Concept Car of the Week: Renault Racoon (1992)

As far as wacky concepts go, the Racoon surely has to be up there with the best of them. Designed and engineered like no other car before, the off-road and amphibious capabilities of the Racoon stretched automobile versatility to new levels.

With its big eyes and smiley face, it has the same happy expression as its sister, the Twingo. Round volumes and clean surfaces create a sleek design that's not too dissimilar to the language currently developed by Laurens Van den Acker and his team. No wipers would curve enough to clean the gigantic bubbletop, so the windscreen was created using chemically treated glass featuring ultrasound technology that disintegrates water molecules on contact. For the same reason, rear view cameras replaced the mirrors.

The softness of the Racoon's cabin contrasts with the mechanical aesthetic of its innovative steel chassis. The suspension articulates around a clearly visible pivot point to adjust the ride height depending on the terrain.

Using a remote control, the generously glazed canopy opened with the front part rotating forward and the rear one sliding backwards. The spacious cabin offered two seats at the front and one behind them centrally. Each seat is reclined to offer sports car driving positions with integrated safety harnesses.

The minimalist dashboard wraps around the cockpit, while the rest of the interior integrates a keyboardless computer, hands-free telephone and satellite communication system.

Using a 3.0-liter twin turbo V6 engine coupled with a six-speed gearbox, the Racoon was comfortable in any situation, even in water, where two hydrojets provided propulsion through the rear bumper allowing it to chug along at a top speed of five knots.

The Racoon was first unveiled virtually to showcase Renault's skills in modeling and visualization, and then at the 1993 Geneva Motor show. Looking at it 20 years later, a large three-seater amphibious off-roader powered by a twin-turbo V6 is the answer to a question that nobody asked, yet it looks like pure fun on wheels, and, all things considered, that's all that matters.

First seen As a digital model in 1992 and then the 1993 Geneva motor show
Exterior designer Mark Walters
Engine 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6
Power 262bhp
Auxiliary power Two hydrojets

Your author, Flavien Dachet, is a UK-based, French-born car designer. You may know him as the purveyor of KarzNshit, a photo blog that if isn't already in your bookmarks, certainly should be.

By Flavien Dachet