Noble M15 news - Noble launches M15 bullet - 2006

One of the undoubted stars of the supercar firmament has been unveiled and it's British.

The Noble M15 joins the supercar glitterati with performance to humble the likes of the Ferrari F430 and Lamborghini Gallardo, yet it costs significantly less.

A twin-turbo, 3.0-litre V6 engine produces an almighty 425bhp and 425lb ft of torque, seeing the M15 from 0-60mph in less than 3.5 seconds and on to a 185mph top speed.

Company founder and namesake Lee Noble believes 185mph is sufficient and prefers to concentrate on acceleration through the gears, rather than the "easily achievable 200mph top speed".

Other areas where the small British firm has concentrated its resources are keeping weight to a minimum, with the M15 tipping the scales at just 1200kg, and a fine balance between ride and handling.

If the company's other cars are anything to go by, the M15 should be a stunning drive.

Noble has also worked hard on the styling, telling us that a radical reshaping of the original concept unveiled last year took place quite late in the design process.

To our eyes, the M15 looks just right, with a mix of supercar good looks and aggression.

There's even a hint of practicality to the M15, because it has some 300-litres of load space split between front and rear boots.

The interior is a classy mix of leather and simplicity, although the M15 comes with the obligatory luxury goodies such as air-conditioning and a CD player.

Lee Noble says: "I wanted 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."

To our eyes, it looks like Noble has more than succeeded, and the price is equally appealing at £74,950 to undercut similarly potent rivals by more than £50,000.