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Tuesday 26 April 2011

Noble M400 (USA)

Noble is a British brand, but it made the choice to go on sale in America, but what was the reception?
The story starts when Noble ran under 1G Racing (now Rossion) 1G wanted to sell the car (Noble M400) in its homeland of the US. There were a number of good reasons for this decision, chief among which

is that it selling it there meant more buyers of the cars and also that it would provide a nice alternative to Callaway Corvettes and Shelby Mustangs. The body and major components are made in South Africa, just like any other Nobles, but instead of being sent to Nobles factory in Leister, it was sent straight to 1G's HQ in Ohio. Unfortunately at this point there was a problem. The Noble didn't meet the US car regulations that meant it could be sold in America. Noble found a way round the problem, they sold the car without the Engine and Transmission, and then sourced you the right engine and Transmission that you had to attach yourself. This qualified it as a kit car, which meant it went round the regulations. Did it work though? Yes it did, the Americans loved it for its Handling and straight line speed and that they were good to modify. It was sold there in 2007 from its one dealer in Ohio at $94,229 dollars. In 2008 1G changed its name to Rossion and brought out a more upmarket version called the Q1.

2 comments:

  1. I have a M400 that I bought new in 2005. It is a great sports car. I haven't had time to drive it much. It only has 2300 miles on it. What is the market like for a nice M400?

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  2. Very good, you would probably get a decent amount of money for it.

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