It’s a rather pretty yellow thing, isn’t it?
Have you heard of Noble? We don’t blame you. A small, specialist company based out of an industrial estate in Leicester, the Noble Automotive company has been making ‘analogue,’ driver-focused supercars for some time now. Their sole product, the M600, offered a pared-back driving experience that was more than a casual throwback to an era where the only thing between a fast car and a massive accident was the skill of the driver behind the wheel.
But of course, that kind of experience isn’t for everyone. Quite a number of supercar buyers, would you believe it, are entirely-inexperienced wealthy hoorays who were scared of cars that could bite their head off if they tried to change a track on Spotify while they were on the motorway. Which was okay for the Noble M600, because it meant that only experienced, learned, and skilled wealthy hoorays understood the appeal of the M600.
But that kind of product, doesn’t sell in numbers. What does sell is an easier-to-live-with, comfort-considering, moderately-practical affair. Ferrari has the California, Porsche has the Cayman & Boxster, and Noble now has the M500.
With a thumping great Ford V6 in the middle (taken out of the Ford GT, and the F-150 pickup), a double-clutch automatic and 410kW on tap, the Noble M500 is certainly a step down from its manic older brother, and that’s a good thing. Even the design of the M500 is more approachable, more relatable, more in keeping with the tastes of current supercar buyers.
The car that’s being shown at Goodwood is just a model though, with no working powertrain or even an interior. However, the car is in development and will go into production in the later stages of next year, and should cost considerably less than the £300,000 (roughly $536k) commanded by the M600. We know the M500 will sell stronger than the M600, but the question is, by how much?
Stay tuned to CarShowroom as we bring you more updates as they come.
