2006 Noble M400 #141

[asshanson]

Many of you know I recently purchased a Noble M400, I picked it up in Ohio on Wednesday and towed it back on a trailer. Currently the car has 17k miles on it. There are quite a few mods, but driveability so far is better than the Lotus, just feels a lot smoother in general. Especially the suspension, way less harsh in factory form. Also I now have heat and AC, a radio with iPod hookup, rearview mirror with outside temp and homelink, and suede interior: this car is luxury in comparison! The only downsides I have noticed so far are manual crank windows, and the long throttle travel will take some getting used to. Also I need to change out the brand new race pads for the street pads he gave me, the brake whine is terrible.

The mods:
Custom built fuel cell with internal scavenger pump
Bosch 044 external fuel pump & SS lines, and FPR with gauge
Upgraded intercooler with two thermostatically adjustable Zirgo Fans which have a computer controller in the cockpit
Spal fan controller for oil cooling fans.
Custom built Fire Suppressant system with release handle next to the driver seat, this system covers the cockpit and engine compartment
Upgraded 5 point harnesses
Rear view mirror with outside temp and Home-link
Upgraded front brake cooling ducts including custom hoses and fittings
Remote battery access plug
Spal programmable shift light mounted on the steering wheel
High temp throttle cable
Custom Stainless Steel shielding package
Turbo Blankets
HKS SSQV blow off valve
Ceramic coating on firewall and inter-cooler box
Custom Built 3" Exhaust system including high flow muffler, all ceramic coated
New unsprung AP racing clutch, throw out bearing and cap
Upgraded front axles bolts
New Fedoro 2500 brake pads (and a few other sets of race pads included)
New AP racing 2 piece rotors
Ron Davis aluminum radiator
blocked off the rear tunnel
front tunnel cooling mod
6000k 55W HID's installed

Dyno readings 446 WHP, 409 FT/LP torque at 14psi, this tune is quite old and I plan to get it updated with the latest tune from Turbo Hoses which is one of the top shops for tuning these cars. I think a 17psi tune should be around 480whp.

Here is when I picked it up:


Rained a lot on the way home, so the car is super filthy right now, but in my driveway:



Engine bay with rear clam up:


Front of car with clam up with radiator and air ducting for brakes and other stuff:


Dual 3" turbo back exhaust:


First mod was to remove the vinyl on the upper windshield:


Don't really have many plans for the car yet besides an updated tune, it's already pretty well modded for track use. I have NT01 tires that I'm going to mount in the next day or two, maybe I'll get another set of wheels for the A6 slicks for autocross.

[SlowWhite]

OMG im so jelious

[Halon]

Sweet ride man.

[punxnotdead185]

Nice!! Those things are sweet.

[dsmreck]

Love that color. What's the retail on one of those?

[b00sted_spyder]

I've always loved these. That color is badass!

[TkrPerformance]

Looking great.

[Goat Blower]

Nice score, that thing is badass!

[rose0529]

Looking good! I love that color on that car. Can't wait to see it in person. Any pics of the inside?

[tehehodi]

Congrats! When is the first track day?

[polishmafia]

I will miss looking at pics of the Lotus, but this is a damn fine replacement.

What engine and turbo is in this thing? Also, in the thread title you wrote #141... Is that 141 out of how many they built?

[A//// Guy]

The zx2 is looking great!

[scheides]

Hellz yes! Love the color!

Lots of random questions:

This is actually a M12 right? And the trim-level is the 'M400' ? Or is the M400 an entirely separate model? Just curious how that all works.

Can you take more pics or explain how the engine bay is plumbed? It's tough to tell from that pic and pics of other M400's online leaves me with my head scratching..some have the intake on the left, some on the right, etc.

Lastly, this thing is RWD right? I'd assume that with what this car is, but with the transverse-mounted motor, I gotta ask.

So many other questions...can't wait to see this thing!

[93gtpeater]

Congrats dude that car is gorgeous. Can't wait to see it person some day if you have it long enough........ If you have a gopro you should get some video of it tearing up the autocross. Again nice car dude

[turbotalon1g]

Looks awesome, love that color.

That thing has got to fly with that much power and that little weight.

Congrats again.

[97gsexx]

Wow! That car is sweet, congrats man! How much do you charge for rides??

[Speedfreak]

Great looking car, perfect color/s, nice mod list. Congrats!

Very interested to hear feedback after a track day.

[asshanson]

Thanks guys, I'll get some interior pics soon. It's a bit porno feeling with all the suede, but not bad.

To answer some of the questions, #141 is the serial number, there are a little over 200 of them in the country (both M12 and M400 combined). M12 was the base model, M400 was the "race" model. Differences are pretty minor, but the M400 has an upgraded interior with more gauges, better shifter, and nicer CF seats, T28 turbos instead of T25's, front swaybar and upgraded shocks, I think that's most of it.

It has a Ford Duratec 3.0 V6 (same motor comes in the Ford Escape, but this one is fully built) with twin T28's, transverse mounted and RWD with LSD. Getrag 6 speed transmission. The 6th is actually quite a bit longer than 5th so highway cruising rpm's are pretty low, a nice change over the Lotus.

Ok, to explain the plumbing per Scheides' request:

At the back of the car is the intercooler and two air filters, one on each side. It's sealed off from the engine bay with ceramic coating and the gold foil to keep it cooler, plus it's fed with outside air from the top of the rear deck. You can see the passenger side air filter in the pic. The pipe on the bottom/left is the intake for the front turbo. The intake for the rear turbo goes straight down from the pass side filter you can see. The pipe at the top of the picture is the hot side pipe for the front turbo. The rear turbo hot pipe goes into the intercooler right next to that, but you can't see it. So there are two inputs on the passenger side of the intercooler, and the cold side output goes to the throttle body and has the BOV.

[asshanson]

Got a few more photos today. Here is the interior:



Other side of the engine bay. You can see the rear turbo intake at the bottom, and the two hot side intercooler pipes to the left of it.


Some shots of the car with the clams open:

Originally Posted by 93gtpeater

Congrats dude that car is gorgeous. Can't wait to see it person some day if you have it long enough........ If you have a gopro you should get some video of it tearing up the autocross. Again nice car dude

I have a track camera setup that I was going to put in the Lotus but never got around to it, so it will be going in this car instead. I'll probably mount it on the front of the rollbar by the rearview mirror.

[b00sted_spyder]

I am very surprised it's powered by a 3.0 Ford motor.