And if you’re wondering who Lee Noble is, you’ll be interested to learn that he has been designing and manufacturing cars for three decades, almost all of them hardcore machines focused on pure driving pleasure. The first of them, the Ultima, was used as the test mule for none other than the McLaren F1.
Not forgetting his previous company, Fenix Automotive's boss pitches the new supercar as a "natural, but even more focused" successor to his Noble M12
"The M12 was hugely successful, but we needed to move the game on in terms of design," said Lee. "The new car's styling owes nothing to what I've done before and has quite literally been a 'clean sheet' exercise from the start. It's edgy, with powerful lines, and aerodynamically will be in another league to any of my previous cars."
Fenix said that the car will tip the scales at around 1,200 kg or about 2,645 lbs estimating that the LS9-engined version should accelerate from 0-100mph (160km/h) in under seven seconds and reach a top speed close to 200mph or 322 km/h.
"Our first prototype is now in build and development will start in around one month's time," said Lee.
"We'll be hot-weather testing the first prototype on the mountain roads around Port Elizabeth, South Africa, where the car will be manufactured. But I'm itching to get the car back to the UK where I can set it up on roads I know well," he concluded.
Noble unveiled its new lightweight supercar, M15, equipped with a 3.0 V6 Twin Turbocharged engine that pumps out 455 bhp. The M15 will remain faithful to the company’s M14 concept as a user-friendly supercar –with 300 litres of luggage space divided between the front and rear compartments, but will have an all-new chassis, drivetrain configuration, interior and body - as well as more power.With a guide price of £75,000 the M15 represents a major departure from Noble’s current models. It will target buyers who are seeking a more exclusive and driver-focused alternative to mid-engined cars in the £110-130k price bracket, while also tempting those who are eyeing up the 2007 Lotus Esprit.
“The M15’s fresh styling and engineering emphasise our desire to present a genuinely all-new car to the market,” said Lee Noble, Noble’s MD and design chief. “While the Noble M12 series continues to win us accolades for its performance and dynamics, we’ve worked hard to ensure that the M15 is in a different league altogether. As before, this has been achieved without us having to resort to big, heavy engines or trick electronics. The M15 will be nothing less than a pure-bred driving machine.”
With a 455bhp version of the tried and trusted three-litre twin turbo V6 engine Noble has come to rely on, this is the quickest car ever to emerge from Barwell, Leicestershire. With the complementary figure of 455lb/ft of torque, all in a car that weighs slightly more than 1200kg, the M15 is devastatingly fast.
The M15 accelerates from 0-60mph in less than 3.3 seconds and 10 100mph in less than 8s. It keeps going all the way to 185mph, too, and has been tuned for rapid acceleration throughout the range rather than an easily achievable 200mph top end speed.
Weigh distribution has also improved over the existing model to 42:58 per cent, front:rear, due to the engine and gearbox assembly being moved forward by 300 mm
Noble M15 highlights:
Noble M15 Price:
The M15 will sit above Noble’s current models from launch, leaving the completed range as follows:
Noble M15: £75,000 (est)
Noble M400: £55,995
Noble M12 GTO-3R: £49,950
