The Noble M600 - Did Britain's Forgotten Supercar Deserve to Fail?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 มิ.ย. 2023
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Today, I finally drive the mythical Noble M600. With only a couple of dozen ever made, the £200,000 225mph Noble went up against some strong competition, and though it found fans, very few bought one. Today I get to drive it and deliver my verdict.
#Noble #Supercar #V8
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Love Cars Intro?
Think this was on top gear and if I'm correct the owner has 2 don't remember color of other but reg.s are m600rhd and m600lhd
@@jamieeedden777 discussed in the video
@@JayEmmOnCars diddnt watch the hole thing as was out for the b day but have now really cool car I think I'm a Volvo guy but I do like them
@@JayEmmOnCars when my car is done if you ever want to have a go your more than welcome as you respect other people's cars it's something a bit different doing it sleeper style and leaving it tatty ish so it looks bone stock but is going to be one fast car people say to fast for my age
I personally think the design has aged really well. Still looks fantastic - particularly from the rear three-quarters. Strikes a balance between being exotic, beautiful and muscular.
you sir are 100% correct Beautiful looking and sounding machine
When I first saw it as a child on TG I hated it but as I’ve gotten older, everything about it has grown on me
I found myself agreeing with your statement. M600 is the best-looking Noble of all.
The new M500 was atrocious to look at.
Outdated and square on launch..
Given it's 2023, looking back at the Top Gear video in which it was compared to other sports cars of the time for the sake of why on Earth one would deviate from the normal big names, I must say it's pretty clear now. It looks striking. With a modern context, those cars looks great but not as refined as the M600. It may not have seemed so at the time but these days it has kept up nicely compared to the Aston, Mercedes, Lamborghini etc of the time.
A Noble mechanic, driving a new car from the UK to Italy was a moment in top gear I'll never forget
The only thing was noble payed top gear to day the clutch failed when in fact in snapped the crank, and they were plagued by issues due to peter Dyson's crap american engines.
@@25200706
But Hammond even showed the broken clutch during that episode.
@@25200706 Since when has Yamaha's engines been american or Peter Dyson's?
@@25200706 m600 has volvo/yamaha engine, not american
That was you!? Good man!
My god the sound of that thing is just incredible. I started laughing at some of the drive by shots it sounded that good.
Good ol' B8444S
The love child of Volvo and Yamaha. Volvo designs with a bit of spice from Yamaha tuning. Surreal thing!
same here :')
I'm determined to own and straight pipe a volvo s80 with this engine minus the turbos as they sound so good.
Really? I think it sounds awful & I normally love Yamaha head based engines. I think the turbos are maybe making it sound super choppy, like a rotary or something.
Great vid as ever Jay. I am the Lee the previous owner. The M600 is a cracking old school school analogue brute of a car and I miss parting with it. I'm glad James is using it properly and getting it out there so it can be enjoyed by all 👍
Thanks for watching Lee, hopefully I did the old girl justice :)
You did indeed bud. It's one car I do regret selling every time I see James out in it. I traded for a manual 991.2 GT3 which is so much more usable but is slightly sterile by comparison. Every drive in the M600 was an event. Even the interactions with the factory and the MD himself, Mr Peter Boutwood; were very positive. The ownership experience was nothing short of epic!
And thanks for the thread on Pistonheads, most entertaining.
Great review . Pretty cool to see the owner in here . Was the car maybe not a terror bc it couldn’t fully open up .. I must say this car with Richard I believe at imolla was epic .. he pushed this thang so hard . I loved the lambo and the Mc Lauren but this as the underdog I secretly enjoyed bc it as just wild . Lol 2volvo engines twin turbo and no abs .. 😳I was like really ? Lol I remember Noble as a calendar car so this should be interesting and boy was it ! Pretty cool to know that this was the same car! Btw how much did u sell it for bc it would be interesting to know they are so rare . I could see the value tripling at 600k bc of the exclusivity
That’s amazing ! What an absolute beautiful visceral car ever ! Will go down as a legend !
Honestly this car has been on my mind lately, I think it may be the ultimate modern drivers supercar, like a big lotus
Modern Esprit v8
The Lotus that Lotus never built 😢
@@neightarch I definitely see this as closer to the spiritual Esprit successer than the 12C
I've always said that Noble has taken Lotus's, Esprit mantle!! No Gizmos or Gadgets just big Power and a Chassis which can deal with the Power. I guess Lotus would have to sort that steering though!
