Grand Tourisme

What if I told you this car wasn't meant to be a Peugeot? Intriguing statement as that may be, it is a very interesting rumour. Back then Ferrari wanted to build a entry level front engined car, and supposedly this was what Pininfarina came up with, a stunningly beautiful coupe. But the boys at Maranello pulled the plug and well yes, it ended up been one of the last good looking Peugeot's. 

I'll be honest with you. I am not a big fan of French metal. I find their extreme quirkiness and weird styling as a turn off. I do have a few favorites though, some of them being the Alpine A110, Venturi Atlantique, Peugeot 205 GTI, the new Renault Megane RS and this car right here!

I remember as a kid having a magazine and on the back cover were two 406 Coupe's! I instantly fell in love with the shape of the thing. Ever since then I only saw one car in real life. So you can guess how excited I was when my friend Jan Sellayah told me he was restoring one. 

One of the main reasons for me liking this car so much is the fact that it was designed by Pininfarina. The Italian styling house was known for their gorgeous designs penned for Ferrari. Little did I know but Peugeot and Pininfarina have been working together since 1951. Since then they have designed 7 cars and the 406 coupe was the last one. 

Jan was 22 when he first caught glimpse of this very car, in Tucanae Green (A name given to a constellation 16,700 light years away from Earth). Ever since then he told himself he would get a car much like this. 

Fifteen years later he achieved that dream. He went out and bought the very same car that sparked his interest. Now that my friends is a better love story than Twilight. Jan, is a man of many talents. During the day he runs CAR CHECKS LANKA and when he gets home he is a Custom bike/car building guru! 

He found the car stranded in a Finance yard five years ago. He tells me how he visited the yard at least four times a year just to check if the car was available for sale. Finally he did manage to get the car to his hands only to find a lot of parts missing or broken! 

With the help of his pal Dainty Don in the UK, he sourced his parts from a car he purchased over there. The car was completely stripped to the bone and 4 months later the end results are amazing. The car was completely built, resprayed and tuned by Jan himself. I was so impressed with his work, I wouldn't mind him doing up my car too! The simple exhaust you see here was fabricated completely by Jan too, managing to reduce 12 kilos in the process as well!

Yes those are Flying Buttresses you see, typically Italian styling! For those who dont know what that is, a flying buttress is formed when the C-pillars on a car stretch beyond the rear glass, adding stability at high speeds without the need for a large wing or spoiler.

The car is full of very chic details. Starting off from the elegantly formed headlamps which flow neatly into the shoulder line to the way front grille has been designed, its all well thought out and very Italian. No gaping mouth on this Peugeot!

It looks the best from a higher elevation! 

Jan's brief for the build, was a comfortable cruiser. He didn't crave a lot of power but wanted the car to handle and stop really well. 

Another cool design feature are those wheels. Designed by Pinifarina and built by BBS, the simplistic lines are meant to flow with the curved side valance. Jan specifically wanted them so that he could put chunky 215 section Dunlop Sport Maxx tires for that extra grip! 

Making the car stop really well is thanks to these beauties. Nicked off a 3.0 model in the UK, the Brembo brake upgrade sure does make slowing down an ease! Suspension upgrades include a complete replacement of all bushes and parts and a Strut bar has been thrown in for good measure. 

Another cool fact, only 753 Coupe's came in this amazing shade of Tucanae Green!

People with keen eyes may have spotted one discrepancy. The fact that the side mirrors have been painted in a different shade!

Why? This was the work of none other than the style conscious Italians. Peugeot wanted to save costs, so they chucked these regular looking mirrors while the designs had a more appropriate funky design. Major production was carried out by Pininfarina themselves so they painted the mirrors in a darker shade to make them a little less conspicuous! 

As mentioned before Jan wasn't looking for big power. Plus the engine is still in very good nick as it has only done 33454 km's. A simple K&N filter has been installed to help the car breather better. 

On the inside, it is typically Peugeot. Sadly the Italians couldn't persuade the French to let them design the dash too! Albeit a few of the trim pieces are slightly different compared to the saloon on which the car is based on. 

A lot of trim and panels were either stolen or broken when the car was lying around at the yard. Luckily Jan was able to get the bits he wanted from the UK. 

In typical GT fashion, there is nice leather and very comfy seats on the inside! 

One of the few nice things though are the chrome ringed gauges. Classy! 

A custom gear knob was added just to brighten the interior up a bit! 

Jan also has installed a very nice stereo to keep him company on long drives. A Pioneer stereo powers a bunch of Infinity Reference speakers and Sub-woofer. 

I must say, I like this car a lot. Its a very good looking car for a start, rare and performs adequately. Sadly this is the last Peugeot I actually would want to buy. Their new crop of cars have ugly gaping mouths resembling a fish and extremely weird body lines. Maybe its time they rekindle their relationship with the Italians......

Charith Kulasiri