Noble M12 GTO-3R...

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jimGTS
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Location: North Kent

Noble M12 GTO-3R...

Post by jimGTS »

So some may or may not know, i got myself a Noble a few months back.
I still own the MR2, its interior has been returned a little more to stock, but the car will be staying with me as long as possible!

As per my other cars, i will be tweaking things slightly while retaining as many stock features as possible.
But i thought it would be good to have the project tracked, so hopefully ok to place here like my MR2 :thumleft:

Noble M12 GTO-3R
3.0 V6 Twin Turbo
2004, 32k miles in Porsche Seal Grey.
Track day sump, Getrag 6sp, Quaife LSD, A/C, 32k miles
Odin Grey leather

M400 turbos + Cam timing mod
Noble Motorsports Intercooler
Fuel pump mod
Sparco pedals
Clear indicators
Painted wheel centers and calipers
Remapped ECU
410hp/390lb at 11psi (0.75bar)

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craig
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Re: Noble M12 GTO-3R...

Post by craig »

Absolutely stunning Jim, nice one :thumleft:
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JAAASH
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Re: Noble M12 GTO-3R...

Post by JAAASH »

What a beauty! =P~
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My MR2 - http://www.imoc.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=174494
jimGTS
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Re: Noble M12 GTO-3R...

Post by jimGTS »

Cheers chaps, learning as i go.

Already done 1000+ miles in it, joy to drive and be inside.
No creature comforts really aside from the PS and AC. But thats how you save weight i guess, is only 1060kg officially.

Wind up windows, HU passenger side, indicator stalks and heater unit from an old ford, so certainly a few quirky items, but is part of the "kit car" style charm i guess.
androo007
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Re: Noble M12 GTO-3R...

Post by androo007 »

HUBBA HUBBA
pnelson
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Re: Noble M12 GTO-3R...

Post by pnelson »

Looks great.

I'd be tempted to go for red calipers for extra speed.

Is it a toyota motor?
jimGTS
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Re: Noble M12 GTO-3R...

Post by jimGTS »

im happy with the yellow at the mo, bit different and matches the Noble badges front and rear....currently toe hooks going to the same colour.


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motor is a ford duratec v6, block designed by porsche originally, ended up in the st220 mondeo. Noble reworked it, fit shorter rods to lower comp ratio, amongst other things to take turbos.
Martin F
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Re: Noble M12 GTO-3R...

Post by Martin F »

Lovely car Jim, One of the few i considered before taking the safer option, must be a blast being so light and has everything needed to turn heads before you drive by rather than after, i'm sure you will know what i mean ;)
Draven
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Re: Noble M12 GTO-3R...

Post by Draven »

Oh my, that is a bit of alright that is. good job lad. Will be tuned in for updates. :thumleft:
rossonza
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Re: Noble M12 GTO-3R...

Post by rossonza »

:shocked: bloody lovely. 1 ton and 400 odd HP? must be an absolute weapon.
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wilkie senior
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Re: Noble M12 GTO-3R...

Post by wilkie senior »

OOOOOOOOHHHH MY

im dribbling!!!!
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That's a negative, Jim. I do not have the measles.
Hail Cosmos Eagle Rev 5, 1998 -
RIP White Eagle Rev 1, 1991 - 2016
jimGTS
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Re: Noble M12 GTO-3R...

Post by jimGTS »

Couple of minor bits so far

New breather kit, apparently oem one gets a little rusty internally, plus the new catchcan can vent to atmos nicely.
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Quick view of the flat floor before i lopped off the breather kit hose overage.
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Fuel pump and filter live infront of the rear passenger wheel, in a small space under the side scoop, new filter element sorted.
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Bit grubby in there at the mo, will clean up and replace at a later date, but interesting to see an anodised replaceable filter and external pump.
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Couple from the place I picked it up from.
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Basic interior, though a nice full leather setup, can just about catch a glimpse of the chassis frame infront of the seat
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Soon met up with the regular MR2 Kent Run crew I know from the OC for a brilliant early morning drive the other week
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Wasn't a fan of the bright red oem harness belts that came with it, so swapped in some silver sparco's
Before
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After
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Also wasn't keen on the bare look Ali spoiler legs, so gave these a satin black coat last weekend, pretty happy.
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mrhappy62
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Re: Noble M12 GTO-3R...

Post by mrhappy62 »

Looks the biz Jim :clap: Hope to catch up next season when I have a V6 :)
Martin F
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Re: Noble M12 GTO-3R...

Post by Martin F »

wilkie senior wrote:OOOOOOOOHHHH MY

im dribbling!!!!


That's the joys of getting on a bit, Better get used to it :lol:
Martin F
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Re: Noble M12 GTO-3R...

Post by Martin F »

Car looks amazing from the outside but totally underwhelming from the inside, any plans to spruce that up ?
What kind of time can these car do the standing quarter in ?
How did you get on with the TD06 turbo in the mr2 ?

They are rare but have a mental road pressence, are they still super unreliable or did noble ever get their finger out ?

