Noble M600

Noble M600
Noble M600 launch, 2010 Goodwood festival of speed
Overview
Manufacturer	Noble Automotive
Also called	M600
Production	2010-present
Model years	2011-present
Assembly	UK
Designer	Quote: Noble team effort
Body and chassis
Class	Sports car
Body style	2-door, 2-seat coupé
Layout	Longitudinal, Mid-engine, Rear-wheel drive
Powertrain
Engine	4.4 L Volvo/Yamaha B8444S V8 (twin t/c petrol)
Transmission	6-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,540 millimetres (100 in)
Length	4,360 millimetres (172 in)
Width	1,910 millimetres (75 in)
Height	1,140 millimetres (45 in)
Curb weight	1200 Kilograms (2645 lb)
Chronology
Predecessor	Noble M400 Noble M15

M600 rear

The Noble M600 is a handbuilt British supercar made by Noble Automotive in Leicestershire. It is made from stainless steel and carbon fibre and uses a twin turbocharged Volvo V8.

Specifications

Pricing

The Noble M600 is priced at around £300,000 in the UK or about $450,000 in the United States, although a left-hand drive model costs considerably more.

Engine and transmission

The M600 engine uses a 4439 cc 60-degree Yamaha-derived Volvo B8444S V8 engine which is also used in the Volvo XC90 and S80, but with twin Garrett turbochargers equipped with variable boost. This allows the occupants to choose from 450 bhp (336 kW; 456 PS) (Road setting, 0.6 bar pressure), 550 bhp (410 kW; 558 PS) (Track setting, 0.8 bar) and 650 bhp (485 kW; 659 PS) (Race setting, 1.0 bar) through the use of a switch in the interior. The engine also features electronic fuel injection via a MoTeC M190 and Injector Dynamics ID725's. It has a compression ratio of 9.50:1. It uses an Oerlikon Graziano transaxle six-speed manual gearbox and has the RPM redline set at 7000.

Performance

• 0-60 mph (0–97 km/h): 3.0 seconds
• 0-100 mph (0–161 km/h): 6.5 seconds
• 0-200 mph (0–322 km/h): 29.8 seconds
• Standing to quarter mile: 11.0 seconds
• Standing to km: 19.9 seconds
• Power to weight: 541 BHP/tonne
• Top speed (estimated): 362 km/h (225 mph)
• Fuel Capacity: (68 liters)

Reception

The car was driven 3 times on the British motoring show Top Gear; once by host Jeremy Clarkson, who praised the car considerably and the show's racing driver the Stig took it around the Top Gear track and it did a 1:17.7 on a cold day, beating the Pagani Zonda F Roadster and the Bugatti Veyron. A number of months later co-host Richard Hammond drove a left-hand drive version of the car through Italy and the clutch failed, causing clutch material to damage the gearbox; Noble sent the production team another car. It was also driven by Hammond in the same episode during a challenge where he attempted to beat a set laptime of the Stig at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari near Bologna, Italy. Despite the car's inherent unreliability, Hammond heaped considerable praise on the car. It has also been featured in the American adaptation of the show where it receives considerable praise, the main "challenge" was to reach its top speed, the vehicle reached 215 MPH but stopped because the vehicle ran out of space on the runway it was being tested on.

References

• 2010 Noble M600 Breaks Cover
• BREAKING: Noble unleashes 225 mph M600 supercar
• Noble M600: 650 HP, 225 MPH Driving Excitement
• Top Gear Review: [1]
• E-brochure: [2]
• M600 Roadster/convertible - official factory design study revealed