M400 in Autocar's Best Drivers' Car feature

[micknall]

Please make sure you all buy tomorrow's Autocar, which features our M400 in its Best Drivers' Car of '04 feature.

I'm pretty confident that the Noble's done good, but you'll need to buy the mag to find out more!

Also, look out for my press release on Lee's debut in the M400 at Brands yesterday.

This car is taking the press by storm. My only factory demonstrator is booked up until October...

Simon Hucknall
Press Officer
Noble Automotive Ltd.

[kentviking]

I'll be first in the queue at WHS...congrats on yet another favourable review (he says in anticipation)

[amg merc]

micknall said:

Please make sure you all buy tomorrow's Autocar, which features our M400 in its Best Drivers' Car of '04 feature. I'm pretty confident that the Noble's done good, but you'll need to buy the mag to find out more! Also, look out for my press release on Lee's debut in the M400 at Brands yesterday. This car is taking the press by storm. My only factory demonstrator is booked up until October... Simon Hucknall Press Officer Noble Automotive Ltd.

Congrats Leicestershire Teaboys! :-)

And I was pleased to read the comment relating to the positioning of the 3R - well done on your product positioning - both have their market as you had planned!

Me, I'm happy with the 3R (for now...)!

[ELISEK]

YOU ARE THE NUMBER ONE!!!!!

[Marlon]

And STILL they manage to get the price wrong...

Micknall, I don't know how you manage to be so patient with these muppets (I'm presuming that you're being patient! Personally, I'd be jumping up and down by now).

But, a good result none the less - congratulations to all at Noble.

[amg merc]

Marlon said:

And STILL they manage to get the price wrong... Micknall, I don't know how you manage to be so patient with these muppets (I'm presuming that you're being patient! Personally, I'd be jumping up and down by now). But, a good result none the less - congratulations to all at Noble.

Marlon, careful - Micknall used to be one of them! :-)

[V6GTO]

At last!..the marque is getting the recognition it deserves instead of nit-picking. We all know it's the best value for money supercar on the market, and at last the motoring press are starting to 'get it'. Well done Lee, Simon, Stuart, Bob, Richard and all the others (especially Tony who is building my car). This should get the orders flooding in, and strengthen residuals as well.

Martin.

PS - I'm off to Spain for a week tomorrow for a week, so you lucky people have got a whole week off from me. The bad news is that when I get back I'll pick up my car the following day and I'll be like a schoolboy again.

[micknall]

Thanks for all your kind words.

You should see a letter from me in next week's Autocar correcting the price shown in the feature.

[m12_nathan]

While you are there feel free to correct the power per litre comment as well

[Ravon]

Funny isn't it, when Autocar gets an "exclusive" on a new car from a manufacturer, the car then gets rave reviews and wins all the accolades. I'm not knocking Noble, more power to thier elbow, may they survive and prosper, ( i've lost too much money on low volume cars over the years, and suffered intense frustration from thier pathetic dealerships so now I'm with the sheep enjoying the engine in the wrong place !). Just , sorry you have to look at the bottom line, Haymarket are in the business of turning blank paper, purchased for "X" into printed paper that you can sell for "X plus". Maybe I'm getting old and sounding like my Dad, but Autocar was once a great, now its just a "rag" full of utter "hype" written by a bunch of lads having a dam good time at our expense !

Regards, Grumpy Ravon.

[DanH]

Ravon whats your point?

That the autocar review doesn't tie up with Evo, or that the M400 won?

If its the former, then its still consistent as Evo reviewed the M400 when setup work was still being done and it had too stiff a front ARB which caused chronic understeer. Entirely Nobles fault imho, but it explains why its gone from being somewhat derided in one mag to being lauded in another.

Like all these things, it also depends on how the reviewer is feeling on the day Phil Bennet was at both reviews and was fairly vocal about hating the understeer in the Evo review. Dunno if he thinks its better now, but I'd be surprised if autocar had made the M400 win if one of the reviewers was that anti the car.

Its a shame cars can live or die by these reviews because mostly its all cobblers beyond the broadest of comments.

[DanH]

As an aside, I met a chap who used to be a scribbler in Motor on the weekend. He only did it a few years, but said it was by far the best way to enjoy cars. Where else can you assemble a collection of Ferraris, blat across Europe and not have to pick up any bills! Can't remember his surname, but his christian name was 'Ranger'. (hippy parents? )

[hunttheshunt]

Ravon, I for one think that Autocar is still 'top of the pile'. For the most part the articles are interesting and informative. Whether you accept their reviews as Gospel is up to you, but I think they tend to be more right than wrong.

Are you sure you're not thinking of Evo though. Your description sounds more like it IMHO.

Forgive the cynicism Ravon, and I mean no offence, but would you have been so dissapointed with Autocar had the GT3 RS won???

Yours,
a big Porsche fan!

[Stuart]

Ravon said:

Funny isn't it, when Autocar gets an "exclusive" on a new car from a manufacturer, the car then gets rave reviews and wins all the accolades. I'm not knocking Noble, more power to thier elbow, may they survive and prosper, ( i've lost too much money on low volume cars over the years, and suffered intense frustration from thier pathetic dealerships so now I'm with the sheep enjoying the engine in the wrong place !). Just , sorry you have to look at the bottom line, Haymarket are in the business of turning blank paper, purchased for "X" into printed paper that you can sell for "X plus". Maybe I'm getting old and sounding like my Dad, but Autocar was once a great, now its just a "rag" full of utter "hype" written by a bunch of lads having a dam good time at our expense ! Regards, Grumpy Ravon.

An interesting argument, albeit largely bobbins. The one fatal flaw in your argument is that Autocar didn't get an exclusive on the M400, in fact we were among the last of the magazines to publish our drive on the car. We did get an exclusive on the M14, but obviously we haven't driven that yet. Don't think we had an exclusive on the M12 when it came out, we just happened to think that it was a damn good car and wanted to tell our readers that we thought so. The GTO 3R hasn't actually won anything, although it nearly beat a 996 TT in our A-B road shootout last year. I could go on, but won't....

As for the "rag" and "hype," well you're absolutely entitled to your opinion. You're right about one thing though - our lads do have a great time, albeit if crazy hours and low pay are the downside. A touch of the green eyed monster perhaps?

>> Edited by stuart_forrest on Wednesday 28th July 14:14

[DanH]

Stuart any comment with respect to that Peugeot 407 being included? Some people are wondering if its coincidental that Phil Bennet was given one by Peugeot the very recently!

[Stuart]

DanH said:

Stuart any comment with respect to that Peugeot 407 being included? Some people are wondering if its coincidental that Phil Bennet was given one by Peugeot the very recently!

Complete coincidence. It was included because we're a magazine of record and can't always be seen to cover Noble-esque cars. 407 is a new car and hasn't yet been put through a subjective test of handling in this way, it was available, and it came along. Also made a useful camera car on the day

[DanH]

Fair enough. Conspiracy theories are so much more fun though!

[obes]

Just read the article! HURRAHH - WELL DONE NOBLE
The times look good for the up and coming Top Gear results !!!.....anyone heard any more rumours?

[DanH]

Yeah I heard a rumour via another source about that, but its still a bit wishy washy. Someone apparently overheard clarkson saying a british car had just slaughtered everything.

[Stuart]

DanH said:

Fair enough. Conspiracy theories are so much more fun though!

Anyway, Phil doesn't have a 407. He's got a completely F**ked 406 that looks as if it did 170,000 miles as a Parisian mini-cab. At least he did the last time I saw him.