With work is continuing on the successor to the M12 and M400, Noble Automotive has apparently decided to get a quick cash infusion by selling manufacturing rights to those outgoing models to its US distributor, 1g Racing. Hamilton, Ohio based 1g has been the official sales arm for Noble, assembling the vehicles to comply with component car manufacturing standards. This new deal will allow 1g to manufacturer the M12 and M400, but they will have to re-badge and re-name those vehicles by July 15th. They will also be allowed to modify the cars to meet customer needs. Noble will still have full rights to the car in the UK, as well as trademark and naming rights.

Having driven an M400, we can attest to its outrageous performance and great handling, but concede that it needs some slight mods to make it just about perfect. We'd vote for some additional heat shielding as a start. And although the turbo Ford V6 is a powerful and responsive engine, we'd love to see something like a Nissan VQ or high-revving small V8 in the bay as an option.

[Source: Piston Heads]