Forgotten Cars - DAF 600

This was the first DAF 600 off the line from 1958 

I saw this example of the DAF 600 at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed where it took pride of place on the lawn of Goodwood House, part of the Cartier Style et Luxe design and concours exhibition. It certainly made an impact, due in no small part to its bright yellow paintwork and simple lines. I take a great interest in everyday transportation from yesteryear and the class of 'European Motoring for the Masses' was a particular highlight.
The Netherlands isn't the first country one thinks of when it comes to car manufacturing. Indeed the country has had few forays when it comes to the motor industry. I had to look it up, but DAF stands for Van Doorne's Automobiel Fabriek, (Van Doorne's Automobile Factory). The company's headquarters were based in Eindhoven.
Van Doorne's company focused on building machinery and the majority of their offerings used belt drive systems to propel them. As car ownership grew, the natural thought of using a belt driven drivetrain to propel a car came to Van Doorne. The result was the DAF 600, a car that would have been almost totally forgotten, had it not been for its revolutionary drivetrain.
The 600 featured the world's first mass produced CVT, (continuously variable transmission). DAF decided to name this piece of engineering 'Variomatic' and it resulted in a very relaxing car to drive as one didn't have to change gear manually.
The system worked by using weights to move with the engine speed to change gear. This was assisted by the driver easing off the throttle when the engine reached a high RPM, making the weights alter the transmission, (the increased manifold vacuum shifted the pulleys that resulted in the change of ratio). Engine braking could also be made to become more pronounced by a button on the dashboard that reversed the manifold vacuum on the pulley's diaphragm - this made the system seek out a higher manifold vacuum resulting in a lower ratio. This all sounds quite technical - I don't mind admitting that I had to look the car up to understand its mechanical properties...

The DAF 600, often confused with the later 750/Daffodil, was revolutionary because of its belt drive and 'Variomatic' transmission

The DAF 600 began full scale production in 1959, the same year as the revolutionary Mini. The big difference was that the 600 only lasted until 1963 and was replaced with the 750 and glitzier Daffodil, the latter more popular in export markets. A number of versions followed, all using the same mechanical layout.
So what became of DAF?...
Well, Volvo bought DAF's car business in 1975 whilst DAF Trucks joined forces with Leyland Trucks, (the commercial arm of British Leyland) to create Leyland DAF, an operation that traded into the early 90's. DAF Trucks were bought out by PACCAR in 1996 and are still a relatively common sight today. Volvo ended up ditching the DAF passenger car division entirely. The last DAF passenger car was the 66 which ceased production in 1975 - later versions were rebadged as Volvo's as soon as the takeover was finalised. (It's interesting to note that the Volvo 300 Series was originally designed to become a DAF, hence its production in the Netherlands as well as in Gothenburg).
Despite the relatively short life of the 600, (along with DAF in general), it will always be remembered for its fresh and innovative approach to engineering. The belt drive could indeed be ruinous, (if it snapped it could leave the car worthless); however, it's important to remember that without fresh thinking towards engineering, progress would be very slow indeed...