Noble M600 Speedster car review: Despite the clip on roof, the model has not lost any of its dynamic skill

It’s expensive, but Noble’s 225mph roofless wonder proves there’s more to supercars than brand cachet.

Noble has removed the roof from its M600 to create the Speedster. This costs something like £300,000 (just shy of that as tested), so it has a bit of a point to prove.

You do still get a roof, but it’s the kind that clips into place. So it’s easy to remove if you fancy giving your toupee adhesive a work out – though there’s nowhere on board to stow it, so doing so might be playing with fire in other ways too.

Having said that, if you can afford a toy like this you can also afford a servant in a van to follow at a discreet distance in case the rain comes down. Though if you decide to plant your right foot, that distance might become very discreet indeed.

That’s because the twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 engine produces a mighty 650bhp and 604lb ft. Mid-mounted and mated to a choice of six-speed manual and auto boxes, this makes for an estimated 3.5-second sprint time and top speed of 225mph – by which time your toupee is likely to be in a different county.

It sounds good on paper, and it’s even better in real life. The engine makes a magnificent noise and produces equally magnificent performance – which is backed up by a level of handling and quality of ride whose exceptional sophistication confounds everything you thought you knew about low-volume car makers. Not even the removal of the M600’s metal roof seems to have detracted from its dynamic skill – go looking for scuttle shake and, as we did, you’ll draw a blank.

All this is achieved in a car with what now counts as quite an old fashioned chassis. The M600 has a steel tub and tubular spaceframe with carbon fibre panels hung on it – but if you think that should put it on the back foot, the briefest of drives will set you straight.

open image in gallery

So too will the quality of the cabin, should you still be harbouring doubts about the credentials of a company as small as Noble. The standard of manufacturing and material quality really is top-class – it has a crafted aura to it which is immensely reassuring.

Even then, the mere fact that this car isn’t a Ferrari or Aston Martin will be enough to put many people off. Most will be either over-cautious or blinded to Noble’s ability as a car maker by the cachet surrounding its most historically illustrious rivals.

Be smart, and see past reservations like these, and if you have this much money to spend the M600 Speedster will reward you with something truly out of the ordinary – and which, lest we forget, is also sensational to drive.