Today, I made a huge mistake

[Jarcy]

Chilliman said:

Gaahh... This is what it must be like having a one night stand with Scarlett Johanssen then going back to the wife.... Feck I hope beastie didn't see me driving it

After a 12 year marriage (Chimaera 500), I've just dumped the wife and married Scarlett Johanssen.
I'm still on honeymoon, and loving my new Noble. And it's scarlet (well Monza Red).
If ever there was an excuse for treason....

[Chilliman]

You should be ashamed of yourself.

[Tyre Tread]

I drove a M12 on track as part of a birthday present some years ago along with several other very qucik cars. The Noble was by far the most enjoyable and I was amazed as I hadn't even considered it as a contender against the other exotica.

I've wanted one ever since but bought a Chim.

[crisp500]

Feel for you Richard. Made the mistake of taking one of Kerridges M400's out for a drive around 4 years ago now. Must admit I was absolutely gutted when I had to step out and hand the keys back. However, was a lovely sunny afternoon and the leisurely drive back along the A140 with roof off and V8 soundtrack was bloody lovely. The Noble just made me want to 'go on my son' and as nice as it is, I think driving it normally would make my teeth itch and the old driving license wouldn't last. Could never replace my Chim with a Noble, but the thought of owning them both... gives me a semi

[Jarcy]

As the sun's out, I do miss the open top - and the noise.

[Rob_the_Sparky]

Simon BB said:

I'm lucky enough to own both! Chalk and cheese but love both the Noble, Chim and Tuscan in equal measure for different reasons.

S

Just looked at your garage line up - I'm jealous...looks like a lovely line up

[crisp500]

Rob_the_Sparky said:

Just looked at your garage line up - I'm jealous...looks like a lovely line up

+1

[Chilliman]

Jarcy said:

As the sun's out, I do miss the open top - and the noise.

Fully understand that, the hours drive home in the Chim with the top down after driving the Noble was excellent, somehow managed to have two grins on my face

[Chilliman]

crisp500 said:

Feel for you Richard. Made the mistake of taking one of Kerridges M400's out for a drive around 4 years ago now. Must admit I was absolutely gutted when I had to step out and hand the keys back. However, was a lovely sunny afternoon and the leisurely drive back along the A140 with roof off and V8 soundtrack was bloody lovely. The Noble just made me want to 'go on my son' and as nice as it is, I think driving it normally would make my teeth itch and the old driving license wouldn't last. Could never replace my Chim with a Noble, but the thought of owning them both... gives me a semi

I couldn't get over how easy it was to drive, after a few miles I felt completely at home in it. I know that 'gutted' feeling too, It's one of those cars you just want to keep driving, much like the Chim.... always a 20 mile round trip for a pint of milk, even though Sainsburys is less than a two minute walk from the house

[Simon BB]

Thanks Rob & Crisp 500, appreciate the comments. 'British underdogs' has always been a theme for me and the Noble, TVRs and the Catherham are all just classic examples of simply that - cars that equate to massively more than the sum of their parts!

There isn't a day goes by that i dont consider myself to be a very lucky barsteward.

.....whats more you can just about buy and run the lot of 'em for less than a Porsche GT3 or equivallent......

..and despite the constant 'semi' i don't have any kids to fund either, which helps at tax and insurance time! ;-)

[caduceus]

GasMunkey said:

Mondeo engine.............

Apparently good enough for this beauty

[NickM450]

caduceus said:

GasMunkey said:

Mondeo engine.............

Apparently good enough for this beauty

Um... that didn't have a Mondeo engine though

Not knocking the engine mind you, I love the 3litre V6 in the ST220

[slippery]

caduceus said:

GasMunkey said:

Mondeo engine.............

Apparently good enough for this beauty

Isn't that a Jaguar XJ220?

[Simon BB]

Yes it is! And whist not quite the same engine as the Mondeo, at least the door mirrors are good enough for a Chimaera!

S

[phazed]

Ah, as in 2 Mondeo engines welded together to make a V12

[NickM450]

Or a cut down version of the Cosworth developed V8 DFV F1 engine with a few turbos bolted to it

Much older lump than people think.......

[GasMunkey]

I thought it was a metro 6r4 engine?

[NickM450]

GasMunkey said:

I thought it was a metro 6r4 engine?

Correct, but it's origins go further back....

Engine

Wiki said:

The 6.2-litre V12, which Jaguar had originally developed in the 1960s, had been judged too difficult to get past emissions regulations and there were also some design problems caused by the size of the power plant. Instead, Jaguar decided to use a much more up-to-date racing engine as the basis for the car: the Tom Walkinshaw-developed 3.5-litre V6, as used in the Group C XJR-10/11 racers, fitted with twin Garrett T3 turbochargers, generating 542 bhp (404 kW; 550 PS) of maximum power at 7000 rpm and 476 lb·ft (645 N·m) of torque at 4500 rpm. The engine was the first V6 in Jaguar's history and was a 6-cylinder derivation from the Cosworth DFV Formula 1 engine, originally designed by David Wood of Cosworth for the Austin Metro 6R4 rally car. The engine had been heavily modified by TWR to allow the Jaguar Group C cars to remain competitive against resurgent competition in the World Sports-car Championship. It was also the first Jaguar engine to use forced induction. In spite of the smaller displacement, the engine produced more power than the V12 and improved handling by being set lower and more centrally in the car. The defining characteristic of the engine was its immense torque relative to its overall capacity and peak power. For example, the McLaren F1 (6.1L, normally aspirated, V12) developed 618 BHP and 651NM of peak torque at 5,600RPM. The XJ220 delivered almost identical peak torque (645NM) much lower in the rev range, at only 4,500 RPM. This made the car extremely tractable in the mid-range. Another benefit of the engine was its superb fuel economy; the ‘fastest car in the world’ also managed to return up to 32MPG – a figure that most contemporary saloon cars would not be able to match. Every car has a modem which allows the servicing agent to fetch information from the ECU of the car in order to perform diagnostics. The engine underwent significant long-term testing in a Transit Van 'mule', which was an XJ220 chassis fitted with a modified body, to avoid revealing the identity of the car before its official launch. The van has since been restored by Don Law and appears regularly at motor shows. The van has been timed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed hill-climb at 1:01 (for comparison, a Formula 1 car is able to complete the run in around 0:48).[2]

[slippery]

GasMunkey said:

I thought it was a metro 6r4 engine?

Correct.

[macdeb]

Back on thread [sort of]. Chilli, I drove a mates Merc' E63 AMG, de-restricted/mapped etc, Fooooook Me! did it fkin' shift for a big car
He said something to me that made me smile when he said, 'over 4 grand it sounds like a spitfire' I thought, 'yeh' But it did!! Bloody nice bloke too and an ex-Cerbera owner. The cost? 50k miles? £20 grand. What a phuckin' bargain.