DAF 750 'Daffodil' - midwife car for all topographies

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DAF 750 'Daffodil' - midwife car for all topographies

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Created on January 5, 2017

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

6

Bruno von Rotz

17

Patrick Ernzen - Courtesy RM/Sotheby's

17

Simon Clay - Courtesy RM Auctions

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Archiv

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DAF Daffodil (1963) - unladen weight 730 kg

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DAF Daffodil (1963) - approaching with typical background noise

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DAF Daffodil (1963) - around 133,000 Daffodils were built

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DAF Daffodil (1963) - in the same ownership for almost 30 years

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DAF Daffodil (1963) - the additional designation "Daffodil" stands for Narcissus

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DAF Daffodil (1963) - keep your hands on the wheel thanks to Variomatic

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DAF Daffodil (1963) - the little car achieves a top speed of 105 km/h

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DAF Daffodil (1963) - Travel consumption 6 to 7.5 liters per 100 km

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DAF Daffodil (1963) - was cheap and easy to drive

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DAF Daffodil (1963) - in unrestored condition

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DAF Daffodil (1963) - the tank is in the rear

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DAF Daffodil (1963) - Folding roof for better ventilation

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DAF Daffodil (1963) - simply designed interior without frills

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DAF Daffodil (1963) - an instrument could hardly be easier to read

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DAF Daffodil (1963) - at the time there was criticism that the wheel arches extended too far into the passenger compartment - the result can be seen here

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DAF Daffodil (1963) - 746 cm3 displacement is good for 26 DIN horsepower

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DAF Daffodil (1963) - air-cooled two-cylinder boxer engine

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DAF Daffodil (1963) - beautiful lettering

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DAF Daffodil (1963) - the luxury version

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Daf 750 Daffodil (1962) - Test over three major Swiss passes

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Daf 750 Daffodil (1961) - in the world of Swiss mountain passes

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Daf 750 Daffodil (1961) - on the Grimsel Pass

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Daf 750 Daffodil (1962) - the revolutionary drive mechanism

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DAF 600 (1959) - often driven by women - from a sales brochure

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DAF (1962) - probably at the Paris Motor Show

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DAF 600 (1959) - the see-through drawing reveals the technology

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DAF 600 (1959) - View of the four-stroke boxer engine

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DAF 600 (1960) - View into the engine compartment

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DAF 600 (1959) - plenty of space in the trunk

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DAF Daffodil (1962) - ready for the test drive in Zandvoort (?)

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DAF 750 (1962) at the Geneva Motor Show - with a more powerful 750 cm3 engine

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DAF (1963) - on a beautifully designed exhibition stand

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DAF Daffodil (1966) - pretty little car, at the end of its construction period

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DAF Daffodil S (1966) - with new DAF body line and two-cylinder engine with 763 cm3 - Geneva Motor Show 1966

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DAF Daffodil (1964) - with smoother engine running, more headroom above the rear seats and lower fuel consumption as a result of the model improvements - Geneva Motor Show 1964

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DAF 750 (1963) - Advertising - for people who can do the math

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DAF 750 (1963) - Advertising - she loves to drive

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DAF 750 (1963) - Advertising - how to get to the top quickly

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DAF 750 (1963) - Advertising - how to start fast on green

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Daf 33 Variomatic (1974) - offered as lot 102 at the RM Auctions sale in London on October 31, 2012

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DAF 44 (1966) - the successor to the DAF 30/Daffodil designed by Giovanni Michelotti

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DAF 750 Daffodil (1962) - unconventional design

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DAF 750 Daffodil (1962) - compact vehicle

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DAF 750 Daffodil (1962) - with indicated tail fins

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DAF 750 Daffodil (1962) - generous glazing

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DAF 750 Daffodil (1962) - certainly a rarity in Florida

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DAF 750 Daffodil (1962) - narrow footwell

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DAF 750 Daffodil (1962) - surprisingly spacious

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DAF 750 Daffodil (1962) - with the flower in the steering wheel

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DAF 750 Daffodil (1962) - Mileage speedometer

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DAF 750 Daffodil (1962) - View of the engine

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DAF 750 Daffodil (1962) - beautiful lettering

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DAF 750 Daffodil (1962) - Fuel filler cap

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DAF 750 Daffodil (1962) - "daffodil" was one of the designations

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DAF 750 Daffodil (1962) - what's that little bee doing there?

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Summary

When the Dutch company DAF presented its small car in 1958, the experts were skeptical. The technical concept was too unusual, the manufacturer too inexperienced. However, comfort-oriented car buyers in particular found the DAF 600 very appealing and with its successor, the DAF 750, the performance and comfort requirements of Central Europeans were also met and the small car was able to continue its triumphal march in our latitudes. This vehicle report portrays an extensively restored DAF 750 Daffodil and tells its story in detail, including original test reports.

This article contains the following chapters

From the flat land of tulips
With continuously variable transmission and no differential
Unusual maturity
The car for the midwife
Stronger and faster
In the endurance test
Skeptical experts
Now with kick-down
Stress test in the Swiss pass road triangle
Improved brakes
Minor flaws
Continuous improvement
Five years and many offspring
Unrestored example in Switzerland
Concours-restored Daffodil in the USA
Further information

Estimated reading time: 18min

Preview (beginning of the article)

In the early 1960s, shifting gears by hand was still considered sporty and automatic transmission was largely reserved for American luxury-class road cruisers. The DAF small car fitted the bill like a glove, but it still enjoyed great popularity because hardly any other car was easier to drive. The DAF company goes back to the entrepreneur and inventor Hub van Doorne, who began producing handrails and bicycle racks in Eindhofen (Netherlands) in the 1920s. From the 1930s onwards, the company initially focused on truck trailer construction, soon adding towing vehicles and entire trucks. For the car-hungry post-war period, the Dutch engineers then developed the DAF 600 small car, which impressed with its many special design features and attracted new customer segments.

Welcome to Zwischengas!

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