I really do like cars, especially fast cars, and there are so many I would like to have in my garage, such as an Aston Martin V8 Vantage Le Mans, a BMW 850CSi, a Ferrari F40, a Honda NSX-R GT, a Lotus Esprit V8, a Porsche 959 and a McLaren F1 to name a few.
If I was after a brand new supercar, and money wasn't an issue, two cars come to my mind. Lexus LFA and Noble M600. Since we are talking about my dreamworld... I would like to have both, but again, I would be more than happy with just the M600.
According to the company's MD, Peter Boutwood, "F40 was the inspiration for the entire ethos behind the M600�.
�Put it this way,� he says. �Although we've got traction control and lots of other really sophisticated systems on the car, if you think the electrics are going to get you out of trouble if you do the wrong thing with the accelerator at the wrong time � like they will in an Audi R8 or a 911 Turbo � then think again. They won't. They're not meant to.� Just a note though, there is no ABS as such...
An impressive fact about the M600 is its weight, just 1275kg, meaning that it has 520 hp per tonne. A Bugatti Veyron has 495 hp per tonne and it is four-wheel drive, while the M600 is rear-wheel drive! The engine is a twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8, sourced by Volvo, without the turbochargers of course, and designed by Yamaha.
Maximum power is 650hp at 6800rpm, while peak torque is 604lb ft at 3800rpm. But according to Boutwood, the Yamaha V8 could, and in the fullness of time will, produce quite a lot more than 650hp; 700hp is �easily within its limits,� apparently, and even 750hp isn't totally unrealistic. It may be a tad mental, perhaps, but it's still �a distinct possibility in a future version.�
In front of the gear lever, there is a switch that alters the engine mapping and the level of boost on offer. On its lowest setting you have 0.6 bar and 450hp. In the middle you get 0.8 bar and 550hp. Rotate it to the far right and you unleash 1.0 bar and the full 650 horses. In terms of performance, 100 km/h come in 3.0 sec, 160 km/h in 6.5 sec and maximum speed is around 330 km/h (225 mph).
With a cost of around �200k, it may be expensive if you consider that it doensn't have a posh badge, but you definitely buy a raw, very racy, slightly scary machine that will deliver deeper driving satisfaction than an entire parking lot full of Ferrari F430s.
Noble plans to make 50 cars a year � roughly one a week. Every car will be individually numbered, and on the sills will be engraved the names of every single member of the team involved in the creation process.
Maximum power is 650hp at 6800rpm, while peak torque is 604lb ft at 3800rpm. But according to Boutwood, the Yamaha V8 could, and in the fullness of time will, produce quite a lot more than 650hp; 700hp is �easily within its limits,� apparently, and even 750hp isn't totally unrealistic. It may be a tad mental, perhaps, but it's still �a distinct possibility in a future version.�
In front of the gear lever, there is a switch that alters the engine mapping and the level of boost on offer. On its lowest setting you have 0.6 bar and 450hp. In the middle you get 0.8 bar and 550hp. Rotate it to the far right and you unleash 1.0 bar and the full 650 horses. In terms of performance, 100 km/h come in 3.0 sec, 160 km/h in 6.5 sec and maximum speed is around 330 km/h (225 mph).
With a cost of around �200k, it may be expensive if you consider that it doensn't have a posh badge, but you definitely buy a raw, very racy, slightly scary machine that will deliver deeper driving satisfaction than an entire parking lot full of Ferrari F430s.
Noble plans to make 50 cars a year � roughly one a week. Every car will be individually numbered, and on the sills will be engraved the names of every single member of the team involved in the creation process.
