Selwyn_Times: March 27, 2024

20 Selwyn Times Wednesday March 27 2024
MY PRIDE AND JOY
Advertising Feature
Nostalgia with rare DAF car
At first glance, the DAF 55 appears like
any boxy car from the 70s, reminiscent
of the Triumph Dolomite or the Hillman
Hunter. However, the DAF 55 was a
small family car produced by the Dutch
company DAF from December 1967 to
September 1972 and is a rare vehicle in
New Zealand. Rolleston resident Siep is
the proud owner of a lovingly restored
DAF 55, thought to be the only one in the
South Island.
DAF is an acronym for van Doorne’s
Automobiel Fabriek. Initially, it was a
truck manufacturing company but moved
into car manufacturing in 1959. The
DAF 55 rolled out in December 1967,
and it was the first car produced with a
4-cylinder in-line water-cooled Renault
engine. The 1100cc DAF 55 featured
the unique Variomatic belt-driven
continuously variable transmission.
This was unusual as it operated a simple
automatic belts and pulleys transmission
system. This easy setup was especially
favoured by those who found gear shifting
difficult. Siep confessed, “When I was
growing up, you never wanted to be seen
dead in one of these.” With only a forward
and reverse system, once you put it into
drive, it will do just that. This was recently
demonstrated when Siep forgot the car
was already in gear when he started it up
and went straight ahead into the garage
wall. Siep also says, “If you can do 120
forwards, you can also do 120 backwards.”
The simplicity under the hood and its
appearance might make it look like a
sedate wee car, but it’s got enough get up
and go to drive comfortably at 120km/hr.
With 18,000 miles on it, this car arrived
in New Zealand via an owner emigrating
from England. While Siep is its fourth
New Zealand owner, it still has low
mileage, with only 35,000 miles on the
clock. After seeing it parked up for many
years while driving trucks in The North
Island, he bought it in 2013. It reminded
him of his homeland in the Netherlands
and his time driving DAF trucks in
Europe. As it sat undriven for so long,
restoring it to its former glory required
extensive work. Auto Restorations Ltd got
it going again with work on the engine,
transmission and also upholstery while
Burke’s Metalworks did the external panel
work and flooring; now fully restored and
immaculate, it took plenty of work and
money to make it look and run its best
again.
Siep confirms it’s not a long-distance
car mainly due to the noise, so he is
happy to take it only to the odd car show,
including the recent Selwyn Motor Fest.
With its unremarkable original brownon-brown
exterior and interior colour
scheme, Siep states, “It doesn’t stand out,
and most people don’t recognise it.” Still,
he says it’s just fun to own with its unique
transmission. It even has a cult-like
following in Holland now!
Advanced
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3967 West Coast Road
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Sat 8.30am to 12pm
Phone 03 318 7378
www.advancedupholstery.co.nz
Jones Road auto
ALL YOUR
MOTORING NEEDS
› While You Wait WOF’s
› Courtesy Cars
› Diagnostics
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131 IPORT Drive (Cnr Hoskyns & IPORT drive)
Phone 347 4020 | www.jonesroadauto.co.nz