Brief History of DAF Cars

The first DAF motor car was launched at the 1958 motor show in
Amsterdam. The reaction from the Press and public was astounding -
here was a small, compact car which could comfortably carry four people
and their luggage, economically and also be very easy to drive. This was
due to the simplicity of the Variomatic fully automatic transmission.
Until now, automatic transmissions tended to be only available on large
cars. And conventional automatic transmissions were not efficient.

The Variomatic was the brain child of Dr. Hub van Doorne (van Doorne's
Automobiel Fabrieken - DAF) and was infinitely variable in its ratios -
there were no noticeable gear changes. The pulleys in the transmission
expanded and contracted, depending on speed, road conditions and
driver's demand automatically. Final drive to the rear wheels was
transmitted by rubber-composite drive belts.

It became known as the "car of a hundred gears" and "the easiest car in
the world to drive". There was a selector lever between the front seats -
simply push it forward to go forwards and back to go back! And as with
any other automatic car, there are just two pedals - accelerator and
brake.

The first DAFs were sold in 1959, with a 600cc air-cooled twin cylinder
engine. This same engine remained in production in an enlarged 746cc
guise until 1975 in the 33. Over the years, other DAF models were
launched - the 44 with 850cc engine; the 55 with 1100cc four-cylinder
Renault engine and the 66 with 1100/1300 Renault engines.

DAF Cars proved very popular with hundreds of thousands of motorists in
Europe and other parts of the world. Due to the simplicity of the driving
experience, it is unfortunate that to some people, there was an "image"
problem - typically some would regard it as an "old person's car". But
those who understood how to get the most out of the cars would be able
surprise many other motorists with the efficient use of power.

The last DAF-badged car was made in 1975, as Volvo took control of
DAF Cars. The Volvo 66 was launched, which was essentially a DAF 66
with big bumpers. In 1976, the Volvo 343 (later 340) was launched which
was always available with Variomatic transmission up to the end of its
manufacturing run in 1991. However, the spirit of Variomatic
transmission lives on in new generation CVT cars.