The first passenger car in the world with an automatic stepless transmission, the Variomatic, was the Daf 600 in 1958. In the 50s, tests were carried out with the 'smart stick' and the designs were created that led to the Daf 600 designed by Willem van den Brink: the original Daf.
Evolution of the design
It all started with a sketch. Designer Willem van den Brink drew a compact sedan with a high roofline to give the occupants plenty of headroom. Rounded shapes dominated the design. The design drawings also show the body variant Bestel with a hinged rear door (see next section).
From the drawings, a 1:5 clay model of the Daf 600 was made, shown in photo 2 with designer Van den Brink. Full-size models were then built from plaster over a frame of wooden beams and pre-formed polystyrene panels in March 1956, shown in photos 4 and 5 (left). The study model on the right in photo 5 shows an evolution of that design. That same model, made from sheet steel, was shown outside to the management in September 1956 (photo 6).
The first designs had diagonally placed bumpers instead of a front bumper. The early study models show a temporary logo on the bonnet and do not yet have turn signals ('ears' on the B-pillar). The grille also had different designs. Eventually, the bumpers had to make way for a conventional front bumper, the 600 got the elegant 'Daf logo in script letters', the characteristic ears as turn signals and a less rounded grille without horizontal bars.
Testing of the Variomatic: Daf Junior
To test the Variomatic in secret without prying eyes, it was first built into a Lloyd passenger car.
Later, a self-built station wagon (Daf "Junior" concept) with the floor pan of the 600 was tested. This station wagon was registered with the RDW as a "Daf Junior" with license plate VG-93-74. The body of the Daf Junior was destroyed, but the floor pan was then used for another prototype.
To test the technology with test drives, the Daf 600 was fitted with a camouflage outfit: including a hood and a fake bonnet.
Several prototypes were used that were given a license plate to be allowed to drive and test on public roads: including the XP-32-08 and XT-91-78.
Daf 600 with a different grille
This Daf 600 is a pre-production model from 1957 (and photographed here in 1958) with an alternative, different grille that was not put into series production. A 600 from the predecessor series with a 'mouth' which gives the front a cheerful appearance. Because it was more complicated to make this grille from a production point of view, the final 'original' version was chosen at the start of series production.
Daf 600 Van
When the Daf 600 was on the market, experiments were done with a '600 Bestel' to be able to serve entrepreneurs with a 'workhorse' with variomatic conveniences. The detailed design sketch gives an indication of this body shape, while Daf 600 designer Willem van den Brink already drew this combi variant in his first sketches.
The photos of the prototype with factory/dealer plates FH-68-90 show a voluminous 1st type Daf 600 (with the 'earpieces' as indicators) with an identical front as its Sedan brother, but with an extended and slightly rounded roofline and a straight rear. The spacious rear door that hinges to the right gives access to a large loading space. The large logo in script leaves no doubt that this is a Daf; a variomatic delivery van.
The photos were taken in front of the DAF head office in Eindhoven.
The vehicle with license plate TA-52-85 in the last photo is a prototype Daf 600 Delivery van based on a 2nd type Daf 600, with large headlights. This 600 Delivery van was tested by state-owned company Dutch Post (PTT) for the Technical Service.
It remained a prototype and ultimately no delivery van version of the Daf 600 was produced. From 1961, the delivery van and combi version were added to the model range for the Daf 750, but this had a different body, where the door hinges to the left. This variant was widely supplied to and used by the Dutch Post.
Daf 600 Stationcar
Because a 'Daf Junior' prototype with a station wagon body was built during the early development of the Daf 600, a Daf 600 station wagon was also considered. A design study on paper gives an idea of what people thought about this with the first type Daf 600. The photo on the right shows a Daf 600 Station wagon in front of the DAF headquarters in Eindhoven. It is a second type 600, with indicators at the front and larger headlights. The roofline of the 600 Sedan is extended towards a straight rear, and we see a lot of glass all around through extra windows after the B-pillar. It is likely that this example with license plate TA-12-84 was the only one.
Daf 600 Pick-up
Prior to the production Pick-up version of the Daf 600 that became available in 1961, this body shape was also experimented with. This example was probably built for the organization or the guidance of the annual 3-Beerzen Rally, and a prelude to a production version of this variant. The photos show a 1st type Daf 600 Pick-up, with the 'earpieces' as indicators at the top of the B-pillar, which the final version would not have. We also see a sloping cabin towards the loading bed with an equally sloping rear window under a canopy of the slightly continuous roof. That too would not make it to production: on the final Daf 600 Pick-up this was straight. This prototype still has the 'dummy fuel cap' for the symmetrical effect, and a reversing light. Another big difference is the tailgate: it is a lot lower because it does not go up to the top of the loading platform but has a kind of notch. The prototype of the Daf 600 Pick-up with license plate AX-75-69 no longer exists.
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