JAGUAR ARTICLES

Noble Sports Cars from Britain

It is not just Aston Maritn and Jaguar that are wowing car buffs with their new British sports cars and supercars, but some of the smaller makers as well. For example, over the past decade, Noble Automotive has built itself a reputation for producing super-quick supercars which have the performance of a 5 liter car with just a 3-liter engine.

It started with the 2.5 liter M10, which developed into the 3.0 liter M12, and then came the M400 - more information here - which is a quiet, docile road going car that is just as at home on a track. This is really a semi-trackday car, though, with 425 bhp and a 0-60 mph time of 3.5 seconds. Performance is truly staggering, and as good as cars costs twice as much.

Super Looking M15

Noble Automotive at Barwell in Leicestershire, in England's industrial Midlands,has now introduced a GT based on the same well-tried engine and suspension as the M12 and M400. It looks superb, and it's going to be love at first sight for many when they see the M15, which has clean curved but very modern lines.

At the front there are a pair of air intakes beneath the headlamps, which are behind plastic lenses that are flush with the body. The hood slopes back to the steeply raked windshield.
The M15 is a fastback design, with a conventional sloping roof over the engine compartment. Big air intakes forward of the rear wheels make the car look as if it means business, and there are large air outlets at the rear. Altogether smoother than the M12, which is good looking in the way that near-racers are.

455 bhp with Twin Turbochargers

And smoothness is what the M15 is all about. Although it is based on the same chassis and engine as the M12, the car is 7 inches longer and 2 in wider, which means more space for the driver and passenger and their luggage. Yep, more space for luggage was important, so the intercoolers have been moved out so they are behind the rear wheels, and this leads to a bigger trunk - and there's room for some luggage in the front as well.

The turbocharged 3.0 liter V-6 used in all Nobles has been tweaked a bit compared with the M12 GTO-3R to give 455 bhp at 6,800 rpm. In the existing Nobles, the engine is mounted across the frame, but in the M14, the engine is mounted fore-and-aft, with the transaxle behind it in the traditional mid-engined supercar layout. It has a six-speed gearbox.

It is this new layout that gives the extra space for luggage, and also gives a slightly better weight distribution. Comforts like electric windup windows and air conditioning will be standard - all for £75,000 or about $130,000.

New Roadster from Noble, too

Realizing that many enthusiasts want an open sports car, Noble is also to introduce a convertible version of the M12 called the M12 GTC. It has a slightly different mechanical specification from the M12 GTO-3R, and actually looks very smart, whether the roof is up or down. It has a single turbocharger, so it is not as powerful as the M400, but will still be pretty quick.

Once this is in production, Noble will have four exciting models to offer enthusiasts. Because they are based on Ford engines, but heavily modified by Noble, they offer electric performance with reliability and more comfort than you would expect.