Diplomatic Immunity
To someone such as myself from Northeast Ohio (land of the vinyl-roofed Oldsmobile and the beige minivan), Miami Beach is another automotive universe. I saw things on my business trip there in April that you just don't see in Youngstown or Cleveland: so many Bimmers, Porsches, and high-end Mercs that I stopped paying attention to them; four-door Buicks Maseratis stacked up three deep in the hotel driveway for valet parking; V-12 Ferraris sharing the side streets with tricked-out Chevy Caprices on twenty-inch DUB wheels; even a Harley with underbody lights and a subwoofer.
Even among the palm trees, stretch limos, and aggressively customized tint-windowed Escalades of this tropical crazy car heaven, this little red thing stood out as unique:
In fact, I am reasonably certain that it's the only one of its kind in the United States.
So what is it, and where did it come from?
What it is is a Peugeot 206 CC. The 206 series is a "supermini" FWD automobile platform first produced in 1998. Though Pugeot introduced the 207 as its replacement in 2005, the 206 remains in production, and is Peugeot's best-selling car model of all time.
The "CC" version is a convertible with a power-retracted steel top, introduced in 2006. It's theoretically a four-passenger car, but unless you're under age ten or have a surname like "Baggins" or "Brandybuck," you're not going to fit in that rear seat. The 206 CC has a curb weight of around 2,500 pounds and is available with a variety of four-cylinder engines ranging from 107- to 138-horsepower. Those who have direct experience with them say that the 206 is lively and fun to drive--though a bit cramped and noisy, with a few minor build quality issues and an arguable lack of refinement.
In other words, the 206 CC is perfect Car Lust material.
At this point, you might be wondering how you can get one. The short answer, if you're in the U.S., is that you probably can't. Peugeot abandoned the U.S. market in 1991, and I am unaware of any "gray-market" importer bringing 206 CCs into the country.
So how did a 2006-or-later Peugeot sneak into the U.S. and end up parked on a street in Miami Beach? A partial answer to that mystery can be found on the license plate:
It's a consular license plate, issued by the U.S. State Department, which identifies this car as one registered to a foreign diplomat. There is a lot of international business done in south Florida, and nearly every country with which we have diplomatic relations maintains a consulate in Miami. There were some Spanish-language stickers on the windshield, so I assume the owner is from a Spanish-speaking country. The 206 CC is assembled in Brazil and Argentina for the Latin American market, so it is likely that this particular car was built in one of those two places.
Foreign diplomats posted to a consulate are entitled to a form of diplomatic immunity known as "consular immunity." It appears that consular immunity permits a diplomat to bring in a set of wheels from the home country for personal use without having to "federalize" it.
I didn't get to meet the driver of this car, so I can't tell you anything more than that about it. I'll always wonder if the 206 was shipped here, or if it was driven in from the home country on an epic road trip. I'd like to think it was the latter.
As for Señor or Señora Diplomat, driving around the "Sun and Fun Capital of the World" on official business in this little red drop-top--whoever you are, you have a delightful little car, and what must be a fascinating job. If we ever meet, I'd love to hear all about it, and the mojitos are on me.
--Cookie the Dog's Owner
Shanonymous on May 26, 2009 at 10:29 AM
CKS = Mexico consulate staff.
David Drucker on May 26, 2009 at 01:01 PM
I've driven -- even semi-owned -- more than a few Peugeots, starting with a 403 just like the one Phil Hill promoted in print ads. I enjoyed every one of them, but not for the same reasons. One thing they all had in common, though, was a level of comfort that would have made for a splendid -- and, indeed, epic -- road trip. I was particularly fond of the 505, which might have been more successful in the U.S. if the factory had tightened all the screws and bolts before shipping them here. I never drove a new car that had more squeaks and rattles.
When Peugeot abandoned the U.S. market, Jamie Kitman wrote a superb article on the subject in Automobile. If my copies of that title were in anything approaching chronological order I'd track the story down and provide some quotes. Alas, not.
That Car Guy on May 26, 2009 at 02:06 PM
I had the pleasure of using a 604 while in California 30 years ago... it put our Mercedes 250 to shame, except for the wacky controls.
...m... on May 26, 2009 at 05:45 PM
...*love*love*love* that flat rear deck - we miss out on so many neat little cars due to french manufacturers avoiding the US market...
CJinSD on May 26, 2009 at 07:15 PM
The French manufacturers aren't here because the Japanese taught people that cars didn't have to be broken down to be foreign. Nissan is Japanese for Renault though. Certainly better than the real thing, but still not a patch on Toyota or Honda.
The awkward proportions of the 206CC are the result of the retractable hard top.
Smoke_Jaguar4 on May 26, 2009 at 07:58 PM
This car's owner is most likely Argentine. My family's from there; lots of Peugeots running around and this bright red convertible fits the stereotypical Argentine personality (big, flashy, egotistical). I wonder where/how does he get it serviced?
Here in DC we have lots of diplomatic tags. Not too many take advantage of the import bypass - you can bring a vehicle as long as you don't sell it and take it with you when you go home. Getting insurance is nearly impossible or expensive, parts and maintenance are hard to find, and registration is a major hassle. Most opt for a comfly Mercedes-Benz or BMW lease. It's a shame because this is a great way of showing the U.S. what fabulous cars we're missing out on because of our retrograde tastes and counterproductive safety/mileage standards.
SJ4
Jeff on May 26, 2009 at 08:37 PM
The consular plate is coded for consular staff from Mexico. The first "C" refers to the consular status of the plate, and the "KS" refers to Mexico. The four numeric digits are simply a serial number.
-JC (Automobile License Plate Collectors Association).
Galucco on May 28, 2009 at 11:10 AM
A few things about the car...
This model was not introduced in 2006, but in 2000 in Europe, and 2003 in South America (i speak from Brazil). In addition, the CC (coupé-convertible) was never made in Brazil or Argentina, but in Europe (i'm not sure if the source plant for this model is french). The brazilian plant makes the 206 hatchback, and the renewed 206 (they call it here 207, but it's not the same 207 sold in Europe), in hatchback, station wagon and sedan bodies, being the sedan a very ugly car (the trunk is too big for the car, it's not proportional).
Jack Yan on May 30, 2009 at 04:42 PM
Pity the roof didn’t fit that well on the earlier models but, yes, a lovely looking car.
jvalinas on March 28, 2011 at 01:39 AM
that car is from the mexican consulate in miami and the sticker you guys are talking about is from Distrito Federal (Mexico City) they use those stickers with the numbers and letters on the plates in all the states you can see the distrito federal plate used from 2002-2008 so it was provably used over there before they used it for the mexican consulate
Finola Crawford on September 18, 2011 at 07:34 AM
My brother was killed in his Peugeot.
Anonymous New Yorker on October 24, 2011 at 01:55 PM
Yes. It seems it's diplomatic immunity. I was in New York city the other day and an 2001 era Opel Astra drove past me. I was in shock. Again, it had diplomatic plates on it.