2000 Noble M12 GTO
Lee Noble, a well-regarded auto designer and race-car driver, formed Noble Automotive Limited in Leicestershire, England, in 1998. In 1999, he released the M10, also built in South Africa. English car magazines swooned, praising the Noble for superb driving dynamics. One year later, a refined and prettier version of the M10, called the M12, appeared. In 2003, 1G Racing began importing about six each month to the U.S., approximately 30 percent of the total production.
The car certainly looks fierce, a sports car for sure, but it doesn’t appear to be all that sophisticated. The chassis is made from steel tubes, and the body is fiberglass. The mid-mounted, twin-turbocharged 360-hp V-6 uses the engine block from a Ford Taurus, and the six-speed transmission is from the European Ford Mondeo.
And it posted supercar numbers at the track: The quarter-mile happened in 11.8 seconds at 118 mph, and it pulled an even 1.00 g on the skidpad. The $448,000 Porsche Carrera GT does the quarter in 11.2 seconds at 132 mph. Bear in mind that skirting crash and emissions regulations makes it easier to keep a car light. The Noble weighs only 2457 pounds, 689 less than the carbon-fiber Carrera GT.
Noble M12 Gallery
Noble M12 GTO Video
0-60mph in less time than it takes to say its name. Tiff in the latest incarnation of his favourite Sports GT.
This car hits 0-60MPH in 3.7 seconds and has the loudest twin turbo sounds to be heard! The M12 GTO is a very special car.
In Detail
| engine | Ford Alloy V6 |
| valvetrain | DOHC 4 Valves / Cyl |
| displacement | 2544 cc / 155.2 in³ |
| power | 231.2 kw / 310.0 bhp @ 6000 rpm |
| specific output | 121.86 bhp per litre |
| bhp/weight | bhp per tonne |
| torque | 433.9 nm / 320.0 ft lbs @ 3500 rpm |
| driven wheels | Transverse Mid Engine / RWD |
| front tires | 225/40ZR-18 |
| rear tires | 265/35ZR-18 |
| front brakes | Vented & Cross Drilled Discs |
| f brake size | x 330 mm / x 13.0 in |
| r brake size | x 330 mm / x 13.0 in |
| front wheels | F 45.7 x 21.6 cm / 18.0 x 8.5 in |
| rear wheels | R 45.7 x 25.4 cm / 18.0 x 10.0 in |
| steering | Rack & Pinion w/Power Assist |
| curb weight | 980 kg / 2161 lbs |
| wheelbase | 2438 mm / 96.0 in |
| front track | 1520 mm / 59.8 in |
| rear track | 1500 mm / 59.1 in |
| length | 4089 mm / 161.0 in |
| width | 1828 mm / 72.0 in |
| height | 1143 mm / 45.0 in |
| transmission | 5-Speed Manual |
| gear ratios | :1 |
| top speed | ~265.5 kph / 165.0 mph |
| 0 – 60 mph | ~4.1 seconds |
| 0 – 100 mph | ~10.2 seconds |
| 0 – 1/4 mile | ~12.8 seconds |
