DAF Daffodil

DAF 750 / DAF Daffodil

Manufacturer	DAF
Also called	DAF 30 / 31 / 32
Production	1961–1963 (750) 16,767 produced 1961–1967 (Daffodil) 132,919 produced
Assembly	Eindhoven, Netherlands
Predecessor	DAF 600
Successor	DAF 33
Class	Small family car
Body style	Saloon Panel van with or without side windows
Layout	FR layout
Engine	746 cc Flat-2
Transmission	Variomatic
Wheelbase	2,050 mm (80.7 in)
Length	3,610 mm (142.1 in)
Height	1,440 mm (56.7 in)
Designer	Johan van der Brugghen

DAF 2 cylinder boxer engine

The DAF 750 is a small family car that was manufactured by DAF from 1961 until 1963. It replaced the DAF 600. At the same time as launching the 750, DAF launched the DAF Daffodil which was essentially the same car but with more luxurious fittings and a lot more chrome trim on the outside. The Daffodil was conceived as an export version of the 750, but the market response dictated a speedy demise for the 750 while the better equipped Daffodil fared rather better. The 750 therefore ceased production in 1963 while the Daffodil, the beneficiary of a succession of mild face lifts, remained in production until 1967 when the DAF Daffodil was replaced by the slightly more powerful but otherwise very similar DAF 33.

The names

The Daffodil name worked well in some markets, but in the domestic market and in Germany the more luxuriously equipped version of the DAF 750 was known as the DAF 30. Upgrades in 1963 and 1965 were marked by name changes to DAF 31 and DAF 32. In these markets the launch of the DAF 33 in 1967 was merely a continuation of an existing line.

The engine

The 746 cc four stroke air cooled 2 cylinder Boxer engine had the same stroke as in the 600, but the bore was increased from 76 mm to 85.5 mm. Claimed power output was also increased from 22 bhp (16 kW) to 30 bhp (22 kW), and a maximum speed of 105 km/h (65 mph) was claimed. 0-50 MPH time was a speedy 29 seconds, as tested by the Consumers Union in the United States.

Running gear

The DAF 600 had been the first car to have a continuously variable transmission (CVT) system - the innovative DAF Variomatic.^[1], and the same system was carried over to the 750 and its variants. The DAF Variomatic employs centrifugal weights to shift the transmission and is enhanced by an engine manifold vacuum. The DAF Variomatics were thereby the only cars ever produced which went faster by the simple expedient of gently and gradually releasing the accelerator once top engine speed had been reached. The Variomatic also permitted increased engine braking by operating a switch on the dashboard which reversed the action of the vacuum on the pulley's diaphragm, seeking a lower ratio with increased manifold vacuum. Two separate transmissions ran the two driving wheels, eliminating the need for a differential. The two transmissions could provide different gear ratios, permitting the wheels to rotate at different speeds. The duplication also provided redundancy. If one belt broke, the vehicle could still be driven.

Chronology

Between 1961 and 1967 the mechanical aspects of the car were not significantly changed.

1963 marked the withdrawal of the 750 and 30 badges, and the DAF 30 was replaced by the DAF 31. The exterior of the car was modestly reworked with input from Michelotti which involved sharpened angles and more prominent fins: the interior was also significantly upgraded.

In 1965 the DAF 32 replaced the DAF 31. This upgrade was marked by further limited changes to the body panels, again involving Michelotti whose influence would continue to be seen on DAF passenger cars until the Limburg car assembly business was acquired by Volvo.

Popular references

The DAF Daffodil gave name to the late 80's/early 90's Manchester Indie band The New Fast Automatic Daffodils, after an advert for the car, which stated "The New, Fast Daffodil - fully Automatic".

Notes

1. ^ Hilton Holloway, Martin Buckley (2002). 20th Century Cars. Carlton. ISBN 1-84222-835-8. 

This article incorporates information from the equivalent article on the German Wikipedia.

• This article incorporates text translated from the Dutch Wikipedia articles on the DAF Daffodil and the DAF 750 as of 2008-03-10 .