Absinthe, Darkness Cannot Deter Franzouse From Capturing Paris DAF

When you're stumbling down a Paris street at 2:00 AM with a head full of absinthe and you spot a '73 DAF with its owner- an Armenian priest- nearby, what do you do? If you're a certified Jalopnik Project Car Hell Poster Child, you whip out your iPhone and start shooting (perhaps taking an additional swig of the wormwood first, to steady your camera hand). Make the jump to read Franzouse's description. [Classic DAF] More »

What's The Jalopnik 24 Hours of LeMons Car?

Yeah, yeah — you knew this was coming. But I think Jalopnik would have a real shot at winning. First of all, with Murilee and Bumbeck working the pits, you know our car would running like a Swiss clock. Sure, they may sneak a nitrous system into a fake battery, but so what? As for actually driving, I'm sure between all of us we could come up with a pretty mean team. Actually, Wes says we hear Wes is quite capable. And how could you not love a race car driver named Spin? But what are we driving? Obviously an El Camino comes to mind. As does a Starion. However, those are simply too obvious. No, we need you to put on your hoon-hats and do some serious pondering. Think DAF (Turbo-Twin FTW!). Or Ekranoplan. Or better yet, the Tumbler. As many have pointed out, whatever the actual car is, it will need to be Camino'd. And since we can't figure out how one would Camino an Ekranoplan, what about an RS4 Avantamino? Lord, that would be sweet. I'm shutting up. Your turn.

Project Car Hell: DAF or Crosley?

Congratulations to the winnah of yesterday's Project Car Hell poll: the Thousand Buck 928! The Porsche won by a fairly comfortable margin, no doubt due to its irresistible mix of inherent Stuttgart coolness and certain death-of-a-thousand-cuts agony for anyone attempting to take it on. For today, we've gone a bit older and raised the ante by a grand or so... More »

DAFamino Madness Grips Vermont By The Throat

The DAF Club of America held a Micro/Mini Madness event [Update: next to] the live free or die state over the weekend. And didn't invite us! Which would be like having a Dead Kennedys reunion without Jello Biafra Genesis reunion without Peter Gabriel. We wouldn't have been able to go anyhow, as we were tied up in North Cackalacky und Tennessee, but still. Turns out that we didn't miss that much as Daniel Strohl of Hemmings fame reports, "I bopped up there, only to see a grand total of three and a half DAFs." One of them however, was a DAFamino. So, obviously, the whole thing was worth it. More images and the full story over at Hemmings. Hmmm... hey Johnson, don't see any upcoming FAF events, now do I?

War Without End

Old memes never die, they just want you (like L7) to pretend that they're dead. After the jump, Johnson and Lieberman get punny with the tenacity of portly men in blue and gray wool who just won't let that whole Civil War thing drop. Praise the Lord and pass the ketchup packets. More »

Variomatic Madness!

We don't speak Hollandaise, but we do enjoy us some wacky Dutchness. Here, we get some classic footage of the DAF 600 (aka the Dafodil) in both sedan and Dafamino guise. And then, just when you think you've seen it all, the Dafamino converts into a sedan! Hell, even Wert should be able to get behind this car. Still no FAF, but undeniably rad. – Davey G. Johnson More »

Belated Congratulations, DAF!

In the DAF vs. FAF war, the FAF, despite our readers' severe glaucoma and one J. Loverman's anti-French propaganda, was indisputably the cooler vehicle. Regardless, we would like to take a moment to note that we'd like to belatedly congratuate DAF — now a unit of American conglomerate PACCAR (while Citroën remains defiantly French and er, under the ownership of Peugeot) — on the construction of three-quarters of a million beasts of burden. That's right, on April 19th, the 750,000th DAF truck rolled off the line in Eindhoven. The company currently has no plans to introduce the Variomatic to the international trucking market, which is a shame, because what's better than backwords semi tractor racing? Very little, we tell you what. – Davey G. Johnson More »

