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Thursday, 30 December 2010

Wednesday, 29 December 2010

New section to the site

Our new section is www.nobleconceptz.blogspot.com

and deals with a gallery of the nobles that never made production.

Tuesday, 28 December 2010

Latest noble pic

2003 Noble M12 GTO-3T prototype being tested at a track day, the 3T probably evolved into the M400.

Places where you will be able to buy the M600

1. Romans international. Address: Romans International Ltd, Brighton Road (A217), Banstead, Surrey SM7 1AT. Phone: 0844 249 5186. Website: www.romansinternational.com/
2. Peter smith sports cars. Address: Peter Smith Sportscars, Station Road,Hatton, Derbyshire DE65 5EL. Phone: 01283 813593. Website: www.petersmithsportscars.com/

Mad italian Noble in the video, watch...

Monday, 27 December 2010

TOP 10: Weird and wacky Nobles

10. Noble M400 with racing numbers and personalised plate.
9. Noble M12 GTC concept, a fun and interesting concept.


8. Noble M10, its odd looks are always going to be an eye catcher.

7. Noble M12 with M400 mods and a very weird colour.




6. Noble M400 with white paint and green wheels, it is also the only noble in Singapore.





5. Noble M12 GTO-3 with extra mods and striking orange paint.




4. Noble M14 concept, Lee Nobles 2004 M14 concept is his wackiest design yet.





3. Noble M400, what can i say!, it is IRON MAN M400









2. Noble M400, noble with green paint, racing mods, and sponsorship decals, it's a wacky bit of track kit!






1. Salica M12 convertible, What do you get when you take a M12 and some loonys in a garage with crayons?, the Salica GTR, the maddest Noble of all!!

Sunday, 26 December 2010

3 Nobles stolen in 2005

In 2005, a theft of the Noble factory led to an amazing scene of events, and Pistonheads was there every step of the way.

Thieves broke into Noble Automotive’s Leicestershire HQ on Monday night, stealing three Noble cars – an M12 GTO and two M400 models, one of which was brand new and awaiting delivery to a dealer. In total, the cars were worth £150,000.
The factory was burgled during Monday evening, and it has since been found that an out-sourced cleaning company failed to set the premises’ high-tech alarm system, which would have alerted police immediately.
Lee Noble, the company’s MD said: “The three stolen cars were driven away from the factory in convoy. But one of the thieves lost control of the Noble he was driving after less than a mile and the police retrieved it from a ditch. Given how unique the other two cars are, these criminals will have extraordinary difficulty selling them on. And since the cars are not homologated elsewhere in the world, selling them overseas will not be easy.”
Noble’s sky-blue coloured press demonstrator, which has appeared in magazines and newspapers around the world, is one of the stolen cars. Its registration is ‘M400 GTO’. The other, un-registered car is a silver-coloured model which was due for delivery to a dealer today.




Following the theft of a trio of Nobles last week (story link below), a PHer spotted the company's Portifino Blue M400 press demonstrator car, registration 'M400 GTO' last Saturday night in Norwich, travelling towards Great Yarmouth.
Simon Hucknall, Noble's press relations man, said, "the PHer spotted the car and immediately reported it to the police (many thanks for this, Peter). However, the police would not investigate the sighting because the car was not showing on their Stolen Vehicles Register. It turns out that they had forgotten to list it after we'd reported the car missing.
"However, my intention is not to bash police incompetence, but to alert anyone in the Norfolk area that the car just may still be around. The thieves have obviously not changed the plates (remarkably), but even if they now have, this car is the only Portifino M400, so it will still stand out to those in the know.
"Please also let me add, on behalf of everyone here at the factory, our thanks for the kind words and support expressed on this forum, since the break in last week."
Let PistonHeads add that we wish Noble the best of luck in retrieving the cars



