2003 Noble M12 GTO

A serial Porsche owner (Boxster, 928GT, 911 Turbo etc) and a motorbike enthusiast to boot, Paul, the owner of this Noble M12 wanted ‘the best bang for the buck’ when he was looking for this car. And that, he got.

‘Its performance is Biblical,’ he announces about the car he bought in November 2008. ‘The acceleration is ridiculous - and it’s got the handling to match.’

He actually went to see it - and bought it - in the dark and didn’t quite realise the subtle nature of its colour Cassis Red (it’s a Porsche colour) until he saw it properly the next day.

‘I’ve only done about 10,000 miles in the car in 11 years,’ he explains. ‘Though over the last few years, it’s dropped to less than 1000 miles a year.’

As well as its near supercar performance, Paul notes another factor that sets it above certain other English - and Italian manufacturers; ‘I’m six foot two and I can still get in and out of it easily,’ he smiles. ‘And the seat isn’t on the last click either.’

The M12 is one of those cars you can just sit and look at for a long time. Gaze at it for long enough and you’ll see glimpses of Lotus Exige along with the odd Le Mans Porsche. But as a design, the whole ensemble of curves and ducts comes together to form an impressive and highly individual whole. It’s good to see that this example has retained all of the tautness inherent in the design. Those big clam shells open and close without having to wrestle with them, fitting snugly with the rest of the superstructure. The doors too, open and close smoothly and line up just as they should, true to their seals and with narrow and even panel gaps. No creaking anywhere.

The paintwork - did we mention that this is a Porsche colour - is in very good condition, with no significant scratches and certainly no cracking or crazing to the GRP bodywork. The long edges of those side intakes show no scuffs (nor that curvaceous rear spoiler), and that big rear wing hasn’t been caught along its ends or edges. The alloy struts holding it aloft look clean and strong and are very firmly mounted; on rubber ‘feet’ that show no signs of perishing or cracking. Other than this, there aren’t really any other adornments to the body, save for the mirrors, which also sit on alloy struts, and are equally solid and firmly mounted.

The only areas which show any significant scuffs are low down; around the rear defuser/exhaust ports or the front chin spoiler, which considering how low the car is, is very understandable. It wouldn’t be hard to replace this, but if you’re buying the car as a proper road-going machine, it really doesn’t spoil the look.

A very presentable - and striking - machine.

The cabin style and materials lean towards tough functionality and have stood the test of the years rather well. Nearly everything is black - save for those bright blue Willans harnesses (which are in excellent condition), and the accoutrements - window winders, hand brake, gear knob - appear to be in billet aluminium and look pretty sturdy. All are firmly screwed/slotted into place and none show any scratches. The gaiters for the latter two also look very robust; no sagging and no frayed stitching. The beefy Momo steering wheel looks very clean and businesslike.

Those high-backed sports seats are in very good condition (their runners are a little rusty), the perforated leather seat backs maintain their colour and show only a little creasing, while the smooth leather edges (surprisingly) show no real scuffs - which reminds me - this car isn’t as tricky to climb in and out of as many a Lotus - so maybe hence the lack of marks. Even so, there are a few edges here that could easily have been scuffed - but aren’t. The sills also look good. The bright metal covers are in good condition and the carpets and door seals which run parallel to them show very tidy edges and again no signs of any great wear - though remember, we’re not talking thick Wilton carpets here - by design, materials are quite thin. Even so, throughout the cockpit, everything retains its colour shape and original position. The carpets running down the sides of the gear linkage tunnel and down into the foot wells is likewise clean and hardy.

The interiors of spartan, more ‘bespoke’ sports cars - usually build ‘cottage industry’-style can often look tired quickly, but the condition of this one is a credit and a testament to its resilience and its owners’ care.

The underside of the Noble is protected by an under-tray - or at least a series of flush-fitting panels. These look to be in pretty good order - a little weathered perhaps, with rust around the retaining screws - but robust nonetheless, and showing no significant damage or corrosion. However, because of those big clamshell ends opening up to reveal most everything, it is fairly easy to get a good idea of how the car is structurally.

Outriggers brackets and braces joining suspension and engine components to the central tub look largely very good. There is some surface rust here and there, but nothing significant. Similarly, the exhaust appears rusty, but on closer inspection, it becomes obvious that this is pretty superficial.

Springs and dampers look good and the wheels, while showing a few scuffs to edges, give a good overall impression. Brake assemblies behind look fine and their springs and damper assemblies appear robust. Tyres are new (and at that price, that’s quite a relief).

The motor and its attendant components appear to be in good health, though it’s a bit crowded in there. Everything is pretty clean and certainly very servicable - the same goes for the big fans up front. Fluid bottles are clean, and hoses (silicon?) look to be supple. The wiring looks fine. All the ducting - some of it quite low down - looks healthy - no holes or sagging or disconnected pipes. There are one or two holes/tears in the rubber seals around the engine bay (not so the cabin), but nothing significant.

The undersides of the sills and doors, and indeed the door cavities look pretty robust.

There’s a balance between the general weathering of the underside with the workmanlike tidiness of the engine. This car has obviously been looked after - but it’s been driven too - and shows it. You’re buying a road warrior here.

This 2003 MC12 has had four owners, with most of its life being spent in the care of the latter two. Of its 30447 miles driven, most (27,000) were covered in the first 11 years of its life. Understandably, the paperwork reflects that, with some of the bigger invoices going to the last owner - as well as a fairly hefty service to Paul in 2005. Previous ones include an electrical refurbishment as well as quite costly wheels/suspension fettling.

The service book shows stamps from sports car specialist; Peter Smith, Mole Valley Motor Group, with much of the Noble’s upkeep being taken care of by the latter. Paul says the car will have a similar comprehensive specialist service before it goes to its new owner.

A Noble isn’t a car for the faint-hearted - both in terms of its performance and its upkeep. Encouragingly, this car has had informed ownership and a relatively decent service history without rebuilds or mishaps. It’s an honest car - a driver’s car not a show queen - and one that can be driven as is, and/or improved slightly (surface rust scrubbed off) as one goes along or over the next winters. The body is very sound and the mechanicals, though potent, fairly simple.

For all this power and charisma, we think you will be paying between £25,000 and £30,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located in Hull; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

This vehicle is not with us at The Market’s HQ near Abingdon, which means we have had to rely on the owner’s description of it, in conjunction with the photographs you see here, to compile the listing.

With this in mind, we would encourage potential bidders to contact the owner themselves and arrange to view the car in person, or to arrange a dedicated video call in which they can view the car virtually and ask questions.