M15 comes alive!

SPECIALIST sportscar-maker Noble Automotive has released its M15 flagship in the UK and is likely to become available in Australia later this year.

The top version of the mid-engined rear-drive coupe uses its turbocharged 3.0-litre Ford V6 to deliver 339kW at 6800rpm and 617Nm at 4800rpm.

Aided by its lightweight (1200kg) spaceframe chassis construction that is 57 per cent stiffer than the M12 model the M15 supplants, the 100km/h sprint is dispatched in around 3.5 seconds, with 160km/h just 8.0 seconds away from standstill. Top speed is 297km/h.

Yet unlike its no-compromise (and significantly cheaper) predecessor, the new model has a softer ride and more practicality. Reckoning there isn’t a car in its class "to touch it dynamically", Noble founder and CEO Lee Noble aimed to produce a supercar people could use every day.

"It was time for Noble to take a big step up in terms of refinement, practicality and style," he said.

Priced at just under $A180,000 in Britain, Mr Noble believes the M15 competes with supercar rivals costing well over $A300,000.