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THE NEW NOBLE M500 IS LIKE A BRITISH FORD GT

The Two Vehicles Both Utilize A 3.5L EcoBoost V6

Boutique British sportscar maker Noble is back in action with a new car, the M500. The car first debuted back in 2018 at the Goodwood Festival of speed, but there has been little in the way of communication from the small automaker until last week when it was announced the M500 is nearly ready for production. Like the concept that debuted almost four years ago, the production M500 will utilize a similar 3.5-liter Ford EcoBoost twin-turbo V6 as found in the back of the Ford GT supercar.

In the case of the M500, the EcoBoost V6 will only make 506 hp and 594 lb-ft of torque, compared to the GT’s 660 horsepower and 550 pound-feet of torque. It’s unclear if the Noble M500 will use similar Roush-built engines like the GT, or if Noble’s EcoBoost supply comes from more conventional sources, like Ford itself.

Instead of the dual-clutch transaxle originally shown with the prototype in 2018, the production Noble M500 will employ a gated six-speed manual sourced from Graziano. Aside from the old-school gated gearbox, the M500 will do without airbags or anti-lock brakes, features that have been commonplace on most performance vehicles since the ’90s.

The double-wishbone suspension will feature standard coilovers, while the steering will use a hydraulically assisted rack instead of the electric units that have become commonplace. There won’t be any driver aids like traction control or stability control, nor selectable driving modes. The lightweight fiberglass-reinforced composite body panels will drape a steel tubular chassis allowing Noble to target a production weight of just 2,800 pounds. A Ford GT comes in just under 3,100 pounds before the driver, by comparison. This thing is light.

Pricing is expected to clock in around $205,000, well, actually £150,000 is more accurate as the Noble M500 isn’t expected to be sold in North America. At that price, it will undercut vehicles like the 911 GT3 RS, and basically everything from Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Aston Martin, while it’s still less than half the starting price of a Ford GT. Mind you, you could likely get yourself a pair of C8 Corvette Z06 supercars for that money, one for the track and one for the garage, with equipment to spare.

Written by Michael Accardi

Michael refuses to sit still, he's held multiple hands-on automotive jobs throughout his career. Along with being an investigative writer and accomplished photographer, Michael has wrenched on Fords as a dealership mechanic, worked with air-cooled Porsches in a small shop in Toronto, and Nautique ski boats in cottage country. Additionally, he was part of the Ford GT program at Multimatic, oversaw a fleet of Audi TCR racecars, and cared for Porsche GT3 Cup cars. Currently, he's working with a Duqueine LMP3 in the IMSA WeatherTech paddock, and a Tatuus USF-22 on the Road to Indy ladder.

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