If you suddenly found yourself about $300,000 richer, what kind of car would you buy? A hopped-up Porsche? Some kind of Lamborghini? You could always go the predictable route and get a Ferrari.
Any of those would be outstanding. But why not get yourself something truly unique, like a Noble M600? The British-made Noble is kind of an unlikely supercar, what with a twin-turbocharged version of the 4.4-liter Volvo/Yamaha V8 sitting in its engine bay.
Don't let the engine's humble origins fool you. It's one of the most insane cars available today, with variable turbo boost allowing the driver to select between 450, 550 and 650 horsepower and no anti-lock brakes(!). And it has a proper manual transmission, not some namby-pamby dual clutch. Traction control? Better think twice before flicking that missile switch off, buddy.
If you still don't believe me, listen to Jeremy Clarkson, who seemed stunned by its ability to go from 100 to 120 mph in just two seconds and called it "properly, head-alteringly quick." It's not like that man is known for hyperbole or anything.
The Noble M600 is crazy enough that it deserves our respect — and space on our desktops.
Photo credit Ed Callow. Click here for an enormo-desktop version.