This Is Noble’s Latest Car, The M500
Bet you haven’t heard from these guys in a while! Noble are back, and it looks like they’ve been working on something behind the scenes which they’ve brought for show and tell at Goodwood Festival of Speed.
It’s called the Noble M500 – the 500 hinting at the amount of horsepower it’s going to boast. The key phrase here is ‘going to’, as the car is only a foam model of what’s to come. But while this means we haven’t got an actual car to drool over, this does mean that we’re not teased with tiny snippets for months on end.
Unfortunately, I’m not completely sold on how the thing looks. It takes too many design queues from other cars such as the Chiron’s wing down the side, the Citroen tail lights, and the headlights from the Corvette. The powertrain does sound interesting however. 500hp will be produced from a Ford-sourced twin-turbo V6. This also means it sits just below the overseas tax bands unlike its M600 big brother.
This power will be sent through a 7-speed dual cutch automatic to the rear wheels.
“We do still fly the flag for analogue cars,” insists Noble MD Peter Boutwood. “It’s a bit sad to me, but a car at this level needs a paddleshift gearbox to sell. Hopefully we’ll do a manual, too…”
Weight is said to sit at around 1200kg thanks to an aluminium chassis and fibreglass body, which would hint towards excellent handling like the Nobles which have come before. Boutwood also promises a more luxurious and spacious cabin. No carbon to be seen, though – we must remember Noble must be on a strict budget. Because of this, the car won’t be too expensive but will still breach six-figures.
“I’d love more people to drive a Noble,” he says. “I want to open the brand up.”
While this sounds like a win-win, I still have my doubts about a car where corners have obviously been cut. Let’s just hope they’v been cut in the right places, and not in the places that matter.
