The Rossion Q1 Is The Underrated American Supercar Everyone Forgot Existed – SlashGear

At first glance, many well-informed motorheads might call the Rossion Q1 a Noble M400 with a body kit. Certainly, that’s what CarScoops thought. That, of course, is the point. Noble has always understood the power of remixing a winning formula; its current M500 is a handful of fiberglass wrapped around the engine from a Ford GT. It only makes sense that one of its platforms would make an equally excellent platform for modification.

This, Rossion did. Per Car and Driver, the Florida-based startup simply bought the M400’s manufacturing rights, named its version the Q1, and went to work. Rossion completely rebuilt the Noble’s body for the Q1; when it was done, the only piece of the M400 left was the windshield. A new suspension ate rough road, a clear departure from the comparatively finicky original. Kit car bodies are sold separately from their drivetrains, of course (that’s the “kit” part of “kit car”; you have to put them together yourself) but Rossion recommended a turbocharged Ford V6 laying down 450 horsepower, edging out the M400’s 425.

The result, according to Car and Driver, was stiffer, safer, and more responsive. Just one-tenth of a second slower to 60 than the M400, the Rossion outperformed its parent at high speeds, hitting 120 faster than a Ferrari Scuderia. CarScoops also reported quality-of-life improvements, including a smoother six-speed manual gearbox and a major upgrade of Noble’s infamously clunky analog cockpit. All in all, the Q1 was almost enough to give kit cars a good name.