A sequence of events that would have done a Hollywood thriller proud has lead to the recovery of two stolen Noble cars, worth over £100,000 (see original story, link below).
The cars were stolen last January in a raid on Noble’s Leicestershire factory. Despite plenty of coverage in the media –- including a feature on BBC’s CrimeWatch UK programme –- the location of the cars remained a mystery until Noble’s MD, Lee Noble, received a call from someone calling himself ‘Tim’.
'Tim' claimed to know the whereabouts of the stolen cars and demanded a large cash payout to reveal the information. But Noble was having none of it: “I sensed that the guy was desperate, having had no luck in selling the cars on in the last five months. But on the other hand, one of the cars contained some bespoke development parts which were of value to us. I offered him £3000 cash and he reluctantly accepted it.”
Noble was told to drive to a TGI Friday restaurant on the Coventry by-pass, no more than 12 miles from Noble’s factory. “I thought we were being met there,” said Noble, “but I received another call in which I was sent on a wild goose chase all around Coventry – these guys obviously wanted to know that the police weren’t in tow.”
Noble and colleague Colin Bayliss finally met two men on a bridge over the A45. “They were as suspicious of me as I was of them – they even checked that the child locks were off on my BMW before they got in the back and directed us towards a row of council lock-up garages a couple of miles away.
“The men got out of the car and opened one of the garage doors to reveal a silver Noble. But I had to know that both of them were there, so I locked myself (and the cash) in the car until they opened a second lock-up, revealing our blue press M400 – still showing its original number plates! I wound down my window, handed them the cash, and then watched them run off, scaling a ten-foot high wall as they did so; they didn’t even count the cash.”
Within an hour, both cars were back at the factory. Apart from a missing stereo, they were found to be untouched and only required their batteries charging and a thorough valet.
Summing up the futility of such a theft, Noble said, “Cars like these are too unusual to sell on once they’ve been stolen. The low-volume sports car market is such a tight-knit community that someone is bound to spot a vehicle of dubious provenance a mile off.”

Friday, 24 December 2010

Latest Noble pic

You've heard of, the M400, but what about the M460, a tuned GTO-3 which looks fantastic, nice vinyls.

with thanks to tuxman from Pistonheads

Noble prototypes

White Noble M10 prototype, built in Lee Nobles home.
The Black Noble M14 prototype going in for a spray

M15 prototype, also going in for a powder coat




The M600 prototype having a grueling track test in the desert
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMVpSbqhspA ( M15 prototype being driven)





Thursday, 23 December 2010

Wednesday, 22 December 2010

Noble power to weight chart

Noble M10, 174 BHP/TONNE
Noble M12 GTO, 321 BHP/TONNE
Noble M12 GTO-3, 323 BHP/TONNE
Noble M12 GTO-3R, 325 BHP/TONNE
Noble M400, 400 BHP/TONNE
Noble M600, 509 BHP/TONNE

Friday, 17 December 2010

Very funny video, just you watch!


by the way our 100th post!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thursday, 16 December 2010

Tuesday, 14 December 2010

Noble car review

In 2003 the original 2.5 litre engine was dropped from the M12 range, replaced with a 3.0 litre engine, so what was it like EVO was there to find out.

