While at Monterey Car Week, I once again was deeply honored/humiliated (honormiliated) to find that I was once again to be a judge for the Concurs D’Lemons, the most prestigious event of all of car week, at least according the talking crow that alighted on my shoulder after I ate those expired pills I found in the ashtray of a Dodge A100 parked by the event.
My category was Swedish, which generously also seemed to include Holland, the Netherlands, the country of the Dutch, all those places. This was fortunate, as the car I picked to win was a charming DAF utility van. This was a very simple, humble machine, and had real character. Plus, as a DAF, it was technically interesting, because DAF’s signature technical trick was the first real production continuously-variable transmission, using cones and big rubber belts.
I’m sure you’ve seen diagrams of it before; it looks like this:
Neat, right? Of course it is. Even better, this transmission means you can go backwards as fast as forwards, leading to races like these:
The DAF that I was judging was one of these you see below; unfortunately and bafflingly I somehow didn’t get a shot of the exterior?
I did get a nice shot of the simple, lone instrument:
There’s no fuel gauge, just that yellow light with the old-school, round-headed fuel pump, and – I think this part of the deal – this corner-shaped plastic gas can in a holder at the rear that maybe functions as a sort of reserve tank?
Okay, but none of this answers the big question: what does this weird green triangle button do?
It’s not a hazard light switch, I’ll give you that. and why is it partially shaded? What is this strange, ancient rune?
Guess away! And, when you’re ready for the answer, click here, and I’ll show you right out of a DAF owner’s manual.
I’m not sure I’d have gotten it, but it sort of makes sense, in hindsight.
Clearly a later retrofitted button to play Dark Side of the Moon on demand.
Not Jason’s forte: Portmanteaus.
That button lets you split the cost of fuel 50/50 with your date.
incorrect, since it is a DAF, it already presumed you were going dutch, it gives the driver the option of signaling they shall take on the entire burden of the fuel costs with their date.
Brilliant engineering decisions went into that vehicle. Absolutely worthy of the win. Good choice Jason!
Hilarious video. And I loved the 504 Estate being used as a camera platform in front of the pack.
With the cameraman riding on the roof!
Trivia on this particular car: it was once in the collection of The Autopian’s favorite Lane Motor Museum in Nashville but wasn’t on display.
(Conversation with the owner began with: “Did you find this in the Netherlands?” “No, Tennessee.” “Yeah, I’ve heard that was a hotbed of DAF ownership back in the day.”)
Most US sales were in the Northeast and around the Great Lakes but you can always try writing your Congressman:
https://live.staticflickr.com/3794/12202002436_118517bfca_c.jpg
Twin traction? As in: power to BOTH rear wheels?
The absence of a differential in the earlier designs means that the Variomatic acts more or less like a limited-slip differential. This can create problems under some low-speed circumstances involving tight turns on solid surfaces when the split pulleys can’t compensate quickly enough and the tires can’t slip. As I noted below in replying to Mike Smith, this was addressed in later designs, although the addition of an open differential meant the loss of twin traction.
Yeah, but if anyone writes them, they will write back saying they
DGAF about DAF
Are you sure about that? What remains of DAF these days still has a lot of pull.
https://www.daf.com/-/media/images/daf-corporate-info/about-daf/paccar/paccar-model-range-fw.jpg
Right? That’s awesome
That button takes you to the dark side of the moon
It’s a 4 sided die button and returns a random number between 1 and 4 for your gaming pleasure.
It’s the reverse racing mode button, to unleash a staggering 2 extra hp.
Toggle switch for the combination pop-up sunroof/ejector seat flap.
Each press of this button will roll 1d4 for damage.
DON’T TOUCH IT!
engage interdimensional doorway
It is to indicate when your Martini is in need of a refill! 😉
The button has been twisted counter-clockwise a bit, but it’s an indicator to signal drivers approaching from behind how to overtake this car from the Netherlands. You know, pass the Dutchie on the left hand side?
I… wow.
I laughed too hard at this post and now I have Sprite dripping out my nostrils.
It’s the ‘circulate oil in the rotary engine’ button.
The the button that pops open the secret door containing strange pills, and autoplays ‘Dark side of the Moon’ while finding the nearest showing to wizard of oz.
Ha! I own a later version of this DAF! Mine’s a 55. Absolutely LOVE it!
