RE: Interview: Lee Noble / Fenix Automotive
Discussion
Bizarre name. Fenix (Phoenix) is so over-used for companies 'rising from the ashes'. The Phoenix Consortium was the disastrous company in charge of the MG Rover buy-back.
But sincerely I wish Lee Noble success with his new venture. He's obviously a talented individual with a lot of customer goodwill on his side.
But sincerely I wish Lee Noble success with his new venture. He's obviously a talented individual with a lot of customer goodwill on his side.
nobleman said:
dare I say Lee Noble could be hailed as the Colin Chapman, though using larger engines, of the modern era. I can't be the only one who has said that. "Sacrilege" I hear all the Lotus fans say.
Not sure Mr Noble gets within a thousand miles whichever way you look at it. Which is a shame. Essentially he only ever came up with one successful car (largely filling the gap left by lack of a new Esprit) and fell at the first hurdle - how to follow it. Having said that I'm happy to wish him the very best of luck with this new project.By the way - IMO anyone who's willing to spend £200k on that new blue monstrosity called a "Noble" must be out of their mind. There's a very fine new sports car from Ferrari available around £150k. Not to mention some fine efforts from Mr Lamborghini and and even Mr Audi.
Even if you choose to believe that the M12 was nothing more than an Esprit substitute, you cannot deny its success. No Lotus in recent memory has had the giant-slaying properties of the M12 and its successive iterations. Do you recall Autocar's Britain's Best Driver's Car issue in 2004, where the M400 disposed of such greats as the GT3RS, Gallardo, DB9 and Lotus Exige - among many others - to tale the title? It even came second in the same competition the following year, following a raft of new supercar launches in 2005.
I could go on, but I think most people know how much the enthusiast media raved about Noble - and not just in the UK.
No, Lee should rightly be hailed as a 21st Century Colin Chapman. He has the singlemindedness, engineering talent, and most importantly, manufacturing know-how to launch the right car at the right price, at the right time.
I could go on, but I think most people know how much the enthusiast media raved about Noble - and not just in the UK.
No, Lee should rightly be hailed as a 21st Century Colin Chapman. He has the singlemindedness, engineering talent, and most importantly, manufacturing know-how to launch the right car at the right price, at the right time.
nobleman said:
Essentially he only ever came up with one successful car (largely filling the gap left by lack of a new Esprit) and fell at the first hurdle - how to follow it.
He's produced a few good cars admitedly on a theme (but a good one), which are you thinking of in particular...?Noble P4
Ultima
plus the later Nobles
Must say I wouldn't mind a beer with the chap one day.
Edited by qwick on Wednesday 18th November 21:01
As others have mentioned, I'm inclined towards an LS engine on a cost/power/reliability/availability basis..... The BMW V8 is not a proven quantity with turbo's, the Audi V8 does service in the back of a £250k+ Gumpert Apollo, and I can't think of anything else which could offer this spread of power without major investment in testing - apart from the very same Yamaha/Volvo unit in the back of the 'Noble' which is set to retail at £200k...
Incidentally, IIRC Sutcliffe's piece last month mentioned that Lee's new car will use the same Graziano (I think) 'box as that in the M600. Perhaps thats a clue to the power unit, perhaps its not.....
Incidentally, IIRC Sutcliffe's piece last month mentioned that Lee's new car will use the same Graziano (I think) 'box as that in the M600. Perhaps thats a clue to the power unit, perhaps its not.....
So they haven't built the prototype yet and they go on sale next year. That's not long to iron out the faults / niggles. I suspect the majority of buyers of a 100k car will not want to be a "development" drivers. :worried:
I hope it works out well for him, but I don't think he's learnt the key lesson from from selling his other cars.
I hope it works out well for him, but I don't think he's learnt the key lesson from from selling his other cars.
he does indeed sound proper genuine - just contrast him with the Rochdale Cowboy !
regarding ABS, yes of course it will hurt business, there are doubtless people who won't buy just on the strength of "no ABS". BUT consider the costs to the small manufacturer - they are huge - it's actually cheaper to put an entire new body style into production or to change the engine than it is to add ABS.
There is some option to do a delaer-fit ABS, but the liability issues are quite large.
regarding ABS, yes of course it will hurt business, there are doubtless people who won't buy just on the strength of "no ABS". BUT consider the costs to the small manufacturer - they are huge - it's actually cheaper to put an entire new body style into production or to change the engine than it is to add ABS.
There is some option to do a delaer-fit ABS, but the liability issues are quite large.
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