That Volvo/Yamaha V8 sound is just glorious!
This was my favorite supercar of its era, just seemed so raw and purpose built
I remember being at the launch of these when it was the baby blue car with the fibreglass body. Peter Boutwood was MD at the time and was an absolute gent in taking the time to explain the car to everyone individually. I'd still buy one of these over any Ferrari or Lamborghini. Fun fact, the mirrors are from a Vauxhall Corsa VXR
Hhaahha that is where i recognized the mirrors from!
There is something very special about a powerful, analogue super/sportscar. I'm an enormous fan of cottage industry sportscar makers. Noble, TVR, Marcos, Lotus, Morgan - everyone of them distinctive in their own special way. No cookie-cutters here...
Manual gearbox, lightweight, crazy looks, analogue feel... count me in! I was lusting over it when it was released as well, there's few things I'd take over this! How about an ASCARI next?
Oh yeah, forgot to mention, there was a Chinese copy of a Smart car that was also called the Noble, hehehe
One of my favorite supercars, easily. That Volvo/Yamaha turbo V8 is a complete animal, I love to hear a proper tune with natural cracks and bangs rather than the annoying farts that you get from sportier VAG products and newer AMGs.
I never would of imagined that the m600 has the same footprint as the Aston Martin Vantage. Ive always imagined this car to be huge.
I remember seeing this on the front of an Autocar magazine with the caption "quicker than a Mclaren F1" back in 2009. I've been in love with it ever since, and have never wanted to drive a car more than this one.
If there's an eccentric millionaire out there willing to buy a flabby, 30-odd year old an M600, I'll have one in British racing green with red brake callipers please
To me, this is the supercar with the best three-quarter rear view.
I was gutted for Lee Noble when he fell out with his company. The M600 was such a step up from his previous, impressive creations. It still looks supercar fresh today! Sounds amazing too!!
I was lucky enough to sit in an M12 that my dad had in his workshop many years ago.
I've loved the look and sound of this car from the first time I saw it on Top Gear. I'm glad that Jay did a serious review. This blue is nice, but the original light blue was absolutely gorgeous. I just wish I had the money to buy one. Jeremy Clarkson aptly explained why the M600 was better. He said it was much faster. I believe him. Sadly the only way I'm going to even see one in person, is if I get the chance to go to Europe again. Thank you.
Having worked for a local machine shop making parts for the M600, they were great parts to make and nicely engineered and designed, but they were a pain in the arse to deal with!
Let me make an educated guess... difficult to get them to pay their bills?
This is from peak recent car culture era. I remember buying in London the "speed week" Top Gear magazine with the GT86 on the cover, and the M600 was hot in that moment.
Jaguar was releasing incredible cars, Porsche wasn't nauseating yet, Ferrari was still under Montezemolo leadership, the F12 was a new thing, the Hypercar trinity was about to come, Rush was an incredible movie, Group B rallying got popular, historic racing wasn't still the posh affair it is now, and home racetrack Monza was still hosting a marvelous vintage racing event with Can-Am cars.
Then the social networks sublimated everything to the point we're indifferent to everything. You are fed with so many smacking cars that when you see them in the flesh you're already accustomed to them.
Sorry for the sobbing rant, I always get carried away
I still love Porsche and they still know how to make finer drivers cars and not like BMW who sold itself entirely to sales and the accounting department. Sure, the move to EPAS from Hydraulic was not everyone, but they still are connected enough. Not only that, but I do know that the 991 RSR cup cars ran electro-hydraulic steering systems, which was still relieving to hear about as they can still offer excellent feedback (being that they’re still hydraulic), though that steering rack should’ve translated into their road cars, but they’re still wonderful enough.
Montezemolo era Ferrari ruled too BTW
Nothing really changed about the cars I think, the culture just shifted, from what i gather.
@@Rudenbehr the cars too, or better what we consumers demand from cars.
Forget your lambos and Ferraris I'd have one of these in a heartbeat! My absolute dreamcar. Analogue, light and fucking mental. I just wish I'd win the lottery and I'd be straight round to have one ❤
Wow, I guess you’re fully entitled to your opinion, but you are an argument against universal suffrage, my friend!
Bravo ! This is one of the few Car Channels I can watch nowadays without being saddened, concerned or irritated. Keep up the good work James!
