Monday 18th July 2011

Noble M600 - First Delivery Imminent

1200kgs, 650bhp, a full carbon body and yours for £225k

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PH bumped into this Noble M600 on the Michelin stand at CPoP, with lustrous red paintwork concealing the car's all carbon fibre body.

It's the left-hand drive factory demonstrator, we were told, and although we couldn't get inside it - the chap with the keys wisely spending CPoP in the beer tent, probably - a cursory inspection revealed a level of fit and finish that belies the Noble car company's small size.

Just 15 people are employed directly in the making of the beasts, and all their names are engraved on the sill tread plate of the first full carbon-bodied prototype (the one Sutcliffe wrote about for PH here), and in alphabetical order too, as company MD Peter Boutwood pointed out to us with a grin.

Peter was campaigning the black M600 on the track at CPoP, but as he was officially only 'demonstrating', no time has been recorded. Still, we watched him fly (literally) over the bridge on one run on Friday, and a certain amount of commitment was evident!

The M600 has been around for a while now, so it's surprising to learn the first customer car is only due to be handed over to its lucky owner next week. (In fact we wrote back in January that the car was finally 'production-ready'.) Peter tells us now they're really ready, and that the firm is currently on course to build one a month this year, at a cost of £225k a pop. That's slightly down on the 15 cars a year originally mooted, but its early days - especially as the car hasn't been 'marketed' at all while under development, so all the interest has come from media coverage.

£225k sounded like Lamborghini Aventador territory to us, but Peter reckons nobody is going to walk away with the keys to the new Lamborghini without being £270k lighter once they've dipped into the 'essential' options.

In contrast, the Noble M600 is more of a 'what you see is what you get' proposition, and of course it appeals to a different type of driver with its (shock horror!) traditional gear lever jutting up from the centre console, and lack of driver aids. Oh, and that not insignificant 542bhp per tonne from its twin turbo V8.

Looks good in red too, we thought.

	Riggers ruins another picture...

[JNR77]

I think its a lovely looking car; two things;
1. why not make it out of GRP and slash the price dramatically
2. hope the red one is better built than the black one - check the passenger wing mirror in the shot of it coming over the bridge!!!!

[Nagra]

Incoming post from barefoot in 3......2......1.....

[sinbaddio]

Do we have any idea what times were posted by the Noble? I've scoured the web but can't find any times?

[Shaun350z]

It looked brilliant in the flesh and the door mirror only came off due to the driver having a decent go at a time. Although that was on Saturday, and the article says Friday, maybe it just likes to fall off.

[loveice]

Both the interior and exterior of this car look like they've been designed by engineers or normal industrial designers rather than professional automotive designers. It's a shame really. I couldn't see any reasons to buy this £225k M600 over a MP4-12C which is about £60k cheaper and faster around track (at least on top gear track).

[Chris-R]

Shaun350z said:

It looked brilliant in the flesh and the door mirror only came off due to the driver having a decent go at a time. Although that was on Saturday, and the article says Friday, maybe it just likes to fall off.

We saw it jump the bridge on Friday with two mirrors, but that pic was from the CPoP post-event archive, so not sure which day it was taken.

[George H]

Love the car, but don't think it looks right in red, the baby blue one is my favourite.

[Ozzie Osmond]

loveice said:

Both the interior and exterior of this car look like they've been designed by engineers or normal industrial designers rather than professional automotive designers. It's a shame really. I couldn't see any reasons to buy this £225k M600 over a MP4-12C which is about £60k cheaper and faster around track (at least on top gear track).

Absolutely right. See also F458.

The Noble looks like a car for masochists only IMO.

[GFWilliams]

loveice said:

Both the interior and exterior of this car look like they've been designed by engineers or normal industrial designers rather than professional automotive designers. It's a shame really. I couldn't see any reasons to buy this £225k M600 over a MP4-12C which is about £60k cheaper and faster around track (at least on top gear track).

Totally totally different car though. 12C/458 are very technical. The M600 is very raw, brutal and even has a manual gearbox!

[LukeBird]

I really hope this works for Noble, such an appealing car being 'analogue' (for want of a less tossery word!).

[5paulmv]

car sounded gourgeous as it left the line its gonna take weeks to move the darkys it left on the track

[Riggers]

sinbaddio said:

Do we have any idea what times were posted by the Noble? I've scoured the web but can't find any times?

Peter was only officially doing 'demo' runs, unfortunately, so no official time. More's the pity - he looked quite rapid on Friday...

[Andy JB]

I really want to love and covet this car for many reasons, however, i overtook one on the M5 back in March near Bromsgrove. It must have been a development mule but i was staggered by how small and unassuming it looked for a super car in the flesh.

Lets be honest, performance has to be right and small is good = light, but also the visual asthetic aspects are important at this price level, and at present i'm rather underwhelmed by its presence.

[CocoUK]

The bottom line is - the M600 is a proper drivers car.
Nothing more, nothing less, it's where my money would be going.

Apparently Noble measure your man-spuds to ensure you qualify as a customer...

[SleeperCell]

I guess the Noble will appeal to those same handful of people who were still ordering manual gearboxes from Ferrari and Lamborghini and who now need to look elsewhere.

[adycav]

Were I to become super rich overnight Noble is the first place that I would go to with a big bag of money. I think that these are great.

[stew-S160]

WANT!

[Adrian W]

loveice said:

Both the interior and exterior of this car look like they've been designed by engineers or normal industrial designers rather than professional automotive designers. It's a shame really. I couldn't see any reasons to buy this £225k M600 over a MP4-12C which is about £60k cheaper and faster around track (at least on top gear track).

Cant let that go, When the Glassfibre Noble Mule did it's lap it was snowing, the Mclaren did it on a hot summers day, I think it would be a fairly safe bet that the Noble is faster.

[alexpa]

"but Peter reckons nobody is going to walk away with the keys to the new Lamborghini without being £270k lighter once they've dipped into the 'essential' options"

Not everyone loads their car with options.
The MP4-12C press car in top gear had a Carrera price matching list of additions. That's silly. It doesnt help the regular (relative) MP4/Aventador buyer when it comes to adding options.

Im interested to see what Fenix Automotive come out with. LS3/LS9, Mmm, saying that, could have one in a GDT70 for a 900kg song now, and demolish most others

http://www.gdcars.com/caterham-r500-vs-gardner-dou...

[Adrian W]

alexpa said:

"Im interested to see what Fenix Automotive come out with. LS3/LS9,

I think you'll find the plug has been pulled on Finix