Small-scale British supercar maker, Noble, is preparing to bring its new M500 supercar to market in 2022.
Based in Leicester, UK, Noble Automotive is perhaps not as widely publicised as other supercar makers such as Ferrari, Lamborghini or McLaren but the small British firm has a strong reputation for remaining true to driving purity and the forthcoming M500 will be no different.
Since 2009, Noble produced the M600 supercar boasting a twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre Yamaha V8 engine that produced maximum outputs of 485 kW and 819 Nm of torque and with a Graziano 6-speed manual transmission driving the rear wheels. Production of the M600 ended in 2018.
At 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed, Nobel showed the M500 concept supercar, essentially a ‘baby M600’ and a working prototype, pictured here, is currently undergoing testing. Nobel is hoping to have first customer deliveries before the end of 2022 with a target production of 50 units per annum.
The rear-wheel-drive Noble M500 2-seater, mid-engined supercar will be powered by Ford’s twin-turbocharged 3.5-litre V6 engine, the same that powers the Ford GT, and will offer around 410 kW and 813 Nm of torque and will also employ the Graziano 6-speed manual transmission with a metal gate.
The tubular steel chassis is 70% derived from the M600 and while both the M600 and M500 share the same length, the M500 is slightly wider. The M500 features a double-wishbone suspension with coilover springs and passive dampers all around. The steering is hydraulically-assisted but no ABS or airbags will be fitted to the M500, which is a rarity in this day and age.
The target weight for the M500 is roughly 1 250 kg and if that is achieved, it will feature a tantalising power-to-weight ratio that could give the Maserati MC20 and the Porsche 911 Turbo S a solid run down the drag strip.
Also, while official pricing has not yet been confirmed, Noble is aiming to bring the M500 to market for roughly £150,000 or approximately R3.2 million which would make it very competitively priced against its rival offerings.
