Full Test: 2007 Noble M400
Full Test: 2007 Noble M400 "ITS LIKE A GT3"
Full Test: 2007 Noble M400
Mass times velocity
By Josh Jacquot, Senior Road Test Editor | Published May 8, 2007
2 Ratings
Mass times velocitySecond Opinion
With 425 horsepower motivating only 2,484 pounds and enough mechanical grip to embarrass most supercars, the 2007 Noble M400 has laid waste to the record books at Inside Line like the Terminator tearing through a cop-filled doughnut shop.
Our testing equipment has definitely had a hard lesson in Newtonian physics. The Noble hit 60 mph in just 3.2 seconds, then streaked through the quarter-mile in 11.4 seconds at almost 120 mph. This makes it the quickest car we've ever tested, leaving behind the Corvette Z06, Ford GT and Porsche 911 Turbo.
The M400 also slices through the slalom at 79.4 mph, nearly 4 mph faster than the previous record-holder, the poised Porsche 911 GT3. The Noble also rips up the skid pad at 1.05g, breaking another standard previously set by the 911 GT3.
The 2007 Noble M400 is a midengine racer with a twin-turbo V6 engine and it looks as raw as its record-busting performance numbers. Yet we've found out that this British-designed kit car can make it on the street as a daily driver. And that's what makes its performance even more stunning.
What Makes It Fast
Lee Noble has been designing cars for the racetrack in his little English shop in Barwell, Leicestershire, since 1999, and the M400 started out as a purebred device that amateurs could drive at track days, a real racecar for the street. The midengine M400 is the fourth iteration of Noble's original design, and it has now evolved into a surprisingly useful street car as well.
In the United States, the M400 is classified as a kit car because its chassis, engine and transmission are sold separately. The rolling chassis is actually built in South Africa, and 1g Racing in Hamilton, Ohio, sells it for $72,500. The basic 3.0-liter Ford Duratec V6 is assembled by AER Manufacturing in Carrollton, Texas, and lists for $4,400. Snakebite Performance, 1g Racing's parts division in Ross, Ohio, sells the transaxle and all the ancillary turbocharging hardware for $17,700.
A professional installer can put the Noble M400 on the road in about 30 hours at a cost between $3,500 and $4,000. Add it all up and you're looking at close to $100,000 for a kit car.
Fortunately you get all the right stuff. A tubular steel space frame offers structural rigidity while a lightweight, double-wishbone suspension at every corner optimizes handling, and a fiberglass body has been shaped for pure performance.
Motivation comes from a seemingly harmless 3.0-liter Ford Duratec V6 that has been transformed by two Garrett GT25R turbochargers calibrated by Roush Racing. The turbos deliver 12.5 psi of boost with minimal lag, enough to make 425 hp and an equally impressive 390 lb-ft of torque. Since the Duratec V6 is a fixture in the British-built Ford Mondeo, it's no surprise that the Mondeo's six-speed Getrag gearbox is also in play. Snakebite Performance adds the Quaife gear-type limited-slip differential.
A $100,000 Kit Car?
It's worth it. The Porsche 911 GT3 is the Noble M400's closest competition in terms of performance, and a stripped-down GT3 will cost you $106,795.
