Peugeot 407 Coupe Silhouette: the pug becomes a pitbull

This Silhouette iteration may only be a prototype, but it heralds fantastic things to come for next year's 407 Coupe, the long awaited successor to the 406 two-door. This race-inspired model is sporting some additional trappings not likely to be found on the standard 407 Coupe, but the essentials are all in place: the dramatic rearward-stretched headlights, ample backseat room, and diesel and gasoline engines with a 3.0 liter V6 at the top of the line. And in the Silhouette, that engine compromises the aforementioned backseat space somewhat since it is plopped in right behind the driver, to turn the practical chassis into a full-on mid-engined racer, complete with six-speed sequential gearshifting apparatus. The Sil has 320-hp to exploit, while the production 407 will most likely have 100 less— but if the production model is even two-sevenths as exciting as this puppy, Euro enthusiasts will be very happy. And U.S. enthusiasts? They'll be extremely lugubrious, because the best we can do is a Dodge Stratus with a piece of aluminum siding for a rear spoiler.