Great series! Albeit with an unexpected sad ending :( You never even experienced the full beauty/magic of the car as the wheel hubs are still missing. And it's a little thing, but subconsciously important I think. Also, I think you're right in your passage about meeting your heroes, but your meeting (with an almost fully restored) hero did not seem to last long. The psychological disappointment was perhaps akin to post natal depression - a type of depression that many parents experience after having a baby. You clearly poured your heart into the art that is the 406 coupe, and just need time to recover and appreciate. Perhaps :)
Thank you! The videos were edited and released months after they were shot so it seems like i had the car for a very brief period but that's not the case. I daily drove this car for over a year and took it on all kinds of roads from city to twisty backroads to full throttle on the autobahn. The missing connection i mentioned in the end may just be that the car does not fit my driving style. This is by far the biggest and heaviest car i ever owned and i guess i'm used (and probably biased) towards small nimble lightweight cars which the coupé is none of. Maybe deep inside i hoped that it would be a drastically different experience from the 406 sedans (we had one in the family for over 8 years), but it simply isn't. that being said, i do not regret buying and (almost fully) restoring the Coupé. if not for anything else maybe my videos can serve people working on these cars in the future.
@@Retrospek You've done an amazing job, certainly! And there is one more piece of great beauty in this world now :) Driving wise, I now think that the car should only look beautiful, the actual driving fun is for simulators and (if money permits) for the racetrack. Street driving is boring :) i look forward to your car reveal, a real replacement of the 406 coupe is pretty hard with sensible money. (Will it be an Alfa Romeo? haha)
Thank you for the kind words, i appreciate it🤩 I have to disagree about the street driving thing though, you don't have to hoon and street race to enjoy a well balanced nimble car on a nice road, i know this from experience since i also have an MX5. The next project is not meant as a replacement for the Coupé, it's another car i always thought was cool and wanted to try out. Can't wait to show you
it's not often that you watch a video where you can actually feel what the youtuber is experiencing, well done, incredible work ethic, looking forward to the new project reveal in the next video.
Fantastic mate! Ive really enjoyed this whole series of videos. I’m from Australia and looking to buy one of these nice 406 coupes, but they’re hard to find and hard to find for a decent price. Greetings
First, good job on replacing everything and not loose patience for the crunchy croissant. You are the french hero! Second, maybe if you replaced the engine from 206 RC, or just the head of the engine, if the engine is the same, that would be great performance improvement. It's heavier than the hot-hatches by 300kg, and if you swap with V6, it would be gaining kilograms, not performance... So, sorry for the saling that car, it's gorgeous, despite the regular 406 have better designed rear lights.(That's on the Pininfarina fault) I just hope that you have whole specification papers and manuals saved, because on the internet it's non existing ones.
Thank you! sadly i couldn't find many sources out there regarding mods on these cars, let alone a proper repair manual... yeah i'm sorry to see it go as well but i cannot keep all the projects, not enough space.. i do however disagree about the rear lights, the ones on the sedans have aged, the ones on the coupé, like the rest of the design, i think are timeless. But that's just me
The sill rust is usually due to the badge holes leaking and the void on top of the sill behind the panel getting wet. If you don't deal with that it will come back. If you remove the trim panel from the inside you can see in quite clearly with good access to clean that area and seal it.
@@Retrospek The sills themselves do have drain holes but in this case water sits on top of the sill section and eats its way through the wing. I've a lovely picture of it somewhere.
Nice job 👍 I fully understand your motivation for all works done. My coupe is almost done after 3 years of searching components and spare parts for replacement. I spent several thousands euros and dozens of hours to refurbish axles, engine, brakes etc., now need to finish painting and it will be nice youngtimer for weekend drives 🤩 Cheers from SK
The rust is because the holes behind the Pininfarina logo allow water to pass through. Remove the hood next to the rear seat and seal the holes from the inside. You can also pour some oil into the sill to prevent it from rusting further.
Loved the series and the ingenious mend and make better hacks. The coupe has so many frustrating little weak points that were not well engineered, letting down an iconic and timeless car. Do you sell the 3d prints of brackets and nut fixings that you used throughout the restoration?
Thanks, Happy you enjoyed the videos! That's true. i fought with a check engine light for months on end off camera...anyway, if the channel finds any sorts of success in the future i might start selling the things i design and print, sure.
