***A Noble Inspiration***
Discussion
I can't go into too much detail about why, but yesterday I got to drive Adrian's Noble to Bruntingthorpe proving ground, then spend most of the day hooning round like a complete child. I am still buzzing now from the adrenalin that was produced from driving it. I'm sitting here trying to think of how to describe the feeling of driving such an awesome car.
The first thing you notice (after the intimidation of 600hp and 1000kg) is the inconceivable, ludicrous and mind blowing acceleration. The only way I can begin to describe it is to imagine the half a second punch you get from a Noble M12/M400 when boost kicks in, but then imagine that lasting continuously from the moment you touch the loud pedal, to the moment you lift off. It feels naturally aspirated with a very linier power curve, coupled with a long travel pedal making it easier to get the power down. Now my Noble is a very quick car, with 450hp, but Adrian’s car is so much faster…..in every gear….at any rpm….at any speed. It’s almost like your brain can’t work fast enough for what is happening…1st is merely there to get you rolling, then your straight through 2nd, 3rd and 4th before you can say “Oh my god this is quick” then 5th and 6th are slightly longer, but bearing in mind your doing over 150mph at this point, and still accelerating hard to way over 180mph.
The next thing you notice is the way it handles. Very light at low speeds, but due to the aerodynamic changes it squats down onto the road the faster you go, inspiring more confidence for the approaching corner. Turn in is excellent and precise, and there is no under-steer at all. You can really lean on it as you accelerate out of the bend partly due to the camber of the wheels and the down-force working evenly over the car. I really had to provoke the car with a vigorous flick of the steering wheel and a dab of throttle to get it out of shape, and even then it was so controllable and just wanted to get back on line.
As you can tell I really liked driving Adrian’s car, it is a Noble at heart but better in nearly every way. Even the paddle clutch was not as bad as I thought it was going to be and it was no louder on the motorway than mine. It takes a bit of getting used to on twisty bumpy country lanes, but the more you relax the faster you go and the more the car sits down onto the road. I think what Adrian has achieved with this car with the help of Trevor Jasper at Roush; Simon Ferren at Reverie and the boys at Mira is truly astonishing. There is no other car I can think of for less than £100k that could accelerate, handle and still look so good? Yes I know some people don’t like the carbon aero bits, but I think we should all appreciate the time, effort and money that Adrian has spent to create an inspirational car that we can all learn from.
The first thing you notice (after the intimidation of 600hp and 1000kg) is the inconceivable, ludicrous and mind blowing acceleration. The only way I can begin to describe it is to imagine the half a second punch you get from a Noble M12/M400 when boost kicks in, but then imagine that lasting continuously from the moment you touch the loud pedal, to the moment you lift off. It feels naturally aspirated with a very linier power curve, coupled with a long travel pedal making it easier to get the power down. Now my Noble is a very quick car, with 450hp, but Adrian’s car is so much faster…..in every gear….at any rpm….at any speed. It’s almost like your brain can’t work fast enough for what is happening…1st is merely there to get you rolling, then your straight through 2nd, 3rd and 4th before you can say “Oh my god this is quick” then 5th and 6th are slightly longer, but bearing in mind your doing over 150mph at this point, and still accelerating hard to way over 180mph.
The next thing you notice is the way it handles. Very light at low speeds, but due to the aerodynamic changes it squats down onto the road the faster you go, inspiring more confidence for the approaching corner. Turn in is excellent and precise, and there is no under-steer at all. You can really lean on it as you accelerate out of the bend partly due to the camber of the wheels and the down-force working evenly over the car. I really had to provoke the car with a vigorous flick of the steering wheel and a dab of throttle to get it out of shape, and even then it was so controllable and just wanted to get back on line.
As you can tell I really liked driving Adrian’s car, it is a Noble at heart but better in nearly every way. Even the paddle clutch was not as bad as I thought it was going to be and it was no louder on the motorway than mine. It takes a bit of getting used to on twisty bumpy country lanes, but the more you relax the faster you go and the more the car sits down onto the road. I think what Adrian has achieved with this car with the help of Trevor Jasper at Roush; Simon Ferren at Reverie and the boys at Mira is truly astonishing. There is no other car I can think of for less than £100k that could accelerate, handle and still look so good? Yes I know some people don’t like the carbon aero bits, but I think we should all appreciate the time, effort and money that Adrian has spent to create an inspirational car that we can all learn from.
What an excellent write up. Looking at the snow out of my window I bet you glad you got that done yesterday!
I'm not a fan of the aesthetic look of some of the bits, but then the Gumpert isn't exactly beautiful either. It's one overall mean and serious looking bit of kit, and clearly lives up to it looks.
:thumbsup:
I'm not a fan of the aesthetic look of some of the bits, but then the Gumpert isn't exactly beautiful either. It's one overall mean and serious looking bit of kit, and clearly lives up to it looks.
:thumbsup:
Offer him a drive in the GTR when it arrives! (2009/2010 or whatever!)
Nic ereport Ross! I've great respect for Adrian and what he has done. I love and the aero mods and can't wait to see it in the flesh again now its all done, although knowing Adrian, it'll never quite be finished 
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