Romania’s Newest Ship: An Amphibious Dacia Pickup

OK, maybe it’s not officially a Romanian Navy ship/vehicle, but when the Dacia Amfibie was created by students at the Constanta Maritime University, I couldn’t help but imagine that maybe it was destined to protect Romania’s coast along the Black Sea from marauders.

Built from a donated Dacia 1310 Double Cab pickup, the amphibious vehicle project was finished with a budget of only about 10,000 RON (~$2,900 USD). The team had to first make the engine compartment watertight, then added a snorkel and a propeller underneath to keep it moving through the water. I think the guys from Top Gear would be proud.