Noble is getting ready to take on the Porsche 911 Turbo with a mid-engined V6 supercar, dubbed M500.
Initially revealed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2018, the M500 has been quietly bubbling away at Noble HQ in Leicester. Finally, three-and-a-half years after its first public outing, a report from Autocar has shed light on what form the M500 will take.
Autocar reports the M500 will be powered by a version of the 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 engine from the Ford GT supercar, making around 410kW of power and around 810Nm of torque.
When it launches, it will effectively replace the M600. That car hit the road in 2011, with power from a 4.4-litre Yamaha V8 engine (famous for featuring in the Volvo XC90) that’s been boosted by two Garrett turbochargers.
The M500 might not have 4.4L of displacement to play with, but the engine’s outputs won’t be far off those of the M600. The new Noble will also have a similar pared-back ethos to the M600.
Don’t go looking for a dual-clutch transmission, nor a dizzying array of active driver assists. Power is sent to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual, and you don’t get ABS – so adaptive cruise control, lane-keep, and autonomous emergency braking aren’t likely to feature either.
Under the skin, the Autocar report says the M500 shares around 70 per cent of its steel tubular underpinnings with the older M600 supercar. Unlike the all-carbon M600, however, the body of the M500 will be made of fibreglass.
Its side sills are slimmer than those of its bigger brother, designed to make the cabin easier to access, and Autocar reports the cabin is a simple space with a digital dashboard and Recaro Podium bucket seats.
Dimensionally, it’s the same 4360mm long as the M600. It’s not identical width-wise, but it’s reportedly within millimetres of 1910mm wide.
Pricing is expected to start at £150,000 – equivalent to $280,000 in Australia. That would put it in line with the Porsche 911 Carrera S locally, although in the UK it lines up more neatly with the 911 Turbo
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