Key Takeaways

  • The Dodge M4S Turbo Interceptor, featured in the movie The Wraith, became a fantasy poster pinup for teens in the '80s, with its out-of-this-world design and supernatural abilities.
  • The car's powerful engine, a forced-induction, 2.2-liter Cosworth inline-four with dual turbochargers, allowed it to reach a top speed of 194.8 mph and accelerate from 0-60 mph in 4.1 seconds.
  • The original concept car is now housed at the Walter P. Chrysler Museum, while a restored version with a supercharged Pontiac V6 engine was sold in 2015 for $150,000, making it a highly sought-after collectible.

Many years back, when Charlie Sheen was not the Quasimodo that he’s considered today, there came an independent supernatural movie The Wraith, starring him, Randy Quaid, and Sherilyn Fenn. In it, a mysterious black-clad figure drives an equally mysterious car, the Dodge M4S Turbo Interceptor, which was a concept-car-turned-prototype that shot into real-world popularity because of the movie.

UPDATE: 2023/10/07 by Ron FP

Last June 2023, a tribute model of the iconic Dodge M4S Turbo Interceptor Wraith car went up for auction with a staggering opening bid price of almost $300,000. We've updated this article to give you more information and insights about the original Wraith car from the 1986 film, and how it achieved an iconic status that has commanded serious dollars on the market.

The car looked out-of-this-world, which is why it was a perfect fit for a supernatural movie where a girl’s boyfriend gets murdered, she gets kidnapped and kept by the villain, and then he comes back as a different person, manifesting himself in a car that kills the bad guys in fiery crashes. And then, the car miraculously resurrects itself. Far out, no?

But then, this was the '80s, the time when the DeLorean DMC was a cool time machine. So why couldn’t the Dodge M4S Turbo Interceptor be a murderous supercar, avenging its driver who was dead, but alive, both at the same time? Storyline aside, the Wraith car became the fantasy poster pinup for every teenybopper out there. So here’s where the Dodge M4S Turbo Interceptor, the car from The Wraith, can be found today, and why we still have a huge crush on it.

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The Dodge M4S / Turbo Interceptor PPG American Concept Car

Jay Leno & Charlie Sheen With The Dodge M4S Turbo Interceptor
via: Jay Leno's Garage

The M4S stood for “Mid-engine, 4-cylinder, Sport” and the nomenclature gave every secret of the car away, probably why they also called it the Turbo Interceptor PPG. It carried 'PPG' in its name because its future was to be the pace car for the PPG IndyCar World Series.

It got featured in Jay Leno's Garage, with Charlie Sheen guest-starring in it although this one, was an unusable movie prop. Bob Ackerman gets the credit for the design of the car (and admittedly, came inspired by the Porsche 962 IMSA GTP class) and it got built in 1981, but was never supposed to be a production car, just one that could show off the technological prowess of Dodge as a demonstrator vehicle. Also, it was way different, almost radically so, from every other Dodge, or even any car from that era. The idea behind the vehicle was to show that the malaise era had ended, and automobiles were ready to usher in a whole new world of cool.

What Engine Was In The Wraith Car?

The Dodge M4S Turbo Interceptor's engine was a forced-induction, 2.2-liter Cosworth inline-four that came with dual T25 Garrett turbochargers, and could offer 440 hp.

How Fast Is The Dodge M4S?

The Dodge M4S Turbo Interceptor is a very powerful and aerodynamic, wind tunnel-sculpted beauty with a drag coefficient of only 0.23Cd. In real-world testing, the Dodge M4S Wraith car can sprint from 0-60 MPH in just 4.1 seconds and reach a confirmed top speed of 194.8 mph. Back in 1981, this was the fastest four-cylinder car around.

Dodge M4S Turbo Interceptor Specs And Performance

Engine Displacement

2.2 liters

Engine Configuration

16-valve Inline 4 with Dual T25 Garrett turbochargers

Transmission

5-speed M/T

Layout

Mid-engine, RWD

Fuel

Gasoline

Horsepower

440

Drag Coefficient, Cd

0.23

0-60 MPH, sec

4.1

Confirmed Top Speed, MPH

194.8

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The Casting Of The Dodge M4S In The Wraith Film

The Wraith Dodge M4S Turbo Interceptor / Charlie Sheen
via: Jay Leno's Garage

The M4S was originally intended to be used as a pace car, and years later, when the 1986 movie The Wraith came out, the car created even more waves because suddenly, it was a lot more visible.

In the movie, this is the hero car, driven by a dead teen who has come back to life, in a different body of course, and literally merges with the car to avenge his murder as well as his girlfriend’s kidnapping and abuse by the villain. The car is all black and ends up destroying the villain and his gang in fiery crashes, and then regenerates itself without batting an eye, or a headlamp.

