Modern emissions requirements continue to eat away at engine displacement and a number of cylinders in high-performance cars. Cars that featured rumbling V-8s now have to rely on heavily-turbocharged four-pots, but British carmaker Noble, begs to differ. Not long ago Ford’s F-150 truck went the downsizing route, ditching the 6.2-liter V-8 for a 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6. A more powerful version of the twin-turbo V-6 was put to use in the Ford GT.
With the GT discontinued, the Noble M500 now, picks up the torch, once again giving the engine a second lease of life in the engine bay of a supercar. This is far from the first time lightweight, British sports cars have had to rely on American power, certainly not for Noble, but this marriage of go-fast ingredients is shaping up to be the most epic one yet.
Giving Better Purpose To One Of Ford’s Best Engines
Noble has never been about the numbers or cutting-edge technology, even though the few cars the brand has made over the years, were all brilliant sports cars. Noble always went to Ford for its potent V-6 powerplants, except for the flagship M600, which was powered by a twin-turbo version of the Yamaha-designed, Volvo V-8. The Noble M500 upholds the tradition by putting the 3.5-liter Ford EcoBoost to good use. With the Ford GT being discontinued, the F-150 remains the only American model to feature the twin-turbo V-6.
Ford would never put the EcoBoost V-6 in a Mustang (at least for now) since it would potentially draw away customers from the Coyote V-8, from which it packs substantially more torque, by the way – 510 pound-feet (691 Nm) versus the 5.0’s 420 pound-feet (569 Nm). When production of the Noble M500 commences in 2023, it will pack 550 horsepower (410 kilowatts) – 100 more than the F-150 Raptor and 110 less than the Ford GT. Torque is expected to be between 510 and 550 pound-feet (691 – 746 Nm).
Simple And Proven Instead Of Cutting-Edge Tech
The lightweight sports car was invented by the British. Being less weight and good handling is key. Noble is one of the British carmakers that embodies it best. Think of Noble as Lotus, but with power levels dialed up to 11. The M500, like all other Nobles before it, does not care about lap times around the Nurburgring, although we reckon it will do very well there. Instead, it is giving you the ability to shift the gears yourself through a Graziano, six-speed manual transaxle, which sends power from the mid-mounted twin-turbo V-6 to the rear. One of the best parts is, you get to work with a classically-correct, gated shifter to change between the M500’s six-gear ratios.
Noble’s cars have always been a celebration of the classic mid-engine sports car. Simplistic and purposeful is something that applies to the M500. It relies on the proven tech that works over and over again. This includes the suspension, which is a carry-over from the M600 with a double-wishbone setup front and rear, with Eibach coil-over springs and Bilstein shocks. Interestingly enough, the steering rack comes from the Audi A4. The M500’s body is made out of carbon fiber and sits over a tubular steel chassis. At 2,756 pounds (1,250 kg), the Noble M500 is as light as the M600. The Ford GT meanwhile weighs 3,485 pounds (1,745 kg).
A No-Nonsense New Look
In terms of aesthetics, Noble has always been about function first, and form second. That’s not to say they are ugly cars, on the contrary, the M500 brings a completely new design. The very low nose transitions to a canopy that ends with flying buttresses and onto a low-slung rear end with a neatly-integrated rear spoiler and an evolved version of the M600 rear diffuser. Noble has substantially revised the aerodynamics and with most of the air-bending wizardry happening underneath the car, the body doesn’t need to be a busy mess of ducts and crests.
Noble’s philosophy of simplistic elegance continues on the inside where you find a minimalist cockpit, entirely covered with Alcantara. There are a few toggle switches for the important stuff while two separate screens on the center console take care of the rest. The big one on top is for the infotainment while the small one below it is dedicated to the A/C controls. The digital driver display features a no-nonsense, easy-to-read layout with only the most essential data showing. As with other Noble models, all the switches come from Ford’s parts bin which among other things, means it’s proven tech. Behind the gated shifter resides an old-school handbrake, once again showing Noble’s devotion to the driver.
Making The Absolute Best Of What Is Available
Akin to many British automakers, Noble picks the best possible parts from other manufacturers and makes the absolute best of it. Using bits from other manufacturers means you can save on developing bespoke parts, which in turn saves more from all the tests they need to go through to make sure everything works properly. Aston Martin’s iconic V-12 is, basically, two Mondeo V-6 engines mated together. The McLaren F1 has mirrors off of a Citroen CX and the Jaguar XJ220 has Rover 200 taillights. But are they terrible?
Still, the expected price for the Noble M500 is in the neighborhood of £150,000 or about $205,000. A Lamborghini Huracan starts at around the same price while being more powerful and, possibly, quicker. As a package then, the Noble M500 may have its work cut out for itself, but as a pure driver’s machine, it may end up being one of the best. Look at the Aston Martin Vulcan – another British parts bin special. None of the high-tech features of its peers, but just the soul.