Noble M400 | Spotted
New Nobles have come and gone, yet still the uprated M400 reigns
It’s coming up to a year since I asked a seller on PH very kindly if I could take their Noble M12 for a spin and make a video about it. And though there have been a number of track-focused cars I've driven since, including our very own homemade hero, nothing compares to the feeling of astonishment at how utterly sublime a sports car can feel when, at first glance, it looks to have been glued together by a bloke in a shed.
That car was a GTO-3, the M12’s first major update and a big one at that. The main difference was the upgrade from a 2.5- to 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6, bringing with it a 40hp jump, while the follow-up GTO-3R would throw a six-speed manual gearbox and Quaife limited-slip differential into the mix. These two iterations make up the bulk of M12 sales (according to the forum on the subject, at least) with the rarest of the bunch also being the final and craziest model of the lot - the M400. Well, before Noble sold the rights to the M12 platform to everyone and their mum.
If the GTO-3 was a step up from the standard M12, the M400 was a giant leap. Although Noble stuck with its tried-and-true 3.0-litre Ford V6, the internals were given a once over and upgraded with forged pistons, high-lift cams and better cooling, before a pair of uprated T28 Garrett turbochargers were strapped on. The resulting 431hp - 73hp more than the GTO-3 - must have been eye-opening, particularly when all it had to shift along was a smidgen over a tonne’s worth of plastic and steel.
Better still were all the shiny new chassis components. The springs and dampers were upgraded and stiffened to cope with the surge in power, while extra steering lock was factored in to make the front end less reactive at high speed. Crucially, though, an anti-roll bar was added up front. Noble famously did away with them on the M12 to (apparently) improve the ride quality over our dreadful roads. And while the GTO-3 I drove did ride surprisingly well for a handmade sports car, one commenter pointed out that the omission of anti-roll bars was probably to keep a lid on costs. Either way, you get one in the M400.
Reviewers went mad for it back in 2004, with many claiming the upgrades had a transformative effect on the car’s handling - hardly an area that was lacking on the GTO-3. Noble would go on to build just 75 examples of the M400 before production came to an end in 2007 and the chassis rights were distributed far and wide. Some fitted larger, more powerful engines and mated them with some questionable redesigns, but the M400 will forever go down as the ultimate M12 and, naturally, the most sought-after by collectors.
There’s only one for sale on PH at the time of writing and it’s a real corker. Monza Red, only 30,000 miles on the clock and an extensive service history suggest it’s been well looked after by its previous owners. And would you look at the interior? That Alcantara looks as fresh as it would have done 18 years ago. It even comes with air conditioning, an optional extra at the time and, while a bit useless now, ought to come in mighty handy in the future. The seller’s asking £64,995 for it, which is a fair old premium over a GTO-3. But for the rarest M12 in the line and the one the reviewers raved about, it’s surely worth mulling over. Still a heck of a lot cheaper than an M500, too.
SPECIFICATION | NOBLE M400
Engine: 2,968cc V6, twin-turbocharged
Transmission: six-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 431@6,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 390@5,000rpm
MPG: N/A
CO2: N/A
Year registered: 2006
Recorded mileage: 30,000
Price new: £61,995
Yours for: £64,995
I remember being on a night out(those were the days when I actually had a life!
) when these first come out, and I was blown away by how headturning it was(that one was red funnily enough). I've wanted one ever since. Very nice. 
M400’s have generally been between 55-62k for the last 5 years.
One sold for 67k last year,albeit that was apparently like a new pin.
It's a cracking car, the only reason it went in the end was the lack of luggage space. It meant going away in it was always a problem. Yes, before anyone says, I know you can/could get a special luggage set (6 bags ?) that's designed to fit into all the little bits of space, but even if I'd had one of those, it's still a faff compared to just using a normal bag.
But, apart from that, I loved mine. They are totally bonkers !
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