360 out of 406: Peugeot coupe begets Ferrari replica
What do the Ferrari 360 Modena and the Peugeot 406 have in common? Well, aside from the fact that both are Pininfarina designs and both have two doors, nothing. The 360 is one of the great sports cars of all time, and the 406 is an attractive, but otherwise ordinary 2+2 coupe.
Ordinary, that is, until Extreme Sportscars has their way with it. Extreme, you see, specializes in the creation and installation of conversion kits that allow you to turn a pedestrian Peugeot 406 Coupe into a shockingly realistic Ferrari 360 clone. Extreme, who also makes an F355 conversion kit for the MR2, chose the 406 Coupe because it is proportionally similar to the Ferrari and is available with decent V6 power. It also offers the added bonus of being a true 4-seater, so the poseurs who actually drive one of these creations have the option of carrying two backseat passengers or flipping the seats down for additional cargo capacity.
Extreme offers the parts a la carte, but if you were to select every possible conversion piece they make, your wallet would be £11,655 lighter. They recently sold a turnkey customer car (with what appears to be a mockup engine displayed under the rear glass) for £26,000. That seems like an awful lot for a used, rebodied Peugeot.
There's no arguing the quality of the conversion kits. The cars look quite amazing. Still, the whole thing leaves us cold. While the Extreme Sportscar kit gives a 406 the look of a 360, in the end it's still just a Peugeot -- a V6, front-wheel-drive, 4-seat Peugeot. It may be wearing Ferrari badges, but it sure isn't worthy of them.
[Source: Extreme Sportscars]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Crookie 10:54PM (3/12/2008)
Its a stupid idea to copy the 360.
For a start its a front wheel and made of darn plastic.
You are better off seen riding the 406 coz then you will be considered a gent rather than a imposter driving a fake.
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BigRocket 11:25AM (8/20/2006)
Why the hell not? It is hypocrisy to the extreme, to decry a car modified to look like a supercar, while at the same time lusting for women surgically modified to look like supermodels.
And don't even get me started about Ferrari owners trying to compensate. It's about time cheap knockoffs knock them off their pedestal.
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N`off 11:52AM (8/20/2006)
shame! shame! shame! lol
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modenadude 12:32PM (8/20/2006)
Wow, those look really damn real.
But I think that that really shouldn't become a hobby of many - cos with the "surgically modified" (I like that term by the way, haha) women, it's not like the worst of women replicate Heidi Klum 100% to the point where everyone else cannot see the difference. I think these cars should be left as these cars, the awesome cars as they were meant to be, and not some mock of a great car with others' guts.
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Bob_Ericson 1:58PM (8/20/2006)
> What do the Ferrari 360 Modena and the Peugeot 406 have in common?
Well, you can at least buy the Ferrari here in the US. No matter how much you want one (I want a Citroen C5 - bad) you cannot get a new Peugeot here.
Remember that father and son outfie in S. Carolina (?) who were gray-marketing Alfas? I heard they tracked down and crushed them all.
The DOT/EPA really suck ass. I feel SO MUCH SAFER that my car's mirrros say "Object appear closer" or that the side marker lights are orange.
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James2 2:23PM (8/20/2006)
If I'm Ferrari (and/or Pininfarina) I'm not amused and my lawyers are warming up in the bullpen.
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jamie 3:12PM (8/20/2006)
That ain't your father's Peugeot! LOL
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nb 4:13PM (8/20/2006)
ricers to the extreme
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Eduardo Maio 12:01PM (8/24/2006)
A car with such a history with Pininfarina (406 Coupé) shouldn't be used as a base to a replica. Why people make replicas? In the outside you have a "similar" car, on the interior is just a 406 Coupé... It looks really bad.
Now we have two bad cars... A bad 360 replica and a messed up 406 Coupé...
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Jardaa 3:24PM (8/27/2006)
Well, I considered myself a person who is not into replicas and I have never bought a replica (rather some not so known brand on the outside but more quality in the inside). But this is one exception I would consider.
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ceco 7:48AM (2/22/2007)
Super,incredible Replica I have allready ordered the kit for my Peugeot!!!!
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James Innes 7:29AM (9/06/2006)
I am actually building one of these kits, cant wait to take it for a spin when its done.
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Crookie 10:52PM (3/12/2008)
Cant wait to start regretting perhaps. My deepest sympathies.
doozy 5:17AM (7/30/2007)
I too don't like the idea of replicas, but this is indeed an impressive use of an old 406 coups that ultimately would be destined for the scrap yard. These cars go for £2500 here in the UK, and if you add the £11k for kit parts, you soon have a fantastic looking car. Why not recycle an old 406 and give it a new lease of life? The greens would be happy, and for the price of a second hand Ford Mondeo, you've got a V6 3.0litre coupe that looks great. Who can argue with the economics? It makes real sense, and I think I might be tempted if I get rid of my Lexus IS250 (which I really do like).
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