European First Drive: 2005 Noble M400

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One Man's Answer to the Porsche 911
By: Alistair Weaver

Date Posted 09-26-2005

The first time I drove a Noble was in 1998. I'd arrived at the office one Monday morning to be confronted by an ungainly little roadster. "What's that?" I asked, arrogantly; "it looks like it was built in a garden shed." "Maybe," counselled my boss, "but wait until you drive it."

Two hours later I was behind the wheel, driving a car that was nothing less than a revelation. The Noble M10 was so good that when it took on the original Lotus Elise, it damn near won. Its awkward appearance and mediocre performance compromised its broader appeal and only a handful were sold, but Lee Noble had thrown down a marker.

Four years later he was back with the M12. The Ford-sourced 2.5-litre double-overhead cam V6 now boasted two turbochargers, while the ungainly roadster had morphed into a dramatic coupe. The wrongs had been righted and Noble was feted by Britain's specialist motor press. From an industrial estate in dismal Leicestershire, Lee Noble had built a car to rival a Porsche 911.

Humble origins
Noble's home is nothing to look at. A nondescript 1960s industrial unit hides a collection of offices and an assembly floor. The rolling chassis consists of a steel spaceframe with bonded and riveted alloy panels that are manufactured in South Africa, along with the composite bodyshells. They're then shipped to the UK and married to the drivetrain.

A handful of half-built cars sit beside older models, which have come home for a service. Noble only builds around 200 cars each year, although with the arrival of the new M14 (see below), it hopes to increase production to 500-600. Such numbers leave little scope for expensive fripperies ? any spare cash is ploughed back into the development budget.

The focus of our attention, the M400, was launched last year and is a logical development of the original M12. Targeted at track day enthusiasts, it has become Noble's most popular model.

A waffle-free automobile
The Noble is built with one purpose in mind ? hard driving. Company founder Lee Noble styled the car himself and while few would describe it as beautiful, it's undeniably dramatic. Even at a standstill it looks very, very fast, while the rear wing is bold enough to scare small children. The upcoming M14 (see below) looks more sophisticated, but it lacks this car's guttural appeal.

The cabin could best be described as a cockpit. The center console, such as it is, boasts a handful of warning lights, an oil pressure/temperature gauge and some basic controls for the optional but essential air-conditioning. The stereo sits where a glovebox might be and it's controlled by a stalk on the steering column. The supportive seats are sourced from Sparco, while the adjustable steering wheel was lovingly crafted by Momo.

Don't go looking for the trunk release catch ? there isn't one. The Noble's only concession to luggage space is a series of small, bespoke bags (another option), which litter the cabin. There's scarcely enough room for a toothbrush and a g-string.

Big Power
A tiny silver button on the dash gives life to the Noble's transversely-mounted 3.0-liter double overhead cam V6. It's based on a Ford engine, but has been fettled by Roush and fitted with a pair of Garrett T28 turbochargers. Maximum boost pressure is a relatively modest 12.3 lbs of boost, but that's still enough to generate 425 hp at 6,500 rpm and 390 lb-ft of torque at 5,000 rpm. "We tried turning up the boost," says Simon Hucknall, Noble's PR man, "but it compromised the engine's driveability."

No one should doubt this car's performance. At 2,337 lbs, the M400 boasts 400 hp/ton. By contrast, a Porsche 911 Carrera S musters just 246 hp/ton. The turbos begin to puff at around 2,000 rpm and there's such a thunderous surge of thrust above 3,500 rpm it's hard to change gears quick enough before the rev limiter intervenes at a lofty 7,200 rpm.

The car's six-speed manual gearbox is sourced from Getrag, while the limited slip differential is by Quaiffe. Quality stuff. Shifts are quick, positive and meaty, and the clutch is road car light.

Test track frolics
We decamp to the Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground in central England. Originally an airfield, Bruntingthorpe now boasts a tricky with a mix of medium and high speed corners. Thankfully, there's little to hit should it all go horribly wrong.

Sitting so low in a lightweight, minimalist car heightens the sensations associated with travelling from zero to 60 mph in under 4 seconds, arriving at 100 mph in 8 seconds and topping 175 mph, Noble's numbers. Only at 130 mph does the ferocious acceleration start to diminish.

Lee Noble once worked on the development chassis for the McLaren F1, so he knows a thing or two about suspension design. The simple, double wishbone set-up has been supplemented by a front anti-roll bar on the M400. Although this induces a little more understeer on the limit, it also makes the car more stable.

For all its performance, the M400 is a surprisingly easy car to drive hard. You need to drive it properly ? brake in a straight line, feed the power progressively from the apex ? but the beautifully weighted controls and talkative steering reward like few others. In a 911, you are always aware of the car's inertia, but in the Noble the engine is exactly where you'd want it and with so little mass to lug around, it goes where it's pointed.

It's also surprisingly benign. The Pirelli P-Zero Corsa tires, sized 225/40ZR18 front and 265/35ZR18 in the rear, provide Herculean grip and the AP Racing 13-inch cross drilled four-wheel disc brakes could stop a bullet train, despite the absence of ABS. The lift-off oversteer that's a challenge in many mid-engined Ferrari's ? 360 Modena included ? is also kept well in check.

But that is not to say the Noble is boring. There's enough power to kick the tail out upon request and out of the final third gear corner. I find myself indulging in a satisfying powerslide. There are few other cars I'd be happy to drift at 80+ mph.

While over 60 percent of M400 owners regularly take their cars to the track, the Noble was designed to function predominantly as a road car. It's a role that it fulfils with considerable aplomb. The ride is firm, of course, but the damping is so good it's never truly uncomfortable. The M400 feels like an acutely focused road car, rather than a refugee from the track, which is exactly how Lee Noble planned it.

Buying an English eccentricity
In the UK, the M400 costs ?56,548 or ?60,203 ($110,850) by the time you've added desirable extras, such as air-conditioning. That sounds a lot, until you remember that even a basic 911 Carrera retails for ?65,260 in Blighty.

In the US, the situation is not so simple. To avoid type approval problems, the car is sold as a rolling chassis through 1G Racing for $66,900. 1G will then offer advice on how to source and install the engine and transaxle. A typical price of a completed car is around $89,000-$95,000.

The future
Noble's attention is now-focussed on the M14, which should make its debut in November. Although it retains the M400's engine ? this time mounted longitudinally rather than transversely ? it's more of a GT than an all-out track star. The styling is more elegant, the cabin is sumptuously appointed and there'll be a pair of trunks front and rear.

It'll cost ?75,000 in the UK, where it will rival the new Aston Vantage. Sadly, Noble has no plans to export this car to the US. "The M14 takes us into a subtly different market," says Hucknall, "and we need to avoid being associated with kit cars. We've already fielded calls from disappointed US customers."

Final Thoughts
The Noble has no right to be as good as it is. Nobody with such meager resources should be able to produce a car that in several key areas can outperform the seminal 911. The M400 is a triumph of personal will and raw talent in the face of corporate might. And for that reason Lee Noble is fast becoming a hero of driving enthusiasts and small time manufacturers the world over.

[JYODER240]

Raghaven is probably in love with this thing.

[Raghavan]

Raghaven is probably in love with this thing.

I am. :)
My top 5 fav cars are
Exige
C6 Z06
Ariel Atom
Noble M12 GTO 3R/ M400
Honda S2000
:)  

[giant_mtb]

That car sounds amazing!

[Raza]

That seems like one serious automobile.  I'll take two.