The current Noble M15, which was first displayed last year, featured the most powerful engine ever fitted to a road going Noble and took over seven years to develop. The mid-mounted twin-turbocharged V6 developed up to 455hp at 6,800rpm and an identical 455lb-ft of torque at 4,850rpm, which was enough to see it reach 60mph from rest in just 3.3 seconds and keep going to its 185mph top speed.

Thanks to an injection of funds from an unknown investor, who Nobel’s founder Lee Noble described as having the “commitment, passion and vision for the future of Noble cars,” the M15 will now be given the heart transplant to turn it into a genuine rival to the Porsche 911 and BMW M6.

We now have further confirmation of the development of an upgraded version of the M15 courtesy of an article published by AutoWeek.nl. According to the source, engineers will squeeze an extra 45hp from the current car’s V6, which equates to an even 500hp. The developers are hoping to build around 50 to 60 units per year with first deliveries scheduled to start in the second half of this year at a price tag below £100,000.