The last Dafs

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Purchasing classics there

What was the last Daf? The 46, most people will say. Correct. The Daf 46 was the last, until 1977, to bear the Daf logo. The Volvo 66! That was really just a Daf 66 with Volvo logos on it, wasn't it? And it was sold until 1980.

We watch them both

The Daf 46 saw the light of day in 1974. He replaced the 33 and 44. At that point, the negotiations with Volvo had already been completed. Volvo saw nothing in the two-cylinder, but Daf did. Our country had been hit by the oil crisis a year earlier, which was actually a political crisis, because it was pretended that the oil was running out. In any case, there was a wide market for the very thrifty, the least thirsty. So Daf decided to rejuvenate the old 44 under his own name. That second youth consisted of applying some 66 components, such as part of the dashboard, the seats, the clutch, the rear axle and half of the Variomatic. Half a 66-Variomatic with one belt was found to be strong enough to deliver the engine power of 34 hp to the asphalt and indeed, you never saw them with bad luck.

Daf 46
Daf 46

Daf aimed at young car buyers. in vain

Daf 44 station wagon
Daf 44 station wagon

Strangely enough, Daf always advertised the 44 and later the 46 with hip, young people. A lad with long hair who had scored a friend with a miniskirt and knee boots, no doubt by cruising down the boulevard with his Daf 46. Or a (resulting) young family with some small children and a dog, who merrily through the world travel with their Daf 46. But if hip girls or young men were to spend money on a Daf, it would be the 66 1300 Marathon Coupé.

In reality, the 46 was mainly bought by the somewhat older Dafriders who switched from the 33 or 44 and did not necessarily want a flashy acceleration or top speed. That was not possible either, because the air-cooled two-cylinder had become higher revs thanks to environmental adjustments, but not stronger. That was also the conclusion of Autovisie, which noticed during the test that the car did not reach its stated top speed of 123 km/h, but that the wind was stuck at 117 km/h, with the engine making a lot of noise. However, the excellent road holding and neat finish were praised. And yes, the 46 used every drop of petrol efficiently: 1:17 was the test consumption.

Daf 66 interior
Daf 66 interior

 

volvo 1978 interior
Volvo 1978 interior

Dashboards of the Daf 66 until 1976 and of the Volvo 66 from 1978

The Volvo 66 was a modified Daf 66, where the thick plastic bumpers and the new seats stood out the most. Of course you couldn't tell from the outside that it had gained more than 100 kilos: the safety cell had been reinforced and thick beams had been installed in the doors to absorb side impacts. There were better seats, with typical Volvo headrests and new upholstery fabrics. Two years later, the thin, three-spoke Daf steering wheel was replaced by a modern knoepert that was supposed to reduce injuries in a frontal collision. The new small Volvo was offered during its lifetime between 1976 and 1980 as DL with single headlights and the 1100cc, 47 hp engine giving a top speed of 135 km/h and the GL, with 1300cc, 57 hp engine and a top speed of 145 km/h. Both engines were of course the unsurpassed Renault Cléon-Fonte, a happy choice since the 55 Daf 1967 (with those huge warning stickers on the rear window "DAF 55! 1100cc!").

To the chagrin of many, if not everyone, the Coupé expired. Why? I do not know. The press suggested that Volvo was too serious a brand for frivolous sports coupes. Then the P1800 and 1800ES would have been a mistake? Of course not. However, the three-door station version was maintained.

DAF 66 Marathon Coupe Photo 1973
Daf 66 Marathon Coupe 1973

Unfortunately never made as a Volvo: the 66 Marathon Coupé 1300 was the 'fattest Daf'

And then the Variomatic. It was now suddenly called CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) and was operated by a classic automatic lever with which, unlike with Daf, an N and a P could be chosen. Not that there were diehard Dafriders waiting for it! In the past, forward, forward and backward, backward was what made sense. Suddenly the lever was forward and backward, well, there must have been some cursing and yelling at that. But for those who were not used to it, starting with choke in the Dafs caused the necessary Daf dents: a car suddenly shooting forwards or backwards because the engine started and the centrifugal clutch engaged. There was almost no Daf with undamaged bumpers…. That shortcoming was remedied by Volvo and that was very nice. But it was based on an electromagnetic clutch control and that, together with the other adjustments of the Volvo 66, made an expensive cart. At its introduction, the price rose by no less than 1.100 guilders compared to its predecessor, and that would rise to a purchase price in 1980 of 14.770 guilders for the lean DL version, a fat 15.950 guilders for the more luxurious and faster GL and 16.550 guilders for the orange, stickered GLS station, the last version of the old model. Well, for that amount you also bought a Mazda 626 1600 Hardtop Coupé or a Ford Taunus 1600 GL. For 1.000 guilders more there was even a Capri II in front of the door. And you could go just about anywhere for an automatic.

Volvo 66 GL and DL
Volvo 66 GL and DL

The 66 GL was distinguished by its spotlights built into the grille, but the difference was mainly under the hood.

Despite that, Volvo managed to sell more than 120.000 of them. To who? To the traditional Daf buyer probably, because the Volvo 66 was and remained a Daf in heart and soul. With its fine driving characteristics, light steering, good road holding and quiet engine, it was just a nice, compact car that you would never let you down.

