Reporter | Li Wenbo
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For most consumers, Noble is an unfamiliar car brand. But for veteran car fans, Noble is an old friend who is all too familiar.
After the M600 was widely acclaimed, Noble, the BRITISH-based supercar manufacturer, decided to produce the new Noble M500 to satisfy the last bit of love and passion for fuel vehicles.
First on display as a concept car at Goodwood in 2018, the M500 is cheaper and less powerful than the M600, and it's actually the only product from the car company.
Dynamic testing of the M500 has just begun, and Noble says the first customers will begin deliveries this year.
Like the M600, the M500 is a two-seat, mid-engined supercar with a steel chassis. However, instead of using a Volvo twin-turbo V8 engine, it uses a Ford twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 engine, like the Ford GT.
The M600 has a peak output of 650 horsepower. That output made the M600 one of the most powerful supercars of its time, but was beaten by today's mid-engine alternative. At the current level of power, the M500 will be closer to the junior supercar, like the Chevrolet Corvette C8 and Porsche 911 Turbo S.
To replace the M600's carbon fiber body, the M500 features a glass fiber composite body that helps reduce costs. But according to Noble's general manager Peter Boutwood, 70 percent of its steel tube chassis is M600.
The M500 is the same length as the M600 and has been redesigned for more space. Fundamentally, the chassis and suspension of the two cars are very similar, and the driving and handling are also very similar. Back in 2010, the M600 beat the Ferrari 458 Italia, and the few driver aids are more attractive to fans.
The M500 features double wishbone suspension, comes with coil springs and passive shock absorbers, hydraulically assisted power steering, and no AEB and airbags. The only gearbox option is a six-speed manual transmission from Graziano, whose hardcore shift action is unique to Noble. Inside the carriage are two Recaro Podium seats with slightly offset pedal positions and a simple digital gauge.
The M500 prototype was built in-house at the Noble Leicester plant, and production of the M600 ended in 2018 when a very small team (only 8 people in total, including 5 technicians in charge of the car) began production of the M500.
Noble did not accept any orders as a final price had not yet been determined, but the sales director said, "We want to make it as acceptable as possible, with a target of around £150,000." ”
That's what Noble built: to offer the thrill of a mid-engined supercar at a lower price, powerful, inexpensive and more cost-effective than its mid-engine rivals – Ferrari, Lamborghini and McLaren.
The M600 is still in the spotlight, and it's one of the stars of the movie Fast and Furious 9, but there are only a few dozen units in the world. The M500's annual production capacity target of 50 units sounds inconspicuous, but for Noble, it is the limit.
A brief history of Noble
1999: British car design and engineer Lee Noble founded his sports car company of the same name, the first M10 convertible using a naturally aspirated 2.5-litre V6 engine.
2000: The emergence of the more well-known and well-sold M12 cemented Noble's position as a full-fledged sports car brand powered by Ford's twin-turbo V6 engine.
2004: The M12's successor, the M14 prototype, was unveiled at the UK Motor Show, and high development costs brought it to a halt. It was followed by the M15, which was heavily redesigned in 2006.
2008: Lee Noble leaves the company to start a new business. Noble began developing the 650-horsepower M600 supercar, which went on sale in 2010.
2018: At the Goodwood Festival, the entry-level M500 is on display as a concept car, featuring a combination of Ford V6 engine and DSG dual-clutch automatic transmission.