Noble M400: PH Carpool
This PHer replaced one Brit sports car with another and is loving (nearly) every minute
Car: Noble M400
Owned since: April 2014
Previously owned: Porsche 911 Turbo (996), Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C6), Nissan GT-R (R35), TVR Tuscan S
Funnily enough this gets some attention
"I'd made the mistake previously of choosing 'usable' weekend cars - playing it safe. I regretted the 911 and the GT-R - great cars for sure, but not exciting enough unless you're risking prison. The Tuscan, which I loved, taught me what a toy should be like but when a friend offered me his M400 I was intrigued. A day driving it (actually about five minutes was enough) and I was sold. He changed his mind and kept his so I just had to find another one!
"Bespoke Performance had a customer who was considering selling his M400 so my timing was perfect. The regular M12 is terrific and the later 3Rs have the M400's better 6-speed 'box, limited-slip differential and track day sump; however the M400 has a narrower transmission tunnel allowing broader seats which are more centrally mounted, increasing headroom a little and eliminating the offset pedals. At 6'4" and nearly 17 stone, these changes make all the difference for me (although I still needed an extended steering boss and smaller wheel to accommodate my knees!)."
What I wish I'd known:
"I knew it wouldn't be a car to run on a budget. I've needed new exhaust manifolds, a new rad, upgraded fuel pump wiring and a few sensors here and there. In theory you buy a car with these things done, but in practise how many M400s do you see to choose from? I wish I'd known that a throttle position sensor was all I ever needed to sort a persistent idling problem; that would have saved a lot of time and cash. Other than that, nothing really. In any case, the money I've spent this past two years has been cancelled out by rising values (supposedly). Makes a change..."
Low mass helps on cost of consumables
"The Noble sits in its own niche, at least among cars I will ever be able to afford. On the one hand you have responsiveness and involvement on a level not far from a Caterham; on the other you have 'supercar' performance (whatever that means these days), a proper roof, a comfortable ride and a car you can actually use everyday if storage isn't a priority. The acceleration is tremendous - not in an effortless, torque-rich way like the Corvette, but from 4,000rpm it really shifts. There's no lag to speak of and it revs freely. The car makes about 400hp as standard and at 1,080kg that's plenty (0-100mph in eight seconds with rear-wheel drive, a manual shift and no electronics...).
"But a Noble is about handling and in this respect it's like nothing else I've ever driven: accurate steering with proper old-school feel, perfectly balanced chassis and a limited-slip diff which is easy and rewarding to bring into play to slingshot you out of corners. A friend likens the handling experience to 'waving a wand', which sums it up perfectly. All this with surprisingly forgiving road manners. The car looks tremendous and gets more positive attention than anything else I've owned - open the clams at a car show and you'll always get a crowd, if that's your thing."
Things I hate:
"I don't hate anything, but don't owners always say that? Sometimes I wish there was some storage space for a few days away. I'd like a little more noise but an exhaust should sort that problem. Er, a cup holder perhaps?"
Spot the M400!
"Obviously it's not cheap generally, but then everything is relative and there are a couple of exceptions. Tyres are not expensive, particularly the fronts which are plain old 225/40 R18 (the rears are 265/35 R18). Discs and pads don't break the bank either and, being such a light car, they last forever. Insurance is cheap now I'm an old git - about £200 per year via Admiral with 4,000 miles limited mileage. It averages around 20mpg.
"The other stuff is more expensive: expect £700ish for a routine service plus anything else which happens to need doing (12 months or 6,000 miles). Exhaust manifolds up to £1,000 each, with a radiator about £600 fitted. Thing is, once these jobs are done they stay done as new components manufactured by Pro Alloy and Tullet are far superior in quality to the OEM items. A clutch wouldn't be cheap but fortunately they seem very tough, as are the engines. Both turbos can be removed, rebuilt and refitted at Jetstream for around £1800 all-in (OEM-spec, a little more for hybrids). Exhaust systems are expensive - say about £3K for a Roush turbo-back with freer flowing cats - but then what would you pay on a 911, or even an M3? I see these expenses as an investment, as effectively when anything fails you end up with a better car. And as I said, prices appear to be heading north which softens the blow considerably..."
Niall reckons this one's a keeper
"I've not been abroad yet, just various car shows and PH meets. It's the sort of car which turns your favourite B-road into Spa anyway, so travel is optional. One day..."
What next?
"I will eventually get both turbos rebuilt (they're still fine but at 35K miles, but I know they won't last forever). When I do it will also get uprated valve springs, a Haywood Scott cat-back exhaust and a Trevor Jasper remap. That should see 440-450hp with up to 420lb ft, which really will be enough for the road (it already is, if I'm honest). Other than that, I plan to keep it for as long as possible. At this price point, there's just nothing like a Noble."
Want to share your car with PHers on Carpool? Email us at carpool@pistonheads.com!
I did the M12 in 2011:
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=992...
Although now it looks like this
and the 3R was also done in 2011:
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=106...
Bondy
Holygrail: The tuscan was more theatrical. I loved the sounds it made, both engine noise (roof on) and exhaust noise (roof off) - or of course a healthy slice of both if you keep the roof and lose the rear screen. The wind in your hair, the sun on your face and the authentic smell of English leather all combined to make the TVR a real event to drive. It was harder to drive fast, although with the rear diff (again) I found I could still really hustle it along once I learned which steering twitches to ignore, and which to take notice of (not good if you mix those up...) And of course you have a na engine with sharp throttle response and the ability to rev into high 7000s rpm.
With the noble you lose a little of this - it's a more serious car I guess which sacrifices some of theatre in return for extra precision and agility. It's easier to drive fast - where the tuscan will sometimes follow invisible cambers in the road scaring you half to death, the noble you could have one hand on the wheel driving even faster in exactly the same stretch. The noble is faster, especially in the corners, and the steering is just as feelsome and far more accurate. I do miss owning a convertible at this time of year though.
Take your pick; horses for courses, etc. The tvr makes you laugh and feel like a hairy chested hero, the noble makes you laugh and feel like an F1 driver (which of course is not the same thing at all).
Always been a fan of these.
I watched a wonderful in depth showroom type review on you tube for one in the states recently, and I was a little surprised that up close it did look very kit car-ish i.e. switch gear, instruments dash etc...
Normally things like that wouldn't worry me at all (I've just bought a Lotus!) but it did seem quite noticeable. I've never heard anyone actually complain about that though so wonder if I got the wrong impression.
Having owned a Porker and Nissan, two very high quality items, how would you compare them to the noble in that respect?
Always been a fan of these.
I watched a wonderful in depth showroom type review on you tube for one in the states recently, and I was a little surprised that up close it did look very kit car-ish i.e. switch gear, instruments dash etc...
Normally things like that wouldn't worry me at all (I've just bought a Lotus!) but it did seem quite noticeable. I've never heard anyone actually complain about that though so wonder if I got the wrong impression.
Having owned a Porker and Nissan, two very high quality items, how would you compare them to the noble in that respect?
- Ooooh, those bits are from the cheap parts bin, and
- Ooooh, what a lovely fancy cup-holder.
400 was the new Esprit built by Noble while Lotus were going round and round in circles trying to invent the front wheel drive sportscar.
Turbo V6s are rather more fashionable today than they were 20 years ago!
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