Noble, the British sports car manufacturer has quite a reputation for creating unique exotic cars, and their latest creation is no stranger to this concept. The Noble M600 2012 is built upon the success of the previous models, the M14 and M15, and same as its siblings the M600 is designed to be one thing and one thing only, and that's a simple and fun-to-drive sports car that does not come with tons of electronics and driving aids.
One of the most interesting characteristics of the M600 is that it comes with an engine that was previously fitted in the Volvo XC90. The decision of fitting an SUV engine in a sports car is quite interesting and does not so far-fetched when you realize that this is in fact a Noble we're talking about.
However, the 4.4 liter DOHC Yamaha V8 engine in the M600 has been mated with a couple of turbochargers that pushes the unit to its limits. The entire package is able to develop 650 horsepower and 604 lb-ft of torque, but in case you want to take things a bit slower, the M600 does come with a switch that enables the driver to lower the amount of horsepower sent to the rear wheels down to 550 or 450 HP.
If set to deliver the highest possible performance, the M600 will go from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.0 seconds and will continue to accelerate until it reaches 225 mph.
The 4.4 liter power plant is mated with a six-speed manual transmission as a standard, and that's it. There's no option for an automatic gearbox, which once again corresponds withNoble's way of building their super cars in order to deliver a more "mechanical" feel. Things don't stop here however and the British manufacturer made sure nothing is compromising the thrills of driving the M600, so in other words "luxurious" features such as ABS or ESP are not available. In fact, the only electronic aid available is the traction control which can also be completely turned off.
The chassis of Noble's latest supercar has been built using stainless steel, which normally would make the car heavier than it should, but due to the fact that the body is constructed out of carbon fiber the total weight of the M600 is merely 2,810 pounds (1275 kg). That's quite a feat considering the fact that there's a big V8 unit sitting at the back end of the car.
Overall, the Noble M600 2012 stays true to its roots and promises to deliver a fun and exciting driving experience. Unfortunately, as much as we'd like that, the M600 is not affordable to gearhead out there because it comes with a price tag of $287,960. If however you can afford to buy a sports car but the M600 is not your cup of tea, the Noble's key competitors are the Audi R8 and perhaps the Dodge Viper, the latter also offering a more aid-free driving experience.
