So gentlemen, the plugs (and any HT wiring) are hidden in the top of the engine beneath the coil blocks beneath the metal coil block protectors beneath the fancy aluminium plate and I'm sure no one would disagree, well out of view.
They are not, it seems, tucked away in the side of the block under any of the masses of other plastic covers that surround the engine.
Plugs in the top of an engine, well........................ I'll be.
Though I must say I was a little surprised not to see 'em (hence my request for information on this user group) as my '59 Bedford CA, '63 Ford Classic, '70 Vauxhall Viva, '69 Sunbeam Rapier, '78 Chrysler Alpine, '82 Citroen Visa, '83 Talbot Alpine, '84 Fiat Uno, '85 Ford Escort, '96 Ford Mondeo, '97 Ford Ka and even the '03 Ka all had / have plugs and leads clearly visible into the side of the engine!
Our '81 and '89 Ford Granada's even had 'em on both sides of the engine! Though the '87 Ford Escort the '93 Fiesta and the '95 Peugeot 806 didn't have any on account of 'em being diesel.
(There has been a dozen or so motorcycles with all including my latest
1200cc '02 model having easily identifiable plugs and leads.)
But here we have a '00 406 with hidden plugs, amazing!
So you see it seems, some folks know it all and some, such as I, even at 52, have still got things to learn.
My thanks to the 3 users who contacted me 'off group' with information and guidance.
BJ Nottingham