Things are going well for Noble. When I wander into its workshop in Barwell, Leicestershire, there's a snake of a dozen or so M12 GTOs lined up for completion, the last in line wearing a little strip of masking tape on its rear spoiler that reads '165'. It shows that from a standing start a couple of years ago, this small company is close to fulfilling order number 165. And it's a strong, steady demand now; when I drop in a couple of weeks later, the last car is numbered 170.
However, the model I've turned up to drive probably won't be made in such numbers. It's pretty much the original M12 GTO but instead of the 2.5-litre twin-turbo Ford V6, it's a 3-litre. Called the M12 GTO 3 and with power up from 310 to 344bhp and torque rising from 320 to 340lb ft, it should be even more rapid. So why won't it sell?
Founder Lee Noble explains: 'Because since we showed the GTO 3R, all the orders have been for that.' The R, we should explain, is the M12 evolved further, with a six-speed 'box, limited-slip differential, new wheels and a slightly more aggressive nose treatment. Oh, and the 3-litre twin-turbo, of course, only in a slightly higher state of tune.The GTO 3 makes do with the standard five-speed 'box and it's this that prevents it enjoying the R's 365bhp and 385lb ft - those outputs have proved just a bit too much for the five-speeder. Mind you, the GTO 3 feels fantastically muscular with 'only' 344bhp, which, with a fraction less than a ton of Noble to haul, has bumped the power-to-weight ratio up from a 911 GT2-matching 321bhp per ton to a Murciί¿½lago-beating 358bhp per ton. Judging by the figures we attained for the 2.5, the GTO 3 should crack 4.0sec to 60mph and hit 100 in well under 10.
It certainly feels that quick, though, as ever, what you initially notice about the Noble is how well mannered and tractable it is. There's less chuff and chatter from the turbochargers and wastegates of the 3-litre, partly because their plumbing has been changed, but in its place comes a meatier, more resonant exhaust note that somehow gives the GTO 3 a more serious feel.
As with the 2.5, there's a very smooth transition from off- to on-boost, thanks to plenty of low-rev torque, two small, fast-acting turbos and a relatively modest boost of 0.8bar (11psi). Given its head the Noble is seriously quick, with the sort of leggy, sustained, high-g acceleration that devours straights. It brings up three-figure speeds with deceptive ease, thanks partly to its finely judged chassis; firm but compliant enough that it isn't distracted by bumps, with steering that while initially quite light, weights up nicely at speed and is geared to be responsive but not so sharp it makes the car feel nervous.
More than ever, the GTO with the bigger engine is a car you can travel very quickly in without feeling that you're trying. Indeed, you can make serious progress using only the excellent part-throttle response in fourth and fifth, which makes the GTO rapid and refined for long distances.
Noble has always said the GTO is optimised for road use, but our test took in an evoactive trackday at Snetterton, and it stood up remarkably well. In a morning it did over 100 laps (200 miles), flat-out, and the brakes felt as good at the end as they did when we started, the tyres hardly marked. The GTO is remarkably well-balanced through both slow and fast turns. Push the front too hard and there's mild, scrubby understeer; get on the gas too early and, despite lacking a slippy diff, the tail will drift into oversteer. But you'll know early on when you're overdriving it and besides, it's fast enough for you not to have to push it that far. I'd never have guessed it was going quite so well without other machinery to pit it against. Our Caterham R400 was there, as was a Radical SR3. Only the R400 got by, and only after a few laps. Demerits? There's not much brake feel in the wet, so it's easy to lock-up a front wheel and not realise.
It's a shame so few GTO 3s will be made, but if the R version handles even better and goes even quicker for just ΂£3550 more, who wouldn't go for the R?

Sunday, 12 December 2010

The largest ever Noble track day

So, what was it like at the biggest ever Noble track day? In 2005 pistonheads was there to tell us .