Still a very good choice in motor dude :thumleft:
jimGTS
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Re: Noble M12 GTO-3R...

Post by jimGTS »

Martin F wrote:Car looks amazing from the outside but totally underwhelming from the inside, any plans to spruce that up ?
What kind of time can these car do the standing quarter in ?
How did you get on with the TD06 turbo in the mr2 ?

They are rare but have a mental road pressence, are they still super unreliable or did noble ever get their finger out ?

Still a very good choice in motor dude :thumleft:


TD06 still going super strong, not bad for a DIY turbo rebuild.
Still loving the screamer! Car still going great i have to say at that power level.

Yeh presence on the road is great, noone has a clue what it is, looks great from all angles too imo. Low, sounds nice with the V6, no lag either.

The M400 did the 1/4 in 11.4 stock, this runs same power, with a manual box thats pretty impressive (0-60 3.3).
So in gear acceleration is pretty nice.
Im happy with where its at HP wise to be honest, for now at least. Pistons apparently good for over 500hp.

Unreliability; this was down to a few of things, most if not all on the early 2.5ltr cars....
**ECUs on the early ones, the 2.5ltrs M12 GTO, rectified on the later models GTO-3 and GTO-3R.
**All have poor 12v feeds to the fuel pump (small wires), so a common mod is a rewire.
**Lack of LSD on the early cars, rectified on the 3 i believe, or 3R at least.
**5speed box weak on the early 2.5s, better on the 6 speeds.
**Oil starvation with no Track Day Sump in high G's, most either specced it new, or retrofit after. Most have it to be fair.
**Early cars had no fans on the Rad, overheating issues, later fixed on the 3 and 3R.
**Intercooler heatsoak from a small-ish IC, many fit bigger ones when remapping.
**ECU and relay locations are right by one of the turbos, so some melt items, many move them. So a big cause of electrical problems.
**Poor exhaust manifolds (cracks) and exhaust, 301 stainless i believe, rust up.
**Catchcan breather was steel, so internally rots, so many fit a stainless one.

This has amazing history all the way back to when it was first sold, only things its eaten is pads, tyres, ecu and relays relocated and had fuel pump mod, otherwise its just aftermarket mods, this one had a £4-5k Stage4 Noble Motorsports package back in 06/07.

Though talking of reliability, one of my exhaust manis has developed a crack, and these are expensive to replace. And i need to think about replacing the turbo coolant pipes.

Interior, well i wouldnt mind a more subtle steering wheel, carbon center dash piece, other than that, its a nice place to be, literally sitting on the floor.
I would have rathered a black suede or black leather, but so few to choose from, i had to compromise somewhere.
markstevieandmads
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Re: Noble M12 GTO-3R...

Post by markstevieandmads »

Lovely motor...probably one id trade my mr2 in for.
I love the fact that they are quite rare on our roads and dont see much of them. Makes them that bit more special.

Think i would have kept the red harnesses just because i like the way they stood out.

What are they like to work on, engine wise?

I think the only thing that puts me off them is that all i can think is it had a mondeo engine - lol.
Red Devil
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Re: Noble M12 GTO-3R...

Post by Red Devil »

They're like London buses: none for ages then they all turn up together. :)
A couple of weeks after the OC run I saw this bad boy at a show near Maldon.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Zbcncp ... sp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nKneKu ... sp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/12JSZpE ... sp=sharing
jimGTS
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Location: North Kent

Re: Noble M12 GTO-3R...

Post by jimGTS »

Small update, first years ownership has gone without a hitch, 4k miles over mostly B roads, a dyno day, few meets and an open pit day at Brands Hatch.
Fresh full service and MOT ready for another year.


Few tweaks here any there...

Exhaust manifolds inevitably gave out, both cracked at the collector, i dynoed the car anyway as id committed to going so chucked it on anyways.
Made 420hp and 376lb at 11psi with blowing manifolds so not too bad.

Ive since replace these manifolds with some uprated 321 stainless items.
Valve spring upgrade.
Custom spoiler end plates.
New sparco steering wheel.
Smoked indicators.
AD08R tyres.
Leather seat refresh.
Painted toe hook yellow (may go to black now).


Plans for this year;
Fit my Carbon Fibre front splitter.
Front infill panels (work with splitter)
New backbox
Oil cooler with some oil gauges
Remap
Paint mirror supports black to tie it all in.
Maybe look at a custom rear diffuser.

And couple of track days.



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Last edited by jimGTS on Tue Jul 09, 2019 2:37 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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wilkie senior
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Re: Noble M12 GTO-3R...

Post by wilkie senior »

yeah its ok


... if you like that sort of thing...................................... :lol: :lol:

Looks flipping gorgeous, not that im jealous :thumleft: :thumleft:

Regards Brian
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That's a negative, Jim. I do not have the measles.
Hail Cosmos Eagle Rev 5, 1998 -
RIP White Eagle Rev 1, 1991 - 2016
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