Noble M10 – A closer look at this sports car including performance, technical data, features, competitor comparison, history and used price
From classic to modern
background
Noble Sports Car Builder, founded in 1999 in Leeds by Lee Noble, specializes in fast, mid-engined, rear-wheel drive cars.
Prior to launching Noble, he was involved in the design of other sports cars with brand names such as Altima and Askari.
The body and chassis of each car was produced by Hi-Tech Automotive in South Africa on the same assembly lines as the Superformance rolling chassis of signature cars such as the Cobra replica.
When the bodywork was finished, it was then shipped to Noble’s new factory near Leicester, at which point the engine and gearbox were added, and the finished car was tested.
It was identified as the M10 because it was the tenth design by Lee Noble.
As a designer of his own cars, the basic philosophy was to start with a lightweight aerospace chassis, to which a powerful engine and an aerodynamic sports body were added.
Its design included a mid-engine format that provided good handling characteristics.
In terms of marketing, he priced each car so that it would be positioned in the affordable segment of the sports car market, thus reaching a wide audience.
He resigned from Nobel in 2008, and continues to create a new project.
The Car
The Noble M10 was the first car designed and produced by the company.
It was launched in 1999 with a price tag of around $30,000, and interestingly enough, he built the first two units in a garage located near his home.
Since the car was supplanted a year later by the more impressive M12, few M10s were actually sold because potential customers switched allegiance to the upcoming model.
The M10 was a two-seater, available only as a convertible, with a fiberglass composite body and chassis, and a similar curb weight of only 960 kg.
It was powered by a Ford Duratec 2.5-liter, 24-valve, V6 engine that developed 168 horsepower, and 162 ft-lbs of torque.
Linked to a five-speed manual gearbox, it produced a top speed of 135 mph, with a 0-60 mph time of 5.9 seconds.
It is fitted with 10-inch ventilated disc brakes all round.
After launching the M10, Toyota introduced its MR2 Convertible in the same year which outwardly looks very similar to the M10. Technical information:
a race
Typical competitors for the Noble M10 include: Lotus Elise, Porsche Boxster, BMW Z4 and Mercedes SLK 350. Noble Performance:
This concludes my Noble M10 sports car review.
