RE: Noble M500 revealed at Goodwood
Discussion
rockin said:
suffolk009 said:
You know all those top end sports cars that charge a small fortune for carbon-fibre bodywork in the options section? That's right, they're "composite" material. Meaning, almost always, GRP or glassfibre.
Oh dear, my C7 Corvette has C7 Corvette headlamps and although some of the bodywork is carbon fibre the rest of it is composite. Mind you, it does have a substantial V8 engine, and you can can buy a nice new C7 in UK with a manual gearbox from just £64,000New mid-engine version of Corvette is rumoured to be due in 2019. "Our spy photographers recently caught three mid-engine Corvette prototypes testing in southwest Michigan alongside a Porsche 911 Turbo S. Chevy is trying to make a true everyday supercar." https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/a29781/mid-e...
Clockwork Cupcake said:
Nerdherder said:
Agreed, but there is beauty in its strangeness. I think I like it.
It's not unattractive, I agree. It's kind of like a Quentin Tarrantino film really - treading a find line between homage and plagiarism.
article said:
A dual-clutch gearbox is set to be standard
Considering the kind of car the M600 is, am I the only one disappointed by this?Not that it matters to me that much since I'll never be able to afford one. I guess I just feel like we already have a lot of auto-only supercars, and this could have been a breath of fresh air.
It sounds like a successor to the M12, which is great news, and I reckon it looks fine.
I guess it would be hard to sell a glass-fibre bodied V6 for more money than a carbon-bodied V8 McLaren 540C, which suggests a sub £100k price, but a point that Lotus and TVR have not really made work for them.
Then again, it shares engine and drivetrain with the Ford GT - oddly not mentioned in the article - which is selling for four times the McLaren's list price.
I guess it would be hard to sell a glass-fibre bodied V6 for more money than a carbon-bodied V8 McLaren 540C, which suggests a sub £100k price, but a point that Lotus and TVR have not really made work for them.
Then again, it shares engine and drivetrain with the Ford GT - oddly not mentioned in the article - which is selling for four times the McLaren's list price.
So full carbon is a waste of money but fibreglass ( or grp) is cheapskate.
The M600 styling is out of date but the M500 by going modern has nicked ideas from other manufacturers.
The M600 is antiquated because originally it was manual only,but now it’s a shame because the M500 is dual clutch only.
You couldn’t make this site up.Its a new British car by a manufacturer that’s now been going nigh on twenty years despite all the b
ks constantly spouted on here.
I’m bloody glad they’re moving forward, and I’ve no doubt it will drive brilliantly.
The M600 styling is out of date but the M500 by going modern has nicked ideas from other manufacturers.
The M600 is antiquated because originally it was manual only,but now it’s a shame because the M500 is dual clutch only.
You couldn’t make this site up.Its a new British car by a manufacturer that’s now been going nigh on twenty years despite all the b
ks constantly spouted on here.I’m bloody glad they’re moving forward, and I’ve no doubt it will drive brilliantly.
Interesting, and although I’ve been criticised previously for my opinions about the M600 previously, I wish Noble the best of luck.
But, on the assumption that they are entering a very, very competitive market at the 100-150k price point, I fear they will struggle.
The M600 is now almost a decade old, and I read recently that they have produced 25 cars. In almost 10 years.
So, almost no one wants one of those, and I’d suggest there is less competition at the, frankly ridiculous in my opinion, price point Noble pitch those at.
Styling is subjective of course, but the M500 looks very uncohesive to my eyes, as if someone has grabbed elements of the competition and pieced them together.
Porsche 911 GT3, Mclaren 540-570, Audi R8, or a Noble made out of fibreglass.
I suppose we should be thankful a British company is considering introducing a new model.
But, on the assumption that they are entering a very, very competitive market at the 100-150k price point, I fear they will struggle.
The M600 is now almost a decade old, and I read recently that they have produced 25 cars. In almost 10 years.
So, almost no one wants one of those, and I’d suggest there is less competition at the, frankly ridiculous in my opinion, price point Noble pitch those at.
Styling is subjective of course, but the M500 looks very uncohesive to my eyes, as if someone has grabbed elements of the competition and pieced them together.
Porsche 911 GT3, Mclaren 540-570, Audi R8, or a Noble made out of fibreglass.
I suppose we should be thankful a British company is considering introducing a new model.
I absolutely love it!
There are a few things I'd change which I think would help the design a lot (rear lights are too big in my opinion).
When an Exige Cup 430 is £110k+, this looks like relative value to me and interests me a lot more. Plus the tuning potential of the eco boost V6 means you could get it up to pretty huge power I reckon!
I'll be chatting to Noble hopefully, this is the first car I've seen which could tempt me out of my Exige for something else...
There are a few things I'd change which I think would help the design a lot (rear lights are too big in my opinion).
When an Exige Cup 430 is £110k+, this looks like relative value to me and interests me a lot more. Plus the tuning potential of the eco boost V6 means you could get it up to pretty huge power I reckon!
I'll be chatting to Noble hopefully, this is the first car I've seen which could tempt me out of my Exige for something else...
kambites said:
In what way is a steel or aluminium body preferable to a GRP one? Even CFRP only has marginal benefit for non-structural components.
GRP is labour-intensive, but low tooling costs, making it ideal for low volume manufacturers. However, for mass production it doesn't scale well and becomes expensive. Once you have paid the tooling costs, steel or aluminium body panels can be stamped out much more cheaply. 
If I had the money I would be going to McLaren, the Noble just doesn't look as defined. I hope they can sort some of the finer details out when it goes into production rather than just being a model. For example the exhaust tips look a little stuck on as an after thought when compared to some of the more interesting designs from Ferrari, McLaren and even Lexus.
Clockwork Cupcake said:
kambites said:
In what way is a steel or aluminium body preferable to a GRP one? Even CFRP only has marginal benefit for non-structural components.
GRP is labour-intensive, but low tooling costs, making it ideal for low volume manufacturers. However, for mass production it doesn't scale well and becomes expensive. Once you have paid the tooling costs, steel or aluminium body panels can be stamped out much more cheaply. Edited by kambites on Friday 13th July 12:42
If I had the money I would be going to McLaren, the Noble just doesn't look as defined. I hope they can sort some of the finer details out when it goes into production rather than just being a model. For example the exhaust tips look a little stuck on as an after thought when compared to some of the more interesting designs from Ferrari, McLaren and even Lexus.
kambites said:
Indeed, but I meant what's the advantage to the buyer of steel or aluminium over GRP. Why do people look down on GRP as somehow an "inferior" material. As far as I can see having owned cars of both, GRP is simply better than steel for the end-user.
Probably the association with low volume cars and sheds, and cars allegedly smelling of glue (something Clarkson never failed to mention when reviewing a TVR, for example). Plus the association with cars like the Reliant Robin and Bond Bug. CFRP doesn't seem to suffer from the same stigma, probably because Carbon Fibre is considered to be "cool".
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