The Beast.

Well, ever since its introduction at the North American [Detroit] Auto Show this past January, the Chrysler ME412, has created quite a buzz among the automotive community. Could (would (should)) Chrysler build a car that would handily beat a $1 million Ferrari Enzo? Well, the answer to that question is still up in the air, but we are one step closer to the ME412 as a reality. This is evidenced by Chrysler building a running prototype/test mule and bringing it to Laguna Seca in order to allow a handful of car magazine writers an opportunity to drive this supercar around the track. Here are some of the numbers Chrysler is claiming:

6.0 liter quad(!!!)-turbo V12 (built by AMG)
Curb weight: 3100 lbs (but with a target/goal of around 2880 lbs)
Horsepower: 850
Torque: 850 lb.-ft
Power to weight ratio: 3.6 right now (but 3.4 if target weight is met)
7-speed dual (wet) clutch w/ paddle shifting
15 inch (!!!) Brembo carbon ceramic brakes
0-60: 2.92 seconds
0-100: 6.2 seconds
1/4 mile: 10.6 @ 136 mph
braking: in excess of negative 2.0 g's

Dan Knott, head of SRT performance operations for the Chrysler Group, claims that those numbers are conservative. That sounds a little difficult to believe, but let's remember the conservative numbers of the (Dodge) SRT-4. Just as a reminder, the Enzo, which had the best straightline performance numbers of the three below, got to 60 in 3.4, 100 in 7.0, and the 1/4 mile in 11.0 @ 133.9. Wow. I don't know that I have a lot more to say than "Wow". This Chrysler truly is The Beast. Also, Chrysler claims 925 pounds of downforce at 186 mph. This is just as much a racecar as the Enzo. And it's a freaking Chrysler! Unreal. Chrysler has not committed to putting the ME412 into production yet. It depends on the demand for the car.
Chrylser Group CEO Dieter Zetsche says that he will not build it if he can't make a profit on it (won' t build it just for brand recognition's sake). He says he wouldn't make more than 1000. And at that production value, the price would probably be around $250,000. However, if the demand was significantly less than that (say, less than 500) the price could be as high as $750,000 to make it profitable. Obviously the bottom line question is, whether someone that can afford a car in this price range, would be willing to shell out 3/4 of $1 million for a car that does NOT have a prancing horse, Porsche emblem, or the like on the front. That is a very difficult question. My friend, Nathan, and I have talked about it a number of times, and neither of us would have any problem with a Chrysler emblem on the front of our car while we were driving circles around the Enzos and the Carrera GTs (and anything else for that matter) on track days. Will Chrysler build The Beast? We can certainly hope so.