That V8 sound is just pure harmony
Always loved these. If my lottery numbers came in, I'd have one of these over any Ferrari or Lambo.
If there were as many rich lunatics in the world as there are plain lunatics saying this is/was their dream car, Noble would never have gone bust to begin with!
Can’t believe you got one of these, bit of a dream car
For a turbocharged engine , it doesn't lose any of the fantastic V8 burble. I know it doesn't have ABS, but I would imagine it stops really good, what with it being so lightweight
I remember seeing this on top gear, was amazed on the looks, the noise and how it handled. The previous noble had a Mondeo engine but was still amazing
The Noble M600 is one of my dream cars... It's a legendary car... Thank you very for this review❤
My all time favourite supercar... If I could write a cheque for one, I'd have one already. The second I can, I will.
Edit: And after hearing this one's provenance, it would definitely be the one to have.
The Italy toad trip where Hammond drove one was great, amazing car all things considered, would love one
My memory is a bit hazy and my Top Gear knowledge isn't what it once was, but technically, didn't he drive two of them on that road trip?
@@bigal3055 no your memory fails you, he just repainted it when he fixed it .
@@cafe405 and moved the steering wheel to the other side of the car. All in a night's work!
Well while your fixing it you may as well put the steering wheel on the correct side.
I’ve been saying it for prob close to a decade that if I could have any car it would be the f40 and the M600 a close second. That’s transmission that car is just amazing
An absolute beast of a car. I never thought I’d hear Kerridges mentioned in a video. Having bought several cars from them I can confirm they and their knowledge and expertise are sorely missed.
JayEmm driving a Noble M600? Zero to click in f*ck all
A breath of fresh popping air. A British hairy chest analogue sports car with the typical get the spanners out at the end of the journey Bravo.👏
Jay the timing of this episode was perfect for me. I had just rewatched that Top Gear special featuring this car a few days ago on Dave lol. Yesss. I've always loved nobles! Ok. Time to sit and enjoy this with my dinner lol
Absolutely stunning and incredibly rare car! No other TH-cam car reviewer even comes close on delivering so many rare and unusual cars to test. Jay you are THE MAN!
Thanks J, always enjoy Noble content! Had someone from the company go over this car when it was new, at their stand at Goodwood, in front of a small crowd of about 5 of us!🙏🙏
Sounds great and the older cars are better then the new ones 😊
I normally reserve my comments, but my got this was a pleaspnt surprise from you, I am having a bad day at work because of a stubborn employee, but you lightened up my night shift. I just love this car. And yes, I would buy this car in a heart beat, this is a modern day F-40. It will kill you if you don't pay attention, and I love that.
Glad to lighten your evening :)
James, speaking of old Top Gear, i appreciate in your work a similar blend of humor, genuinely profound sensibility, and a flair for expressing very helpful details.
Such an underrated car. As Jeremy said it at the time Vs its competitors it blew them all away where it mattered. On the road.
That engine sounded really sweet.
Awesome Jay! Followed this the other day on an scd drive! Flames, noise, amazing, what a motor!
My pleasure
Have been longing for this review! Love The looks and sound 🤘
Car has sensational sound, like probably one of the best I've heard. I don't like high pitched sounds, so this is pretty much perfect.
@ 19:45 it sounds like it breaks the sound barrier, love it!!
This overtook me this morning, going south on the A1. I was in my Lexus LC500. It did look rather nice!
Thanks I thought the same about your car
Your friend James seems like the real deal of car guys.
Always been a fan of the M600. Great to see a review of one.
My fave analogue super car almost..❤
Abs systems are quite cheap, however tuning, development and legislative sign off is very expensive for a ground up system
What a fantastic experience to drive a M600. Always liked these to be honest. I expected you to say the ride would be crashy and horrible. And Thank-you James for lending it out!
I appreciate these Noble reviews an awful lot- I was a childhood fan and seeing these vids triggers some nostalgia (not the right word but closest to describe the feeling). Thanks for making these 👍🏼
My god...740bhp. Love it.
I've also seen this first on TopGear and always loved its looks. Out of the three supercars they drove to italy, this would have been "mine". And I think it has aged fairly well.
Lol this was good timing. I literally watched this episode of Top Gear two days ago. Cool car!
Love this car so much, it’s my go to driver’s car every time over the other stuff
Great video James
This car is for the connoisseur of driving experience.
