A Noble is for those who love to drive.
When it comes to the world of supercars, it is easy to forget about the brands that may not be as big as Ferrari or Lamborghini; they are the ones that offer a more raw sense of excitement, and one of those brands is Noble Automotive, more commonly known simply as Noble.
For me, Noble has always held a special place in my heart, there are times when you feel that you are not really driving the supercar and that the car is doing most of the hard work, but not in a Noble. From the moment to start the engine, put it into gear, you feel in control, you are the one who has to tame the monster behind you. This to me is something that is missing in most supercars today. From their first model, the Noble M10 Prototype of which only six were made to their current M600, they attracted owners who have a passion for the skill and respect that Noble puts into every car that comes off the production line. Not only that, but the exclusivity, if you are heading to Harrods, you’ll struggle to catch one of these machines on the road, as owners generally use them for the long road trips heading up to Scotland or to the Cotswolds, which is where the supercar comes alive.
The current model, Noble M600, now some 12 years old, was universally acknowledged by the motoring press as the ultimate analogue drivers car. So much so, that M600 was featured several times on the motoring show Top Gear, where Jemery and Richard both fell in love with the raw power and the useability of the car. These two journalists are hard to please, and yet, they fell in love with the car almost instantly.
So what makes up the M600?
The supercar is, as you’d expect, has a mid-engined Yamaha Judd V8 twin turbo mated to a six-speed manual gearbox. When Autocar tested the car, they hit 120mph in a dizzying 8.9 seconds. That’s faster than most cars getting from 0 to 60mph.
With a carbon body the car is incredibly lightweight; with 650bhp, the M600 represents staggering performance with little in the way of driver assistance. Obviously this high-powered, rather “raw” experience was considered to be, for some, a little intimidating; however, it has established a firm and enthusiastic fan base for those who love driving.
What about the future?
Coming later this year, Noble will be introducing the brand new Noble M500, the little brother to the M600. What we know currently is that the supercar will have a V6 twin-turbo with a six-speed manual gearbox. The chassis will be taken from the existing M600; however, with a small power bank and using lighter materials, we can expect the final car to weigh in around 1275kg and with the V6 six set to produce between 500-550bhp it will be blistering fast as the M600.
One question that will come up is why Noble is remaining with a manual gearbox, and my response would be why not? Noble has built a reputation for supercars that make every owner feel like a racing driver, providing them with a driving experience that few manufacturers can offer.
As noted on the Noble website; a Noble is for those who love to drive.
We are yet to see the final specification and price has yet to be finalised but is projected to be circa £150k. Release date circa end of 2022.
