The DAF Daffodil is an

economy An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with the ...

small family car The C-segment is the 3rd category of the European segments for passenger cars and is described as "medium cars". It is equivalent to the Euro NCAP "small family car" size class, and the compact car category in the United States. In 2011, the C ...

that was manufactured by DAF from 1961 until 1967. Together with the DAF 750, launched at the same time, it replaced the

DAF 600 The DAF 600 is a small family car produced by DAF from 1959 until 1963. It was DAF's first production passenger car. The 600 was first presented at the Amsterdam Motor Show in February 1958 and was in production by 1959, although the firm had publi ...

. DAFs 750 was essentially the same car but with even fewer luxurious fittings and less chrome trim on the outside. Both the Daffodil and the 750 retained the

Variomatic Variomatic is the continuously variable transmission (CVT) of the Dutch car manufacturer DAF, originally developed by Hub van Doorne. It is a stepless, fully-automatic transmission, consisting of a V-shaped drive-belt, and two pulleys, each o ...

automatic transmission system as standard, which distinguished them from most other small and cheap cars on the market. 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.

The names

The Daffodil name worked well in some markets, but 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 a logical continuation of the existing line.

The engine

The 746 cc

four stroke A four-stroke (also four-cycle) engine is an internal combustion (IC) engine in which the piston completes four separate strokes while turning the crankshaft. A stroke refers to the full travel of the piston along the cylinder, in either directi ...

air cooled Air-cooled engines rely on the circulation of air directly over heat dissipation fins or hot areas of the engine to cool them in order to keep the engine within operating temperatures. In all combustion engines, a great percentage of the heat ge ...

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 to , with a claimed top speed of 105 km/h (65 mph). The 0-50 mph (80 km/h) time took 29 seconds, as tested by the Consumers Union in the United States.

Running gear

The DAF 600 was the first car mass-produced with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) - the innovative DAF

system. The same system was carried over to the 750, the Daffodil, and its variants. No conventional gearboxes were offered on the cars - all these economy cars came with this automatic transmission system as standard.

Variomatic working principles

The Variomatic employs centrifugal weights to control the drive ratio of the transmission and is enhanced by the engine

manifold vacuum Manifold vacuum, or engine vacuum in an internal combustion engine is the difference in air pressure between the engine's intake manifold and Earth's atmosphere. Manifold vacuum is an effect of a piston's movement on the induction stroke and the ...

. The action of the bob weights and inlet vacuum combined to pull together the cheeks of two variable-diameter driving pulleys, driven directly from the engine. These were connected, by rubber 'V' belts, to two similar driven pulleys, connected to the drive wheels. The cheeks of the driven pulleys were held together by spring tension, which was progressively overcome as the drive pulleys expanded and the tension of the belts increased. 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, because the increased vacuum took over from the reducing bob weight speed. The Variomatic also permitted increased engine braking by operating a switch on the dashboard to reverse the action of the vacuum on the pulley's diaphragm, seeking a ''lower'' ratio with increased manifold vacuum. Two separate transmissions underneath the rear seat ran the two driving wheels - one on each wheel, eliminating the need for a differential, since belt slippage allowed for differing speeds of the inner and outer wheels in corners. Strictly speaking, this system worked like a rear

transaxle A transaxle is a single mechanical device which combines the functions of an automobile's transmission, axle, and differential into one integrated assembly. It can be produced in both manual and automatic versions. Engine and drive at the s ...

, yielding a favorable weight distribution. The duplication also provided redundancy - if one belt broke, the vehicle would still be driven by one wheel. An incidental feature was that ''in reverse'' (at least for earlier examples) the system allowed the same top speed to be driven as going forwards. Later cars locked the transmission in the lowest ratio when reverse was selected.

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

Giovanni Michelotti Giovanni Michelotti (6 October 1921 – 23 January 1980) was one of the most prolific designers of sports cars in the 20th century. His notable contributions were for Ferrari, Lancia, Maserati and Triumph marques. He was also associated with t ...

which involved sharpened angles and more prominent

fins A fin is a thin component or appendage attached to a larger body or structure. Fins typically function as foils that produce lift or thrust, or provide the ability to steer or stabilize motion while traveling in water, air, or other fluids. Fin ...

: 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

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car assembly business was acquired by

Volvo The Volvo Group ( sv, Volvokoncernen; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distributio ...

Popular references

The DAF Daffodil appeared in the 1960s spy drama series '' The Baron'', driven by Cordelia (

Sue Lloyd Sue or SUE may refer to: Music * Sue Records, an American record label * ''Sue'' (album), an album by Frazier Chorus * " Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)", a song by David Bowie Places * Sue Islet (Queensland), one of the Torres Straits isla ...

). It also gave its name to the late 1980s/early 1990s Manchester Indie band The New Fast Automatic Daffodils, after an advert for the car, which stated "The New, Fast Daffodil - fully Automatic".

Notes

External links

*''This article incorporates text translated from the Dutch Wikipedia articles on the DAF Daffodil and the DAF 750 as of 2008-03-10'' . {{DEFAULTSORT:Daf Daffodil

Daffodil ''Narcissus'' is a genus of predominantly spring flowering perennial plants of the amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae. Various common names including daffodil,The word "daffodil" is also applied to related genera such as ''Sternbergia'', ''Ism ...

Rear-wheel-drive vehicles Vehicles with CVT transmission Cars powered by boxer engines Sedans 1960s cars Cars introduced in 1961 Cars powered by 2-cylinder engines