It’s time to start appreciating the cars that we’re developed by Noble Automotive Ltd. before it’s too late, and thanks to these brilliant photos by @teaandtappets, today you can! If you haven’t heard of Noble, the company is still active to this day as a British sports car manufacturer based in Leicester. This car shown here is known as the 2002 Noble M12 GTO 3, and it’s just one small example of the wild machines that Noble has developed over the years. The Noble company was first ever established in the year 1999 by Lee Noble in Leeds, West Yorkshire with one of the main intentions being to produce sports cars with impressive performance capabilities, and unique designs. Noble is not only known for founding his own company, but also for his efforts in projects such as the McLaren F1, Ultima Can Am and Ascari Ecosse, which ultimately made him become a household name in the automotive industry. The company started out first with the Noble M10, a convertible model that was sold in extremely limited numbers in favor of the more popular succeeding model known as the M12. The M12 was first ever introduced in the year 2000 with an aim to rival up against the upper echelon of the automotive industry at the time. With sights directed on Ferrari and Porsche, Noble formed a deal with Jim Price of High Tech Automotive, a specialized small scale builder based in South Africa to help produce the M12 model. The M12 was offered in multiple variations, with one of them being the GTO 3 shown here. The even further enhanced version knkw as the M12 GTO-3R received a six-speed Getrag-Ford sunit with Quaife Automatic Torque Biasing limited slip differential. The interior is of course race-oriented despite featuring some comfort options.
How many made? It’s not clear as to exactly how many were made down to a specific number, but what is certain is that the number is only in the hundreds, especially when accounting for just the M12 GTO 3 model in specific!
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.0L Duratec V6 that makes approximately 352hp at 6,200rpm
Debut: 2002
Top Speed: approximately 170mph
0-60mph: around 3.9 seconds
Photo Credit: @teaandtappets
Research: @rarecarsonly