Since bursting onto the motoring scene with some pretty astonishing performance claims in 2009, not much more has been written about the new Noble M600. Little is known about the circumstances surrounding the numerous postponements of the car's official launch date, but Noble has finally announced the green light for production to commence.
Noble’s previous creation, the M400, is still revered within motoring circles for its brutal acceleration and huge “fun factor”. Here at CAR, we also have fond memories of the Pearlescent White machine – with its South African-assembled roots – that delivered a 0-100 km/h time of just 4,47 seconds in our January 2006 performance issue.
The next generation Noble M600 uses a twin-turbocharged 4,4-litre Yamaha V8 engine mated to a six-speed manual transmission. Three power modes, selectable via an Adaptive Performance Control switch, unleash between 336 kW in its Road setting, to an eyeball-straining 485 kW in its most potent Track setting.
Considering that the M600, with its tubular frame chassis and carbon fibre composite body, tips the scales at only 1 250 kg it’s hardly surprising that Noble is claiming a 0-100 km/h sprint time of just 3 seconds, with a top speed of 362 km/h.
There’s no word on pricing as yet (expect upwards of R2 million) but if the Noble M600 can live up to its supercar-humbling hype, order books should be filling up fast ahead of its April 2011 UK launch date.This time round it is not built by Port Elizabeth's Hi-Tec Automotive, so local sales are unlikely.
