$86K Noble M400 Is a Lot of Car For the Money, No Bull

Nobody does sports cars quite like the Brits do. Obscure badges, lovely fiberglass bodies, high performance, parts bin raiding, and a (sometimes) charming lack of refinement are elements of cars from the Kingdom. And in terms of rarity and performance, some of them offer a lot of value for money. For instance, the 2006 Noble M400 that sold this week for $86,625 is the second most expensive Noble we’ve seen at auction, and the most expensive one sold on Bring a Trailer. Yet when you consider how much car the buyer got at that price, it’s hard to call it a bad deal.

Having created the early models for both Ultima and Ascari, engineer and designer Lee Noble was already a big name in the world of low-volume British sports cars when he founded his eponymous company in 1999. Nobles follow the same basic formula: powerful engine behind the driver, rear-wheel drive, and fiberglass or carbon-fiber bodywork. The first Noble, called the M10, quickly evolved into the M12, which was the company’s first volume model.

Early M12s got a transversely-mounted, 2.5-liter version of the Ford Duratec V-6 coupled to a six-speed Getrag manual. The capable hands of Porsche and Cosworth had already touched the Duratec, but Noble modified it further with two turbochargers for 310 horsepower and 320 lb-ft. The ultimate development of that car, though, was the M400. A 3.0-liter displacement, forged pistons, and different turbos helped boost output to 425 hp and 390 lb-ft, pushing a sub-2400-pound car to 60 mph in the low-3-second range. The M400 also added upgraded suspension and a front anti-roll bar. Traction control, airbags, and ABS were not on the list of standard (or optional) equipment. Most sources point to a production run of 75 cars, though some claim a higher number.

Like with the M12, Noble outsourced assembly of the M400 to a company called Hi-Tech Automotive in South Africa. A small number of them sold in the U.S. through a company called 1g Racing in Ohio, and as a kit to get around safety and emissions regulations. Prices were a few grand shy of $100,000. Not a car for the people, then, but despite the word “Noble” on its nose, you didn’t have to be a member of the aristocracy to own one, either.

Anyone who’s driven a Noble will tell you it’s a gas, and in its 2007 test, Car and Driver gushed: “Here we have a kit car that is livable, refined, stupid fast…The acceleration is disorienting and terrifying at first, like when you wake from the dream where you’re falling and you let out an embarrassing yelp. From behind the fire wall, the twin-turbo six delivers a raspy exhaust note accompanied by whistling turbos and a waste gate that cracks like Indiana Jones’s whip.” Sounds exciting. Road testers also praised the M400’s poise and predictability at the limit.

The M400 this week originally sold new in Ohio, has only one owner from new, and shows 2758 miles on its odometer. It also boasts a subsequent engine build that included new pistons and heads, revised turbos, a larger intercooler, and bespoke exhaust. It’s handsome, fast, rare, and barely used.

Other Noble M12s/M400s have sold in the U.S. in the $50K to $60K range. That’s Lotus Elise and Exige money for a that’s way more powerful than both, even if its badge is less prestigious. So while over $86K is considerably more than the rest, it’s still so much car for the money. I can’t help but think what a Porsche with this kind of performance would cost.