The Noble M14 was a prototype created by Noble Automotive and first shown at the 2004 British International Motor Show. It was based on the chassis of the M12 with a new body and a more upmarket interior, and it was meant to take the company up against the Porsche 911 Turbo and the Ferrari F430. It never reached production.
Noble M14 at a glance
| Maker | Noble Automotive |
|---|---|
| Debut | 2004 British International Motor Show |
| Status | prototype, never produced |
| Chassis | M12 chassis with minor modifications |
| Body | new body on the M12 platform |
| Engine | twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre Ford V6, 2,968 cc |
| Power | 400 bhp (298 kW) at 6,100 rpm |
| Torque | 385 lb-ft (522 Nm) at 4,750 rpm |
| Gearbox | six-speed manual |
| Planned weight ratio | 363 bhp per ton |
| Planned performance | 0–60 mph in 4.3 s, 190 mph maximum |
| Expected price | £75,000 |
The M14 exists only as a prototype and is documented in a single English Wikipedia article; this page is based on one source.
History of the Noble M14
A step upmarket
The M14 was built on the chassis of the M12, with only minor modifications, but carried a completely new body and a more luxurious interior. The idea was to move the marque out of the hardcore track-car niche and into the territory of the Porsche 911 Turbo and Ferrari F430, both new at the time. The expected price was £75,000, well above the M12 and M400.
Why it was cancelled
The car generated significant interest in the motoring press, and Noble took a number of deposits. But after the debut Lee Noble decided that the M14 was insufficiently different from the existing M12 and M400 to justify the price increase. Rather than sell a car that was too close to what the company already made, he moved development to an entirely new model, the M15, which began from a fresh platform even though the two cars eventually shared very few components.
Afterlife in video games
Because the M14 never became a road car, most people have met it in the digital world: the prototype appeared in video games including Test Drive Unlimited, Burnout Revenge and Project Gotham Racing 3. In 2007 Autocar reported that Noble was believed to be working on two updated replacements, the M600 and the M15C.
Design and features
- Three-litre twin-turbo V6: a highly modified version of Ford’s 2,968 cc V6 with two turbochargers.
- 400 bhp: 298 kW at 6,100 rpm, with 522 Nm of torque at 4,750 rpm.
- Six-speed manual: the only gearbox planned for the car.
- New interior: a more upmarket cabin than any previous Noble.
- M12 underneath: the well-proven steel frame and glassfibre construction, barely changed.
Noble M14 versions
- Show car (2004): the only complete M14 ever shown.
- Planned production car: expected to cost £75,000 with 363 bhp per ton.
- Replacement programme: the M15, developed instead of the M14, and later the M600.
The M14 was built on the chassis of the Noble M12 and replaced in the programme by the Noble M15. The car that eventually came out of that line of thinking is the Noble M600; more are in the Noble collection.
Video: Test Drive Unlimited Delivering Noble M14
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- Noble M14, English Wikipedia: debut, engine, performance, cancellation
- Noble Automotive, English Wikipedia: place of the M14 in the range