It’s an indestructible supercar in the movie, and it looks the part, so much so that once the movie got released, the car gained a cult following of sorts. To be honest, it deserves a lot more attention than it got, being rather ahead of time in tech and looks, even though the movie kind of flopped.

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Where The Dodge M4S Turbo Interceptors Are Now

Dodge M4S ("Midengine, 4-cylinder, Sport") Turbo Interceptor
via: Jay Leno's Garage

First things first, the car nearly ended up killing the stunt driver who had no idea of the speeds it was capable of, and the kind of insane acceleration it had. The original concept car is at the Walter P. Chrysler Museum. But talking about the toned-down cars in the movie, the two drive-worthy movie props got sold off once the production wrapped, one of which vanished and no one has heard of it ever since. The second one went to its creator, Gene Winfield, who later sold it to Bob Butts at the Fantasy Car Ranch. Later, Butts sold it to John Watson, a kit carmaker, who decided to make a kit car off it, called the Wraith II.

The dream remained a pipe dream, and finally, the car reached the McPherson College in Kansas. A fan of the movie and the car, Lyle Suhr managed to buy it off and restore it with a supercharged Pontiac V6, and this very car ended up for sale on Craigslist for $150,000 in 2015. The car was sold, but since then, has also been under wraps. So for now, two very lucky people in the world have the coolest four-cylinder supercar ever made.

Since its inclusion a few years ago in Jay Leno's Garage, the Dodge M4S is now only actively seen on its Facebook page, where enthusiasts can relive the '80s thrill of its design and intriguing history. Interestingly, aside from its connection to the futuristic Dodge Laser and Jaguar XJ220-esque rear end, the car's small-displacement, turbocharged format was the sign of things to come in today's downsized world. In fact, the Mercedes-AMG A45 hot hatchback (421 hp, 369 lb-ft) has brought the same kind of power and acceleration performance that the Dodge M4S boasted of in an even smaller, 2.0-liter powerplant.

How Much Is The Dodge M4S Turbo Interceptor Worth?

Dodge M4S Turbo Interceptor
MWI SUPERCAR

When chief designer Bob Ackerman budged, reluctantly agreeing to his prototype getting used as a prop car for the movie, four body shells were eventually made off of the PPG Pace Car M4S. Two of the cars were originally fitted with Volkswagen engines while the other two weren't fitted with engines. Of the two fitted with engines, one is completely unaccounted for, while the other one, as we pointed out earlier, got restored by Lyle Suhr and fitted with a supercharged Pontiac V6. In 2015, this car was worth $150,000, the price it got listed for on Craigslist. But the car has no VIN, and it isn't road-legal.

That said, in terms of worth, it's a different ball game altogether with the actual Dodge M4S Turbo Interceptor. In total, it cost over $1.5 million to build the iconic Dodge M4S Turbo Interceptor. An incredible budget for a 1984 car, but realizing that the custom paint job on the car alone costs more than $30,000 sure helps to put things into perspective.

This humongous cost of producing the car also explains why it was only authorized on-set for just one week, under great surveillance, and for only close-up shots. Notably, one of these shots with the actual Dodge includes the scene where Rughead fitted a device on the Wraith's engine.

Using an inflation calculator, the current value of 1984's $1.5 million is about $4,395,133. Therefore, we expect the Dodge M4S Turbo Interceptor to cost significantly more than $4,395,133 if it's put on sale. Nonetheless, the fire-breathing 2.2-liter Chrysler engine-powered concept isn't for sale, and interested enthusiasts can check it out at the Walter P. Chrysler Museum in Auburn Hills, Michigan.

How Many Dodge M4S Cars Were Made?

Four prototypes of the Dodge M4S Turbo Interceptor were made. The submarine-like body was created by 3-D Industries of Madison Heights, while Michigan’s Special Projects, Inc. assembled the body and interior. The semi-monocoque race car chassis was designed by California’s Huffaker. Finally, Michigan’s Specialized Vehicles, Inc. spearheaded the assembly of the four prototypes.

Last June 2023, however, a custom-built tribute model to the Dodge M4S Wraith Interceptor went up for auction and is currently listed by Barn Finds. This one-off model, which was built from a 1996 Porsche Boxster chassis and fitted with an amalgamation of fabricated and original parts from Audi and Aston Martin, is the only road-legal "Wraith" version in existence. Built by Jay Winne and MWI Supercars, this Wraith car tribute runs on a 3.2-liter flat-6 engine (258 hp, 228 lb-ft) that is mated to a 6-speed manual transmission.

Initially, MWI Supercar's Wraith car tribute had an opening bid price of $290,000. As of this article's latest update, there have been no takers yet.