In 1932, the company changed its name to Van Doorne's Aanhangwagen Fabriek (Van Doorne's Trailer Factory), abbreviated to DAF.

DAF Trucks is a Dutch truck manufacturing company.  In February 1958, DAF demonstrated a small belt driven four seater car at the Dutch car show (the AutoRAI). DAF started selling the world's first car with a continuously variable transmission.

 

Headquarters Eindhoven, Netherlands, 1932-1975

daffodil 30  1961-1967

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

33 1967-1974

The DAF 33 is a compact saloon car produced by the DAF company, of Eindhoven in the Netherlands, between 1967 and 1974. 

Apart from some external changes, the 1st type Daf 33 was the same model as the Daffodil, whose name disappeared due to the new double-digit model range (33/44/55/66). The dashboard remained the same, but the combination of two colors in the paint was done away with on the 33.

The 1st type Daf 33 (1967 to 1969) can be recognized by the extra chrome strip in the grille and the upright emblem '33' together with the writing letters 'daf' on the hood. The second type (1969 to 1974) has a plastic strip as a grille with two stripes and silver print "DAF 33", which you also see at the back.

1966 had seen the introduction of the Michelotti-styled DAF 44 which appeared to compete in virtually the same market segment as the Daffodil-based design; but the 33, its development costs presumably long since amortised, remained in production with its new name. A more luxurious version became available in 1969. Thereafter the car changed very little: however, the 6-volt electrical system was replaced with a 12-volt one in 1972.

The DAF 33, in common with other DAF cars, featured a continuously variable transmission system, the DAF Variomatic, which used a V-shaped drive belt and two pulleys connected to a limited-slip differential, giving a CVT-like operation. Notably, this design meant the 33 had almost the same top speed in reverse gear as it did in forward motion: around 110 km/h.

The first type Daf 33 was available in the trim levels Standard (now with windscreen washer and stainless steel bumpers, but a completely mouse gray interior and the red rear lights of a Daf 750) and Luxury (with double clocks in the dashboard and the 'LE ventilation' of predecessor Daffodil 32 LE). From the 2nd type Daf 33, the Standard version was renamed Comfort, with enlarged rear lights (with the exception of the 33 Pick-up).

55 marathon  1967-1972

The DAF 55 is a small family car produced by the Dutch company DAF from December 1967 to September 1972. At that time it was replaced with the DAF 66.

All 55s featured the unique Variomatic belt-driven continuously variable transmission, with no manual transmission available. This feature of all DAF cars was very unusual for its class at the time.

The 55 was available as a 2-door saloon, a 3-door estate and a 2-door coupe.

66 marathon 1972-1975

The DAF 66 is a small family car produced by the Dutch company DAF from September 1972 to 1976. It was the successor of the DAF 55 and was itself superseded by the reworked Volvo 66.

The DAF 66 was the last four-cylinder car to feature the DAF name.

The 66 was an evolution of the 1967 DAF 55. Aside from a cosmetic update, the redesign featured several changes, especially a major redesign of the rear axle, suspension, and drive.

It was powered by a 1108 cc Renault engine, reworked to have lower emissions, changing power to 53 PS for the normal models, and 60 PS for the 1100 Marathon.

The 66 was launched as a wide model range, incorporating a 2-door saloon, a 3-door estate and a 2-door 2+2 coupe. At introduction the customer could choose from 'De Luxe' (official type designation 6622 for sedans, 6632 for combis, featuring drum brakes and vinyl seats), 'Super Luxe' (Front disks and reclining cloth seats, type 6623 for sedans, 6624 for coupes, 6633 for combis) and 'Marathon' (Extra power and wider wheels, type 6625 for sedans, 6626 for coupes, 6627 for combis) trim levels.. It featured the unique Variomatic belt-driven continuously variable transmission.

By taking a majority stake in DAF Personenwagen B.V. in 1975, Volvo expanded its model range downwards: the 'small Volvo' that was marketed as Volvo 66 is a Daf 66 with some external and especially safety-enhancing changes. Externally, the 66 got thick black bumpers with integrated indicators, and the diagonal stripe with the Volvo logo in the grille to bring the model in line with the family face of the big Volvos.

In the interior, much remained the same compared to the Daf 66, but the CVT (Volvo's renaming of the Variomatic, from 'continuously variable transmission', English: continuously variable transmission) was now operated with a normal gear selector with the positions R (reverse, reverse), N (neutral) and D (drive, forward).

In total 146.297 DAF 66s were built.

1928-1989

1989-now