Alex Unleashed on Cars- Noble M600 (Big British Underdog)

 

I've talked about Noble before on this blog and I mentioned that in 2007 they closed up shop after Lee Noble left the company. Well, 3 years later they were back and better than ever with today's spotlight. the M600.

Straight away, the M600 bears styling ques from both the canned M15 prototype and M14 concept car and it's definitely a handsome car, it's different, notably lacking the M12's rear wing yet still looks like a Noble.
But let's talk about the engine, no longer a Ford V6, now it's a 4.4 litre V8 from Volvo tuned by Yamaha (who also tuned the Ford Puma coupe engines) and has the standard Noble twin turbos. What this means is that the M600 produces 650 BHP and 604 Ib/ft of torque, for reference, the Pagani Zonda F (which is no slouch in performance terms) has 602 BHP and 576 Ib/ft of torque, in a straight line, the M600 gets to 60 in just 3 seconds, that trumps the: Ferrari Enzo, Corvette ZR1, Porsche GT2 RS and many more. Flat out, it will hit 225 MPH, which is faster than any Ferrari ever made. 

But, what if 650 BHP is a bit too much for you? Well, you can use the power dial, to tweak the power down to 550 (Track) or 450 (Road), in Race (650) the M600 can be a handful what with the lack of driver aids or the huge rear wing like the old M12 GTO had to provide downforce. Heck, to turn the traction control off, you have to flick up a switch then press the button to turn it off, clearly Noble knew this car was not to be messed with. 

But in Road mode, when your not battling a brute force of nature you can appreciate the trademark Noble nice ride and the simplicity of it's design and interior, it's very much like a Ferrari F40 in that regard. But if you want to live on the edge, turn the dial to Race, drop a cog on the manual gearbox and watch as it accelerates from 40-60 in just 1 second, and any experienced road tester will tell you in gear times are more important than plain old 0-60/0-100 and the M600 makes quick work of these tests even with the turbo lag.

But, all this came at a cost, a cost of £225,000. Which to some, for a car only those in the know have heard of is an obscene amount of money for a car that may on an A-road blast best a Ferrari 458 or Porsche Turbo, but for grand touring and cross country travel, the M600 simply is not the right car for the job. 

Noble did also produce Roadster version several years after the cars launch which lost none of the M600's brute speed. 

In the end, the M600 is an oddball, it has all the ferocity of a full-on hypercar, yet at the flick of a switch can be quietened down into a much more tame and manageable car. In my mind it's a cross between the simple and enjoyable F40 and the underdog powerhouse of the TVR Speed Twelve, and sure a Porsche or Ferrari would likely be quicker in the bends but as soon as the road opens up, you know who'll be in front. 

Years Produced: 2010-2018

Engine: 4.4 Litre Twin Turbo V8

Top Speed: 225 MPH

0-60: 3.0 Seconds

Power: 650 BHP

Torque: 604 Ib/ft

Weight: 1250 KG

Price: £225,000

Rivals: McLaren MP4-12C, Porsche 911 GT2 RS, Koenigsegg Agera, Lamborghini Aventador

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