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Rating

Verdict Fastest thing to come out of Leicestershire

The Noble M12 GTO-3R doesn’t accelerate when you press the pedal. It explodes. In the time it takes an Audi TT to select a gear, or the Merc SL to gird its considerable loins, the lightweight Noble has added 10mph to its speed, your eyeballs are fastened to the back of your skull and your left kidney has come off.

It may only have a 3 litre Mondeo engine but the addition of two turbochargers means it will go from 0 to 60 in, oh, I don’t know, about four seconds. And you’ll reach the end of the road way before it reaches its top speed of 170mph.

Here’s the “but”. There are no luxuries at all, apart from air-conditioning. You even have to wind your own windows down. It’s faster than a Carrera 2, and more fun, but it’s not a Porsche and you can never quite get it out of your head that it was built from plastic in South Africa and assembled on an industrial estate in Leicestershire.

I sort of don’t mind, though, because it is just so very, very fast. And very, very pretty. TVR had been doing its thing for years and nobody thought to help themselves to a slice of the cake. Then Noble came along and took the icing and the cherry, leaving only the sponge.

In a world obsessed with image, you can’t beat a Porsche. But in a world obsessed with time, a Porsche is a library. A TVR is the internet. And the Noble is broadband.

Price when tested (Sep 2003) £51,500 Model discontinued

Engine 2968cc, six cylinders

Power 352bhp @ 6200rpm

Torque 350 lb ft @ 5000rpm

Transmission Six-speed manual

Fuel/ n/a

0-60mph 3.8sec

Top Speed 170mph