Discussion
His Ferrari-P4 replicas are rather special.
He also did work for Ascari and built Prosport 3000s.
There is a good article here
www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=29&article_id=8140&page_number=1
J
He also did work for Ascari and built Prosport 3000s.
There is a good article here
www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=29&article_id=8140&page_number=1
J
An extract from my press info about Lee:
LEE NOBLE – FROM RACING DRIVER TO CAR DESIGNER
The M12 supercar and the M10 roadster are the first cars to bear Lee Noble’s name. But 15 years before Noble Automotive was even formed, Lee had started making a name himself as a gifted racing driver, campaigning a Renault-engined Lotus Europa, in which he racked up a series of wins and podium finishes.
This was where Lee’s other talent – as a development engineer and designer – started to shine. And it wasn’t long before he embarked on a serious performance road car project of his own. The Ultima was his first creation, and this rapidly gained prominence in the UK’s low-volume specialist sports car market. As with all subsequent Noble designs, the Ultima was built around a steel spaceframe and was fitted with either a Renault V6 or a Chevrolet V8 engine. By the time Lee had moved on to another project and sold the company that produced Ultima, 200 cars had been produced. It is still sold today and enjoys an enthusiastic following.
Lee’s Ultima was followed by two modern replicas of well-known designs: the Lotus 23B and the Ferrari P4. As with all his cars, build quality and fit and finish were exemplary. The Lotus replica was powered by a Lotus Twin Cam engine, the Renault V6 unit being offered as an alternative. Production hit sixty cars, before Lee started making the Ferrari P4 replica. The Ferrari was an even greater success, with more than 250 cars being produced, all powered by the Chevrolet V8 engine. Most cars still exist today and there’s even a thriving owners’ club, which meets frequently to race and show these stunning replicas.
But Lee Noble was keen for us not to forget his racing roots, and the next car on his drawing board – the Pro-sport – gave him and his customers the chance to take part in circuit racing on a small budget. Around 50 cars were built and successfully raced on circuits around the UK.
It wasn’t long, though, before Lee set his sights on producing another road car. But instead of a replica, Lee came up with a completely original design called the MidTec. This car adopted much of the chassis design expertise Lee had gained while he was racing, although the emphasis was very much on the leisure market, the car having an open top and a mid-mounted Ford Pinto engine. Again, the car received rave reviews in the specialist car press and a total of sixty units were produced.
But perhaps the best known car designed and engineered by Lee Noble, prior to the M12, was the Ascari. This 500bhp (507PS), 200mph (322kph), Chevy powered projectile stunned car enthusiasts and at one point became Autocar magazine’s fastest accelerating car in the UK. However, despite plenty of interest from overseas markets and a brief outing at Le Mans, Lee sold his interest in the company to his partner, still convinced that he could design a far less expensive car, but with similar performance and usability.
That car – the Noble M10 - arrived in 1999, after Lee teamed up with his new business partner, Tony Moy. Autocar was the first magazine to test the car and it was genuinely bowled over with what Lee had created. However, while everyone agreed that the M10 had a Lotus Elise-beating chassis, Lee was less than happy with the open-top’s styling and its lack of performance. So naturally, the chassis stayed and the M10 was radically re-styled to become the fixed-head M12. The performance issues were addressed by fitting twin turbochargers to the M10’s normally aspirated 2.5-litre V6 engine, raising power to 310bhp (314PS) and torque to 320lb ft (434Nm).
Simon Hucknall
Press Officer
Noble Automotive Ltd.
LEE NOBLE – FROM RACING DRIVER TO CAR DESIGNER
The M12 supercar and the M10 roadster are the first cars to bear Lee Noble’s name. But 15 years before Noble Automotive was even formed, Lee had started making a name himself as a gifted racing driver, campaigning a Renault-engined Lotus Europa, in which he racked up a series of wins and podium finishes.
This was where Lee’s other talent – as a development engineer and designer – started to shine. And it wasn’t long before he embarked on a serious performance road car project of his own. The Ultima was his first creation, and this rapidly gained prominence in the UK’s low-volume specialist sports car market. As with all subsequent Noble designs, the Ultima was built around a steel spaceframe and was fitted with either a Renault V6 or a Chevrolet V8 engine. By the time Lee had moved on to another project and sold the company that produced Ultima, 200 cars had been produced. It is still sold today and enjoys an enthusiastic following.
Lee’s Ultima was followed by two modern replicas of well-known designs: the Lotus 23B and the Ferrari P4. As with all his cars, build quality and fit and finish were exemplary. The Lotus replica was powered by a Lotus Twin Cam engine, the Renault V6 unit being offered as an alternative. Production hit sixty cars, before Lee started making the Ferrari P4 replica. The Ferrari was an even greater success, with more than 250 cars being produced, all powered by the Chevrolet V8 engine. Most cars still exist today and there’s even a thriving owners’ club, which meets frequently to race and show these stunning replicas.
But Lee Noble was keen for us not to forget his racing roots, and the next car on his drawing board – the Pro-sport – gave him and his customers the chance to take part in circuit racing on a small budget. Around 50 cars were built and successfully raced on circuits around the UK.
It wasn’t long, though, before Lee set his sights on producing another road car. But instead of a replica, Lee came up with a completely original design called the MidTec. This car adopted much of the chassis design expertise Lee had gained while he was racing, although the emphasis was very much on the leisure market, the car having an open top and a mid-mounted Ford Pinto engine. Again, the car received rave reviews in the specialist car press and a total of sixty units were produced.
But perhaps the best known car designed and engineered by Lee Noble, prior to the M12, was the Ascari. This 500bhp (507PS), 200mph (322kph), Chevy powered projectile stunned car enthusiasts and at one point became Autocar magazine’s fastest accelerating car in the UK. However, despite plenty of interest from overseas markets and a brief outing at Le Mans, Lee sold his interest in the company to his partner, still convinced that he could design a far less expensive car, but with similar performance and usability.
That car – the Noble M10 - arrived in 1999, after Lee teamed up with his new business partner, Tony Moy. Autocar was the first magazine to test the car and it was genuinely bowled over with what Lee had created. However, while everyone agreed that the M10 had a Lotus Elise-beating chassis, Lee was less than happy with the open-top’s styling and its lack of performance. So naturally, the chassis stayed and the M10 was radically re-styled to become the fixed-head M12. The performance issues were addressed by fitting twin turbochargers to the M10’s normally aspirated 2.5-litre V6 engine, raising power to 310bhp (314PS) and torque to 320lb ft (434Nm).
Simon Hucknall
Press Officer
Noble Automotive Ltd.
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