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1997 Peugeot 806 Runabout: Is it a Car? Is It a Boat? No, It's a French Concept

Nautical inspiration in the auto industry is a common thing. Rolls-Royce, for example, uses decking similar to that on a yacht at the back of its Phantom Drophead Coupe. This can be traced back to the earliest days of the automobile, when most powerful men like to travel in stile on both water and land. It even goes both ways, since a lot of racing cigar boats nowadays use Lamborghini V12 engines.
1997 Peugeot 806 Runabout 4 photos
Photo: Peugeot
1997 Peugeot 806 Runabout1997 Peugeot 806 Runabout1997 Peugeot 806 Runabout
But a simple French MPV designed to look like a boat, that's impossibly, right? No, not really. From Peugeot's long and illustrious history of making concepts that never make any sense or ever make it into production, we present the 806 Runabout.

Now, the 806 itself is a simple car to understand. It's a large MPV part of the famous Eurovans family, also having Fiat, Lancia and Citroen brothers. However, in 1997, three years after its launch, Peugeot decided to make a boat out of it.

Unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the 806 Runabout concept had a sexy design combining the open-air feel of a speedster and supposedly even the practicality of an American pickup.

The powertrain consisted of a 2,946cc V6 engine producing 190 hp, mated to a 4-speed automatic gearbox. Going fast was never part of the agenda, since this front-wheel drive boat out of water was made using hard wood and need extra steel bracing for rigidity.

But it had a few party tricks, such as airbags that can deploy slowly and be used as life jackets or a the rear deck, which extends hydraulically at the push of a button. Sunscreen and beach towels not included!
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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