J, Matt from the great state of Mississippi here. Your channel is by far my favorite (we don't put the u in favorite) channel on the youtubes. I have a lot of the same opinions and views that you have and the few times we don't see eye to eye I normally learn something and often change my mind 😂 Keep up the great work, I tell everybody about your page, both my car pals and non car pals (who usually appreciate the change in scenery and a non American personality, not that there is anything wrong with being American...you get what I mean). Cheers.
Gumball in a Noble would make some seriously entertaining content haha.
But you wouldn’t get an entry as the car wouldn’t “cut the mustard”
as always i am amazed how good the volvo/yamaha v8 engine sounds, what a rare animal!
Amazing car, great story and as usual a very good presentation 🤩🤩
When you opened it up i thought you dubbed in the sound of Steve Mcqueen bullitt mustang what a sound m600 is such a cool car .Nice video as usual Jay 👍
I love the M12 design but the m600 is the total package of power, sound, interior and exterior looks. The M12 just looks like what a racecar should look like in my eyes.
Another great video. Sounds odd but I watch these doing weights in the gym. Very calming and I love the cars.
I'm watching this just three hours after launch. So I had a squint in Autotrader to see if any Nobles are on sale, and lo and behold, there were four between £42k and £53k.
I had a Volvo XC90 with the Yamaha 4.4 V8 and that was a lovely drive. I believe Clarkson had two.
What a great opportunity, a lot of fun joining you, love the NOISE!
I remember Richard Hammond went nuts for this car on an episode of TG.
I love everything about this car! It's a big YES from me!
It makes me chuckle every time I hear a tester regard a vehicle without nanny's as flawed and somehow lacking. You just have to be sensible. Would I try to have fun in the rain? No that would be idiotic. If I had to drive in the rain, I would treat the car like I would if I had to drive in snow. Smooth, gentle and absolute minimum RPM's to keep the power down. There is a time and a place for fun. It isn't analog cars that are dangerous; it's stupid drivers.
I like that Jayemm clearly has a feel for what the car is doing and doesn't condemn the old time driving experience. To me it would be part of the fun.
The engine sounds wonderful and the car looks nice. It has a V8, plenty of power and a manual transmission. Works for me.
They should have left the turbos off and used the 5.6 litre outboard motor version of this engine (which is basically one and a third Duratec V6s or two thirds or an Aston V12).
I looked seriously at that car when it was for sale at £160,000. On my dream garage list, a modern F40. I am writing this at the start of the video so you may well say this but the engine is really a Yamaha design, the V8 that was used in the XC90. My understanding is that you can still order one.
This was my absolute favorite car when i was a child, still love it, the rear end looks so good
I love them, Nobles. This especially. I like the shape, the sound, the speed and the quirks. Yes, the chassis too. It's a nasty beast and I approve.
Awesome to see a Reveiw of the Noble M600. I hope to see something from Koenigsegg. Marcos, Spyker, AC and the Venturi 400GT
One of my dream cars JayEmm - just love Nobles and the 600 was 🔥. It was always too expensive though - they priced themselves out of the market
Another brilliant video jay. I always liked these Nobles. There was a beautiful orange one at cholmondeley years ago that i was in awe of.
Great review and awesome video of a very rare and interesting car❤❤❤
Tell him to contact EBC brakes and they'll make him new brakes if he needs them. It looks like you had fun with this one :)
I've been lucky enough to work on this car and one of the other press cars (mobile detailer back in the day!) and can easily say these are my favorite cars ever.
Great memories and just spectacular cars. Just waiting on that lottery win!
I always wonder if someone has managed to have the Yamaha V8 in its noble form put into the Volvo S80 v8
There's also a stroker version made for outboard motors... 5.3, 5.55 litres...
I think that Yamaha V8 was Noble's biggest mistake, as it catapulted the Noble into a whole different market.
With the twin turbo V6, Noble was competing against the lower end Porsche's and Ferrari's, but with the V8 it really jumped up to compete against the supercars. As a sportscar company Noble was doing reasonably well, but as a supercar the company simply was too small to be able to attract the proper buyers and I guess you can say that Noble almost literally priced itself out of the market. A bit of a shame though, as Noble V6's looked like quite nice cars and personally I quite liked the idea of Noble staying close to the Lotus philosophy of "less is more"
@@tjroelsma I don't think the V8 made that much difference, it just sounds better... compared to the Duratec, it's literally the same block, just lengthened by one more cylinder per bank. What probably cost money was homologating the turbochargers and emissions for same. If they'd just tuned the N/A V8 and enlarged it in displacement (as Yamaha had already done for the marine variant) that would have been fine.