Here’s a hint: it helps you go down hill…
I’ve been to the Netherlands, and I have to ask, what hill?
It opens the stargate?
The DAF DHD?
Ah, honormiliated. That’s got to be kissing cousins with scaroused, right?
And also in league with the fear boner!
Dude, it’s the remote control for opening the Pyramids. Duh…
In my Volvo 66 GL (a.k.a. DAF 66) it’s a rocker switch instead. Berkeley for scale:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53952940547_142a03778f_c.jpg
::gazes at the diagram of the CVT and rear suspension with a look of slowly dawning horror:: Wait… the driven pulleys are mounted directly to the swing axles, so the *CVT belts twist whenever you go over a bump*!?!?! It’ll change the drive ratio per wheel, depending on how much the suspension moves, FFS. Who designed this thing, Phistomophel, the patron demon of snap oversteer?
I doubt whether this thing makes enough power to generate snap oversteer. Unless maybe you’re on ice? But I agree, that design is horrifying.
My dad had one of these in the late 70s. It absolutely did not have enough power to be that kind of dangerous, no.
Watching the video of the reverse racing, they look to be plenty dangerous if you go flat out backwards. Which is fair enough I suppose.
Good point, aye.
The split pulleys change their ratio independently so this will tend to absorb the effect on the drive ratio. The bigger problem is sharp changes in direction at very low speed, such as turning while backing out of a parking spot, as there is no differential and the pulleys may not be able to compensate quickly enough under such circumstances. DAF (and subsequently Volvo) addressed this, along with the general issues arising from a swing axle, in later models by going to a de Dion axle and a differential, at which point having two belts became more a question of redundancy:
https://autolivraria.com.br/carros/volvo/antigos/343-variomatic.jpg
The de Dion suspension makes a lot more sense in this application. I’m still astonished how long swing axles persisted in Europe in their economy cars, given their poor safety record for spinouts and roll-overs. Surely any perceived benefit over solid axles (or de Dion, of course) wasn’t ever worth those downsides. We car enthusiasts tend to sneer at the memory of Nader, but if he managed to smother swing axle rear suspension in its cradle in the US market then maybe we should give him more credit. (Of course the 2nd gen Corvair had already moved away from that design and still didn’t deserve to die by his hand.)
Thanks for your knowledgeable, informative and interesting reply to my silly snarky comment! This sort of interaction is one of the things I love most about this site, and why it is the only site I pay for membership.
You’re welcome! I’m happy to rant about Variomatics. I used to have a ’65 Corvair, too, as far as that goes.
Jeez, get a room you two!
lol I kid. It’s fun.
The inherent issues with swing axles aren’t really that bad, and can be very much rectified with some alterations. The Ford Twin I Beam is functionally a swing axles suspension with crossed axles lowering the roll center. Ford used it 1965-2023, and they handle just fine.
Swing axles are infamous in Corvairs, but nobody seems to complain that swing axles Beetles and Buses are horribly dangerous and rollover prone, despite Buses having a much higher CG than a Corvair. Swing axles are unfairly demonized IMO.
It’s not as well known as Unsafe at Any Speed but the sequel does have a fair amount to say about VW swing axles:
https://i1.sndcdn.com/artworks-dhXQkEAQRb7bcdWS-EDQhhQ-t500x500.jpg
Twin I-beam front suspension works a treat – I had an ’89 F-150 with that suspension that I was very happy with. It was a very rational solution to the problem of excessive camber gain – lengthen the swing arms as far as possible by making them extend across the whole car and cross each other. Unfortunately that doesn’t work when you want to put a differential in the middle and have the whole thing pivot at the half shafts, which was the conventional implementation (and the design I’m railing against in these comments).
Holland is known for its Edam cheese, so I’m guessing there’s a secret compartment under the dash to load a wedge of Edam and pushing the button cuts a slice off the wedge and delivers it to the driver.
Makes sense.
Evil bananas tend to possess common sense.
This feature needs to make a comeback!
Being a mid-century design, it probably drops the slice into the nearest ashtray for easy access.
This is GENIUS!
My guess is some sort of overdrive for the transmission when going up hills.
huh, wasn’t far off!
The button opens the door to the secret hashish smuggling compartment. Best place to hide something – out in the open.
Well, it’s a Dutch car. So, yes.