DAF 55 Variomatic

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The Dutch company DAF can trace its roots back to 1928 when Hubert ‘Hub’ van Doorne established a small garage in the grounds of a brewery.

In 1932 the business changed its name to Van Doorne's Aanhangwagen Fabriek (Van Doorne's Trailer Factory), abbreviated to DAF, making off-road trucks and armoured vehicles. In 1949, the company started making lorries, trailers and buses, changing its name once more, to Van Doorne's Automobiel Fabriek (Van Doorne's Automobile Factory), again abbreviated to DAF.

In the winter of 1954, Hub van Doorne had the idea to use belt drive for the transmission on a car, just like many of the machines in the factory that were belt-driven, and the following year the first designs were drawn up. Over the next few years, these designs were developed and refined, resulting in the DAF 600, the world's first car with a continuously variable transmission, launched in 1959.

In 1967, DAF opened a new plant in Born, Limburg, Netherlands, for car production. The 44 was the first model to be produced there, having first been built at the old plant in 1966. A small, neat car designed by Giovanni Michelotti, it used an 844cc flat twin engine (low compression to allow for the relatively poor quality fuels at that time) with a claimed output of 34bhp and ‘Variomatic’ transmission.

In December 1967 the DAF 55 was developed as a more powerful version of the 44. The redesign was extensive, and with the co-operation of Renault, DAF built a new 50bhp version of the 1108cc water-cooled, four-cylinder in-line engine. The old transverse leaf spring of the DAF 44 suspension was replaced with longitudinal torsion bars, and a dual circuit brake system, now fitted with front disc brakes, was incorporated. The rear wheels were powered via the now-familiar ‘Variomatic’ belt-driven continuously variable transmission.

In total 164,231 DAF 55s were been built, variants including a 2-door saloon, a 3-door estate and a 2-door coupe, with production ceasing in September 1972 when it was replaced by the DAF 66.

Dating from July 1970, this DAF 55 2-door saloon comes in a suitably Seventies shade of brown and was acquired for the Stondon Collection from only its third owner in 1994. There is no further paperwork on file other than an old style V5 and a current V5C although an online check shows that it was last taxed for the road in 1989.