@@richardharrold9736 It put the M600 in a much higher category of cars, thus upping the price and facing much fiercer competition.
And simply put: if you were out to buy a nice sportscar, then a Noble might be a good choice, as it pretty much ticked all boxes for a somewhat reasonable price.
But if you were out to buy a supercar, then you'd look at a high-end Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini etc. Noble simply didn't cut it in that sector, as it was "just" a small company building cars.
In my opinion Noble had pretty much the same problem a brand like TVR ran into: they built nice sportscars for a somewhat reasonable price, but for a supercar they lacked prestige and many customers must have felt a lack of security that Noble would continue to be around on the long run. So why spend a lot of money on a Noble when for about the same money you could buy a Ferrari, Lamborghini or Porsche, with the knowledge that service won't be a problem in the future?
@@tjroelsma the Noble was expensive because building cars is expensive. Old Noble had lost money on every car it ever made. The engine helped to justify the pricetag required to break even. It didn't cost that much more itself. Those who just went and bought a 458 instead were idiots. The Noble is a much cheaper thing to maintain too.
Absolutely. Phenomenal.
*The M600 has always been top of my ''when I win the lottery shopping list''. Nothing has changed. James you're a very lucky man.*
For me there is only two cars I'd even consider replacing my TVR for, one of these and a Spyker C8.
Commimg from a non-supercar lover: i love these cars! The sound. The looks. The uniqueness.
Hmmm. I don't normally feel the urge to comment, but having known Lee Noble and drove the prototype M10 before even Autocar would give Noble a mention, I feel a little more informed. That prototype we filmed on Motorweek on the Men and Motors channel when I was a producer there. A 1.8 engine back then. By the time of the 600 Noble had been forced out and has a lot to say of the 600 (and the chassis was his design). A sad story all told. Not priced as he wished either. Not the car he wanted it to be in the end
Did you produce anything for men & motors after the 9 o'clock watershed? 🤨😏
Asking for a friend.
@@TheBadBunny87 no. I only made car programmes such as Motorweek, my own series Kits 'n' Cruisin' and several others. A different team made the stuff you asked about.
Charmaine Sinclair is a friend and has appeared on my channel as has Lee Noble in an early episode of The Alternative Car show with two prototypes which he later cut up
@@enwins Nice! I don't remember kits n cruisin but I do remember motorweek. Memory serves me right, that had Richard Hammond as a presenter/journalist. I'm sure I watched kits n cruisin. I just can't recall lol. I'll be spending the rest of my evening watching episodes and reminiscing 😂
@@TheBadBunny87 yes Richard worked with me. You will find them all on TH-cam
@@enwins subscribed 👍
It was not a shed - I actually visited it. And the engine was from Yamaha. Volvo was buying them, not building.
That's a properly sorted, throaty, V8 soundtrack 😊
Love watching your videos on weird, or obscure british sports cars.
The Volvo V8 shouldn't be seen as "inferior" for its origins. It's a beast, too much engine and out of place in the Volvos, definitely deserved to be in a performance car.
What doesn't help is the kit car looks of the Nobles, there is no distinctive style compared to equal priced competition.
My introduction to Noble was a kit car magazine review on the Noble P4, they were blown away with how good it was. This was the days when even the best kit cars were more than a little rubbish.
Super cool and another awesome review JayEmm!
I know it costs more but you really need to take something like this to Millbrook to test it properly. Loved seeing it on the channel all the same!
I just want to say before I view this video ..and what ever verdict considers this car to be....is brilliant!!!
Definitely "grew up" watching top gear and leeching through final gear forums, in fact i dream of making one small feature film like it. Great video as always!
If I were in that market, I’d 100% consider a Noble. Bespoke, driver focused, manual… not much of that around in the super car space. Almost nothing, in fact.
Let's just say that sounded and looked incredible.....and that you were concentrating, a lot!!
Im an american.. And ive never seen or heard of this car.. Its beautiful.. Looks like a every car super car pit together but all the best bits from those cars.. I didnt know Dyson owned a car company.. 700hp?? .. Good lord, That is alot of power
It's not the Dyson who makes vacuum cleaners
Great review James as always. Would love to own a Noble or an Ultima before its too late.
Lottery win car for me😊