First Impression: Noble M12 GTO 3R

Great Britain has had several automotive brands under the British Motor Company. Brands include Jaguar, Austin, Morris, MG, Rover, Land Rover, Riley, Mini, and Triumph. Most of the BMC brands are either defunct or owned by automotive companies outside of Britain. Very few British automotive bands are independently owned and headquartered in Britain. Noble, an independent British car company, was founded by Lee Noble in 1999. The first car produced by Noble was the Noble M10. The second Noble car went into production in 2000 and was released in 2001. The second produced Noble was the M12, mid-engine, rear wheel drive supercar. It was in production from 2000 to 2008. The top-of-the-line version of the Noble M12 is the M12 GTO 3R.

I first saw the Noble M12 GTO 3R at the June 2011 edition of Houston Cars and Coffee. Initial thought, this looks fast. I like the sleek design. These are rare cars and are not normally see on the roads. With the engine in the back and a trunk in the front, this is a practical supercar.

The Noble M12 GTO 3R is powered by a Ford 3.0L biturbo Duratech V6, paired with a six-speed manual transmission, that produces 352 hp and 350 lb-ft of torque. It goes from 0 to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds and reaches a top speed of 170 mph. The price for the M12 GTO 3R is $100,000. The price is low for a mid-engine supercar, but it does not have the performance that other supercars have. Still it is a very quick car with a sub 4.0 second 0-60 mph acceleration.

The Noble M12 GTO was reviewed by Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear during Series 1, Episode 2. The Noble M12 is playable in Project Gotham Racing 2, Test Drive Unlimited, and Total Immersion Racing. The Noble M12 GTO 3R is playable in ToCA Race Driver 3.

Final Thoughts: This is a fast car. While it does not have the performance or prestige of Lamborghini or Ferrari, this is supercar that should not be overlooked. This is great car for a young automotive company to build on. Noble is currently producing its sixth production car, the Noble M600, a 225 mph hypercar. None of the big Italian or German automotive companies can match the performance of  the sixth car produced by this young British car company has accomplished in its ten plus years. Look for even faster cars produced by Noble.

CarJunkie
Photo taken from a camera phone