They go in for big numbers at Noble: the prelude to last weekend's Britcar 24-hour race saw 72 Nobles crossing Silverstone circuit’s start line shortly before Noble’s own race car took its place on the grid. And even though the Noble racecar didn't finish the event, Noble's boss, Lee Noble, reckoned the company had learnt a lot.
Officially, this was the largest gathering of Nobles in the company’s history, narrowly beating the 70 cars that lapped Rockingham’s race circuit earlier in the year. All models were present for the one-lap parade, from a trio of early drop-top M10s (only six were ever produced) to the latest, hugely quick M400 model.
Lee Noble, said after the parade: “It’s quite extraordinary that a company of our size can summon up this level of support from owners on anything less than a fully organised owners’ day. Watching all these cars cross the start line illustrates how far we’ve come in a relatively short amount of time. With our new model out later this year, I’m sure next year’s pre-race parade will exceed 100 cars.”
The parade was led by the company’s M400 press car with Lee Noble’s eight-year-old daughter, Amy, in the passenger seat.
After the parade, the assembled ‘Nobility’ – a name increasingly used to describe a gathering of Noble owners – converged on the race team’s pit garage to watch Noble’s competition car start the 24hr race.
The race
Last weekend’s Britcar 24-hr race at Silverstone gave the Noble race team its first chance to rigorously test an all-new platform that will underpin its upcoming road car, due out later this year.
Noble himself started the race in rain-soaked conditions from fifth place on the grid, after qualifying second in the GT3 class with a time of 2:00.11 -- an average speed of 95.72mph.
Within a few laps, Lee had settled into a steady rhythm behind the wheel of the 500bhp Noble, maintaining his grid position in a sea of spray thrown up by the Mosler and Porsche GT3 Cup cars ahead of him. Lee said: “The car felt as steady as a rock, even though there were rivers running across the track at times. Even when I did push it a bit too hard out of the corners – sometimes at over 120mph – the car was easy to control and gave me no worries at all.”
While the profile of Noble’s racer looks similar to the M12 model, its heavily re-designed chassis and in-line drive-train mark a big departure from those in the current road car. These features, along with its bespoke gearbox, dry-sump and twin intercoolers will be shared with Noble’s new supercar.
As Lee was about to finish his stint after the first hour, a fuel pump relay tripped, losing the team around eight minutes and plunging them into 41st place overall. The setback was frustrating, but as number two driver Alistair Mackinnon took over from Lee, and continued to drive the Noble harder than ever in the worsening rain, the team rapidly clawed back lost ground.
In the next five hours, Mackinnon and fellow team drivers Phil Quaife, Keith Robinson and Dave Baseley pulled the 1,093Kg Noble back 25 places to 16th position overall.
“The car felt invincible,” said Noble. “Other than the blown fuse, it really looked like we were on a roll and would finish well up with the front-runners.”
But just before 11.00pm, the car pitted with serious power loss problems. After checking the engine, it was decided that the fault was beyond repair and a decision was made to withdraw from the race after six hours.
In terms of development, though, Lee and his team gained valuable feedback from the outing at Silverstone. “Our race and road car projects are heavily linked,” said Lee, “So we’re not frightened to experiment with new or re-designed components in the race car if it means that the road car will be better as a result. Next year we’ll be back, faster and stronger than before!”
Pistonheads 2005



Friday, 10 December 2010

Convertible M12

If you ever want a convertible Noble, you're only choice is the M10, But Noble did have something in the pipeline called the M12 GTC, it had the 3 litre engine from the GTO-3, and it only weighed as much as the M400. It also came with a clever fold away targa roof. 0-60 took just 4.5 seconds and the top speed was 160 mph. And it came with an estimated price of just 45,000 pounds, Sadly none were actually built, but there were two press demonstrators
This M12 GTC was the finished product, it was first shown at the 2004 Birmingham motor show



This was the original M12 GTC, it was just a show car and it didn't actually move.



It is sad that it never was built, but we still have the M10, which at the time was cheaper and was only a fraction slower.
But for those who wanted a M10 drop-top mixed in with the M12's performance, sorry, this is as close as you'll get.

Thursday, 9 December 2010

What iv'e been doing (again)

The big news this month is i enjoyed my visit to Lee ( See, Our meeting with Lee Noble ) Which has neglected another thing i was going to right up on, my latest brochure, a 1999 Noble M10 brochure, see pics below (beware amateur photography!)










CAR FOR SALE

This immaculate example of an M400 has only covered 19,000 miles!

RED,
Manual,
Noble service history,
air con,
anti theft system,
radio/CD player,
Black alcantara interior,
Just been serviced,
19,000 miles
54 plate
M400 coupe
£35,950
Phone:01306 710088


Sunday, 5 December 2010

Noble Video game




Not many people have heard of "Noble Racing" but if you like nobles, its probably the only game that matters.
CARS: the game features the M12 GTO-3R, M400, a Noble racing car and the M14 concept car
GAME: it features a track challenge, club event, practise drive. It also has a single player and 2 player challenge.


Friday, 3 December 2010

CAR FOR SALE

This car is pristine, and has a rare carbonfibre wing



2002 Noble M12 GTO-3
25'157 miles
air con
M400 suspension
cd player
carbon wing
29,495 pounds

Send us your stories

do you own a noble? have you seen one?, have you been at a noble track day? then send us your stories at: damienpeterwilson@hotmail.co.uk

we'd love to here them, and we'll even put them on the site

ThankYou, Admin