The DAF Entries

The DAF Entries

The team of DAF cars (4 cylinder, 1,108cc., 45 bhp) entered in the Marathon were only the tip of an iceberg.

Hidden underneath was an elaborate programme, backed by the full resources of Dutch industry.

Apart from the DAF motor firm, the backers for the entry included, Phillips, the huge electronic combine; BP Netherlands and Australia; Vredestein tyres; KLM airline; General Accident Insurance Co.; Sikkens, the paint firm; Avro Televise and the Amsterdam Telegraf, respectively Holland's largest television company and daily newspaper.

The exploits of the Dutch National Team, as the DAF trio were to be called, were to be fed into Dutch homes daily throughout the Marathon.

A 25 year old Dakota DC3, equipped to transmit television programmes to Holland, and linked to the cars by radio telephone, was chartered to follow the entrants.

The Dutch National Team turned Netherland embassies along the route into motor trade stockists.

A full range of tyres and spare parts was delivered to the embassies before the rally.

DAF information by Alan Sawyer in his book 'Marathon'

Car 30, Dutch National Team - DAF 55 - R. Slotemaker / Janssen

Photos courtesy Rinus Blankestijn (c)

Rob Slotemaker's DAF 55 car 30

Photo courtesy Rinus Blankestijn (c)

Car 30, Dutch National Team - DAF 55 - R. Slotemaker / Janssen, finished in 17th place.

Car 69, Dutch National Team - DAF 55 - D. van Lennep / Hissink, finished in 56th place.

Car 69, Dutch National Team - DAF 55 - D. van Lennep / Hissink.

Photo courtesy Consolidated press

Photo courtesy Rinus Blankestijn (c)

Rob Slotemaker stands on the bonnet of his DAF 55 car 30 and washes it with 'the spoils of victory'. He finished in 17th place.

Photo courtesy National Archives Australia. (c) L79386

In 1967, one year after the 44, the DAF 55 was introduced.

It shared the bodywork and the chassis with the 44, but boasted a modern 4 cylinder engine and more luxury. The new water-cooled engine was acquired from Renault, measured 1108 cc and produced 50 hp @ 5000 rpm. Top speed of this 785 kg car was 136 kph and it accelerated from 0 to 80 kph in 12 seconds.

This more powerful engine was quite an achievement for DAF because it took a lot of development work to make the Variomatic transmission suitable to durably handle more power.

The Variomatic transmission had always limited DAF in its possibilities. To keep the wear and stress of the belts within tolerable quantities either the amount distributed power had to be relatively small or the belts had to be strengthened.

Strengthening the belts proved to be a problem. Stronger and more durable belts weighed more and offered less friction and that caused all kinds of problems within the transmission. These problems at that time could only be solved by expensive measures, making the cars uncompetitively expensive. So only through extensive research and advancements in technology DAF could offer more powerful cars. A pity was that progress was slow, each time it took a long while to get to the next level, condemning DAF to either stay in the small car market or to get another transmission.

DAF felt that the Variomatic transmission was their big selling point and was the transmission of the future, so they stuck to it.

The DAF 55 was produced from 1967 to 1972, totaling 153,263 cars. There was also a sporty version of the 55 called the 55 Marathon. The DAF 55 Marathon had a tuned engine that produced 63 hp @ 5600 rpm, mainly achieved by replacing the carburettor by a bigger one and changing the compression ratio in the cylinders from 8.5:1 to 10:1.

Top speed was 145 kph and 10,967 of these cars were produced between 1971 and 1972.

Sadly the two DAF cars that participated in the 1968 Marathon were scrapped.

Information courtesy André Ritzinger, Amsterdam, Holland - visit his site about DAF cars and many other rally cars.

Last car in the Marathon was the diminutive DAF of Hissink and van Lennep 13, 790 points out of first place and 13,740 behind Cowan.

But they had finished and that was a feat in itself.

John Smailes

David van Lennep car 30 DAF 55

Photo courtesy Daily Express Magazine

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