The Noble M600
When we say the word "Supercar" it usually referrers to a high powered car that has its pictures plastered all over the pages of popular car magazines. Usually every enthusiastic car lover knows its name and is aware of some of its performance capabilities. But somehow the Noble M600 seem to have slipped by most car lovers. Hailing from the United Kingdom, Noble is a truly unique supercar maker that prides itself in the creation of unique, powerful, light-weight driver's cars. The latest creation to come from Noble is so unique, in fact, the automaker unabashedly claims that the M600 has no competition whatsoever. The car is hand built in small premises by a team of fewer than 20 people. But whether this car has slipped by you or not, it certainly has reached super car status. The M600 is faster than a McLaren F1 in almost every in-gear increment from 20 to160 mph (32 to 258 kph). Running it on the Top Gear track, it did a 1:17.7, beating the Pagani Zonda F Roadster and the Bugatti Veyron. I think that qualifies it as a super car, don't you?
The car was unveiled at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show and at first look, its sleek body design stands right out letting you know that this is no ordinary car. It has a full carbon fiber body, which give the car is light weight yet still retain its strength. Noble released two versions of its 2013 M600 body style. The first is Noble M600 made from a special carbon fiber and the second is the Meco version which displays a blue exterior. But as shown in the photos, M600 buyers are doing some radical things when it comes to the color of their cars. The exterior of the car is a perfect match of a super car without having any kind of cosmetic trimming. Even the stylish headlamp covers are there to improve aerodynamics. The M600 uses stainless steel in its chassis construction but the carbon fiber body helps to keep its weight in check at just 2,810 lbs (1250kg)
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Considering that it’s such a specialized, low-volume car, the Noble M600's interior is, by and large, an impressive achievement. It may lack the luxurious smell as the inside of a Ferrari, but it's a reasonably
well thought out cabin all the same. The dash layout is clean, clear and concise. The instruments look good and are genuinely easy to read. Even the minor controls feel polished in their operation and sit logically just in front of the gear lever. You’ll recognize ‘parts bin’ indicator arms that also feature in Jaguars and Aston Martins. Immediately ahead of the gear lever is a red, three-position toggle switch with ‘road’, ‘track’ and ‘race’ modes. This regulates the turbo boost settings of the car and allows the driver the opportunity to reduce peak power from the engine to make the car easier to drive in slippery conditions. Space is quite good for a mid-engined super car. There’s a decent-sized boot in the nose and enough headroom inside to accommodate a 6ft driver wearing a crash helmet. The seat reclines far enough manually to suit all but the ridiculously tall. The only reported flaw is that the car comes with a downmarket audio system that definitely doesn’t belong on a super car.
The M600 is powered by a Volvo sourced Yamaha V-8 engine and comes in three different power levels: 450, 550 and 650 horsepower. This engine takes the M600 from 0 to 60 mph (0 to 97 kph) in just 3 seconds and won’t stop until it hits a top speed of 225 mph (362 kph). Given the odd nature of the line of Noble cars, such a random pairing of Volvo and Yamaha seems only fitting. The engine's unique origin also explains the 60-degree angle of the V8. Noble also adds a pair of turbochargers, 15 lbs of boost, and puts peak power up at 650 horsepower. For those not quite comfortable driving with that much power on tap, the car can be switched to either 550 or 450 horsepower settings as mentioned above. A six-speed manual transmission is the only gearbox available in the M600, which fits with the design idea
of simple and driver controlled. Like all Noble super cars there is very little "automatic"
functioning occurring in the M600, aside from brute power and speed upon mashing the accelerator.
Don't expect to see the M600 on a U.S. road near you, as initial plans for the car will limit its enjoyment to select European and possibly other world markets due to restrictive costs and testing required to federalize the car.
