TLDR: Mercedes-Benz killed the Chrysler ME 4-12 thought vehicle off just before it achieved output due to the fact their executives had been pissy that very simple American engineers could use Mercedes parts to make a superior supercar than Mercedes themselves could.
When Chrysler and Mercedes-Benz merged at the turn of this century, the Germans wanted to see what the People in america ended up designed of so they gave them open up access to Mercedes’ sources and a additional-or-considerably less blank cheque to produce a supercar in a really limited window of time.
Above the span of much less than a 12 months, a staff of just 11 people today, who typically comprised of the then-new SRT team, came up with the Chrysler ME Four-Twelve: a mid engine supercar created of aluminum and carbon fiber using a intensely modified Mercedes V12 with 4 turbochargers. The thing built 850 horsepower, weighed under 2900 kilos, utilised a 7 velocity DCT, would operate the 1/4 mile in 10.6 seconds at 136mph and experienced a leading velocity of 248mph. *In 2004.* At the time it would have been the swiftest and most highly effective creation automobile at any time, eclipsed by the Veyron soon right after.
“But, Cody,” I can listen to you expressing, “it was just a notion car, they could make whatever statements they preferred, they weren’t going to establish it!” Ah, my little own strawman, that is not fully accurate. This is where the urban legend element starts off. See, Mercedes basically intended for the ME 4-12 to go into manufacturing. They thought it would be amusing to see the People in america battle by means of creating a right European model supercar, and weren’t anticipating fantastic issues. They allegedly explained to the SRT skunkworks crew to have a production ready car by mid 2004, it was to be symbolic of their merging and, as far as all people on the undertaking was conscious at the time, they have been functioning on a thing that they believed would be likely into output.
The legend is that when Chrysler shipped the closing, production-prepared prototype, it was so superior that it offended the Mercedes execs. From their perspective, they have been a learn artisan supplying a toddler a set of lego blocks, leaving them alone for the afternoon then returning to come across a best 1:1 recreation of Michelangelo’s David produced solely of lego sitting down in their lobby. Not only was the ME 4-12 objectively far better than any car Mercedes on their own could force into output, it was quite possibly setting out to be just one of the biggest supercars of all time. They didn’t want the Us residents showing them up, especially making use of Mercedes areas, so they ended up cancelling the venture. The official motives provided ended up much more like “it was much too expensive” but the city legend is that Mercedes killed a person of the finest autos of all time even though it was nonetheless in the womb due to the fact their execs were insecure about how great it was.
This sounds like the variety of story that Chrysler engineers genuinely want to be true, moreso than the sort of tale that is correct. If any one is aware where to select up that Lego Statue of David kit, though, let me know.
Submitted by: Cody Stewart