Lea Noble’s expertise gathered from the background in building cars was almost certain to eventually manifest itself inside a serious make an effort to create a road car that may make use of his accumulated knowledge.

They are his cars. Uncompromisingly sporty, and made to put country back into the spotlight of supercar manufacturers. Noble cars are built round the same mid-engined centre section and share similarly swoopy, aerodynamic body shells which offer high speed stability: the distinctions originate from different mixtures of engine and transmissions.

The forthcoming M14 smooths the styling, but remains a seriously sporty-looking coupe. The problem facing Noble is equivalent to that facing all small-scale manufacturers of specialist sports cars: what lengths can you continue pricing without losing sales to established manufacturers for example Porsche and Aston Martin? Using the latest 911 and also the forthcoming AM V8 Vantage both within the sale price band since the M14, the question is a legitimate one.