Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Ellis]

In the summer of 1965 an unusual new car was bought by a Mrs Balkin, the wife of the village's antiques and fine art specialist. It was one of these :

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A Daf Daffodil. It was noisy, foreign and above all, automatic. Mrs Balkin thought it was wonderful. Most of the villagers viewed it with suspicion until in 1967 a new General Practioner took over the previous Doctor's medical practice. He had a nearly new Ford Cortina when he arrived but wanted something nippy for his use and he bought a Daf 33 in the same colour as this one. He wanted a Mini but at 6'5" he was unable to fit inside one.

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He bought two more but the first one owned by a true local was a Daf 55.

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In dark blue, HDM 994K, it was bought new by one of my mother's friends as her first car. In her 40's she passed her driving test first time and she allowed my mother to drive it on occasions. Her praises fell on my father's deaf years.
I was to drive it once in the December of 1972 to Liverpool and back to collect a family member home from college. It wasn't the first automatic I had driven but I was worried at the high engine revs until the Variomatic gearbox "caught up". I rather liked it as a novelty.

The Daf 55 was then traded in against a Daf 66 Coupe, NUN 623M in yellow, just like this one in May 1974 :

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Everybody I know who has owned a Daf as opposed to the Volvo variants from 1977 on, spoke highly of them. It was a quality and well built car according to many.

I am open to correction but I think the Mark 2 Nissan Micra from 1993 on was the next small car with a "stepless" automatic transmission but of course that was an optional extra.

How do you assess the Daf?[/img]
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Starting Handle Expert

1964 Jaguar Mark 2 3.4 litre
1962 Land Rover Series 2a 88"
2002 BMW M3 E46 Cabriolet

[badhuis]

Dafs have been long regarded here in the Netherlands as cars for old people mainly because it was true! Wherever you saw a Daf or a Volvo 66, bets were on there was an old lady in it or a man wearing a hat.

Now that they have become a rare sight, you come to appreciate the individuality of the car. The first versions with their typical styling and two cylinder engines, the later for their nice Michelotti styled body (spot the similarity with small Triumph saloons) and of course all with their variomatic drive.

This one lives two streets from where I live. The 55 has a nice nose I think, a bit more sporty than its processors and successors having the Renault 1100 engine. The owner is trying to sell it but there have been no takers at an asking price of 2200 euros (which is a bit much in my opinion, a bit of rust here and there, interior needs work and that rear bumper). Still it is nice to see one.




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a car stops being fun when it becomes an investment

[Penman]

Hi
Apparently even the Volvo 343 would have been a DAF if it hadn't been for the takeover.
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Bristols should always come in pairs.

Any 2 from:-
Straight 6
V8 V10

[badhuis]

The Volvo 66 was a re-badged Daf 66 after the Volvo takeover. The Volvo 343 was designed by Daf, to be launched as the Daf 77. From another forum:

I can still remember it being launched/leaked to the press as the Daf 77, followed almost immediately by a press blackout and a relaunch as a Volvo with extra safety equipment.


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a car stops being fun when it becomes an investment

[Dipster]

When I was a youngster my neighbour, a 30 something Mum with a bit of cash, wanted a small automatic to run the kids around in. I suggested a 33.

We managed to get her a test drive and she loved it. She liked the cute looks and found the little twin cylinder engine more than adequate for such a light car. She ordered a dark brown one (the kids liked chocolate....) and had it years. Good little car it was too.

[Rick]

A friend of mine's father sold them new in the 1960s/70s, he sent me this photo of the example he ran many years ago

http://www.oldclassiccar.co.uk/daf.htm



RJ
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[Penman]

Hi
Just remind me, what does towing recommendations say about the actual weight of trailer and load in comparison with vehicle weight?
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Bristols should always come in pairs.

Any 2 from:-
Straight 6
V8 V10

[D4B]

[Inglewood]

I visited the factory back in 1971, this is a [poor] image of their reception hall.

[Ray White]

This takes me back a few years

My Mum used to have one. Dad bought it for her because he was fed up with her grating the gears of the manual. Mum liked it because her name was Daphne She eventually went over to an automatic mini - the Morris Mini - matic. (Remember those?).

It had the unique continuously variable transmission known as 'Daf Variomatic'. Dad was so excited by it's simple yet effective design he became a Volvo man for the rest of his life! He never tired of explaining how the combination of bob weights and rubber 'V' belts worked sprung pulleys, aided by engine vacuum and dispensed with the need for a gearbox.

Driving the Daf was quite an experience. What you had to get used to was lifting the accelerator pedal once it had got as fast as it would go with your foot down. The car would then continue to accelerate to it's top speed! It was so counter intuitive.

Instead of engine braking, there was a switch on the dashboard that reversed the vacuum!

Bring back the Daf, I say!

[Penguin45]

The Great Aunt had one when I was a child. Now, one of Mother's great joys was to go round in circles in her Mini in whatever supermarket my sister and I had been lugged off to this time at what seemed (to small kids) ludicrous speeds. Now, The Great Aunt would do the same in her DAF - backwards.

And hence she was forever more The Great Aunt.

P45.
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'67 Wolseley MkI 18/85, '70 Austin MkII 1800 The Landcrab Forum.

[JohnDale]

Ford also had a stepless autobox, the ATX, produced for four cylinder cars from '81 to '94, although not belt drive,cheers,JD.
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1958 Ford Zephyr Mk2 Convertible
1976 Ford Granada Ghia.