In the meantime, the Daf 1977, which had been converted to Volvo 343, had started its career in 77, and that was immediately the most successful design that ever came from the Dutch factory.

Looking back from 2021, it sometimes seems as if the Netherlands played a significant role in the car world for a long time. We forget that the Daf brand as a passenger car manufacturer did not exist for more than 19 years and had a modest role on the European car market. Also in the 70s there was the realization, at least among the car press, that a manufacturer of around 100.000 cars a year has a very hard time keeping up with the competitor who makes millions. How could Daf compete with Opel, Ford, Volkswagen, Fiat, Peugeot and Renault? In 1970, General Motors had an R&D department with 3.000 engineers. At Daf, the draughtsmen and developers were housed in three rooms. In the 70s, along with the oil crisis, there was also an invasion of very nice and affordable Japanese cars that lured many customers away from our Dafjes.

Woman in Daf 33

For years, Daf benefited from being the only cheap car to have a fully automatic transmission. “Even women get pleasure from driving!”

In any case, thanks to Volvo, the factory and the new design of the Daf 77 were preserved, which saw the light of day in 1977 as the Volvo 300 series and would remain a success until 1990.

Handy guys soon discovered that implanting the 1400cc, 72 hp 343 engine in a Daf or Volvo 66 produced a lightning-fast cart.

Do I need to talk about the TROS, and André van Duin? Every weekend our national automobile heirlooms were wrecked by the hundreds. That makes a good Daf all the more special, and so does the Volvo 66.

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16 comments

  1. My 33 van in field police colors was stiff in the suspension. If the pram with our son went in the back, then a concrete pole went in to make the suspension more comfortable.
    Only an accelerator pedal and no automatic gearbox drives great. That remains.
    In the later 55, every red light was a joy. Seeing all those disappointed BMW drivers, who through that silly little car next to them, were shocked to find out that their car really wasn't as fast as they always claimed.

  2. One version of the Volvo 343 has also been made, which you don't see anymore, it was a 5-door version without the rear seat and the 2 rear doors were blinded.

  3. My Uncle used to order a DAF, looked like a Renault Fourgenette !!! … But I don't read anything about that ??? … Surely more than 1/tje !!! …

  4. Then I think back to my mother-in-law. In The Hague, accelerate at the green light until an absurd speed was reached and then slow down. With the 33 it was still reasonable, but with her later 55 it became really dangerous. The last one was a Volvo 66GL and when the car stopped driving I was asked if I was interested. I still regret my no because a sister-in-law raped him. Don't compare it to modern cars because they drank and made a deafening noise.

  5. The last DAF passenger car is actually the 343, this car was designed and built entirely by DAF, but with a Volvo logo and grill on it.

    Because DAF used Renault engines, they were relatively popular in France; you could go to any village blacksmith for maintenance.

    The DAF museum is indeed a must; very beautiful building and a beautiful collection that is also very complete. There are also several trucks.

    The DAF Marathon has still achieved quite good results in rallying. I even think in a 'marathon rally' to Australia or something.

  6. I find the Volvo 66 almost timeless now. Many would still be enough today with small adjustments inside. The DAFs have been screwed over and I let myself be dragged along as a young guest. Sorry Eindhoven! Just like there was a time when you weren't allowed to admit that you loved ABBA. They both make me happy. The day after tomorrow I will be sixty and then you can love anything. LOL

  7. Dafjes had not been given a differential when they were born. That only came in the latest models. In fact, the existing construction resulted in a behavior as with a full limited slip differential. The wheel on the inside of the bend started to spin passionately, especially on unpaved surfaces in sharp bends. So from the 'reverse box' it went with a belt for the left and a belt for the right to the final drive at each rear wheel. If one of the two belts snapped, all driving power was immediately directed to the other wheel. This created dangerous scenes, especially on the highway. The Dafjes were excessively represented among the cars that ended up on the motorway. Experienced and adept drivers noticed this cracking of the belt and compensated for this with their riding skills, after which a workshop could be carefully found.
    With the arrival of the 46, this effect of head overflow was a thing of the past. If the belt snapped, there was no traction at all and the bike shot into red for a moment until the startled rider let go of the throttle. But that didn't stop them any longer. The arrival of a real differential ultimately meant an improvement on all fronts in terms of driving. But from the 33, up to and including the last as Volvo 66, they were fantastic little cars. I was able to cover my very first car kilometer, far below the legal age, in a 33. Where has the time gone?

    • The main advantage, if the belts remained intact, was that the Daf 66, the 46 and the Volvo 66 had a DeDion rear axle construction with a constant camber. All predecessors still had pendle axles, just like many contemporaries.

  8. If you think this is a nice article, there is only one piece of advice: visit the DAF museum in Eindhoven, beautiful all DAF passenger car versions side by side, including the really special (sports) versions in addition to a good overview of trucks.

    • Absolute! I also like the 55 with its characteristic nose, although the 66 is the technically better car thanks to the plate clutch and the DeDion rear axle.

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