounds good, but prototypes often change in the lead up to production.

Until Wolfgang Bernhard and his buddies deliver a road going version, the jury is still out on the Four-Twelve. But if it does reach the lofty performance goals of the prototype, the quickest car in the world could go to Chrysler. One to watch.