You Want Weird? DAF/Jan de Rooy/Dakar Celebration Polka

Davey, we know you tried. We give you props for that. And yeah, Grace Jones eating a CX is pretty oddball. But Grace Jones would have put any old car in her mouth. And you can't argue that. However, this video is truly bizarre. Imagine if you will a NASCAR team celebrating a major win in this fashion. Having trouble? OK, now think of any sports team any where in the world performing a song and dance like this. Curling doesn't count. No, only the Dutch are insane enough to celebrate Jan de Rooy winning the 1987 Paris Dakar in his beyond amazing dual-engined DAF Turbo Twin II by filming a polka video featuring the entire race crew. Also, I believe the guy in the glasses sings, "Citroen Kaput!" In your pipe, Johnson. Start smoking. – Jonny Lieberman More »

The DAF Looked at Jonny: Trans-Europe Express

Ever make the perfect purchase? It doesn't matter whether it costs ten million dollars or six euros, it's something you simply must own, and if it's remotely within your wherewithal to do so, you are helpless to resist. Such was the case with this suction-cupped DAF banner meant for the windshield of a long-haul truck. We employed it in various fashions from the point we picked it up at a Hellenic truck stop. In fact, we slept with it last night. We expect the Loverman to shoot us in a fit of jealous rage in the time it takes between the moment this post goes up and the far end of the E.T. between the endpoints of the 110 freeway. Sorry, Loverman, you lengthy lothario you. We await our demise. Bis später! (Note, one of these photos might be NSFW.) – Davey G. Johnson More »

The Apocalypse Dudes: An Open Letter to Auto Designers

Last fall, after the Paris Auto Show, I hopped the Thalys train to Amsterdam. It was my first time on a TGV, and other than the fact that the loos stunk to high heaven and the whiny kid who caused the occupants off the carriage to cheer when he and his idiotic mother exited somewhere around Rotterdam, it was a wonderful travel experience. I grabbed a hotel room and set off in search of my pal Aziz. If in Amsterdam, Los Jalops recommend a visit to his shop, Independent Outlet, as it is simply the business. We spent the evening tooling around town on bicycles, hitting the city's rock 'n' roll bars. And then not an hour or two before the time bell rang, we happened upon a man with salt-and-pepper hair wearing a denim Turbojugend jacket. Aziz said, "Hey! Dave! That's Tony Slug!" Tony had written for Hit List, a punkzine I'd art-directed and written for back around the turn of the century. More importantly, Tony had penned the immortal line, "I'll fuck you in the ass with glazed ham, bitch!" More »

Sir Jack Stole the Clutch! Brabham-Daf Formula 3 Car!

Who knew that DAF campaigned a Formula 3 car back in the 1960s? The first car was an Alexis chassis, a Cosworth mill and of course, the Variomatic transmission. It was mildly successful, managing a 7th-place finish at Monaco in '65. At that point Brabham entered the picture and Brit Mike Beckwith managed two wins in 16 races with the car. Meanwhile, we just wanna what the car's top speed in reverse was... – Davey G. Johnson More »

DAF Siluro, Michelotti's Torpedo

With the 2007 Geneva Motor Show looming large on the horizon we thought it might be instructive to look back at a concept from 39 years ago, crafted by Giovanni Michelotti and built on a DAF 55 chassis. It's the Siluro, named after a self-propelled underwater munition and held onto by Michelotti until his 1980 death. It languished for years in his son's garden, a rotting monument to the awesomeness of rubber-band drive combined with fine Italian styling. Thankfully, the heads at the DAF Museum tracked it down and the car underwent a painstaking rehabilitation. Yay Michelotti! Yay DAF! – Davey G. Johnson More »

Double-Rad DAF TurboTwin X1 Video!

We're rue to post this clip as the weirdo editing almost makes it a snuff film, but the mind-boggling majestic-ness of the 2,400hp twin-engined DAF over-taking a Peugeot 205 in open-desert trumps all niggling concerns. Seriously, imagine you are an eleven-year-old Bedouin girl tending to the camels when suddenly one of these massive motherfuckers jumps the dune, belching black smoke. I mean... totally fricking amazing. Watch with respect. Apologies in advance for the crap 80s soundtrack. [Thanks to pollux111 for the tip] – Jonny Lieberman More »

All Roads Lead to Utrecht: Roman Road Discovered in Holland

First of all, yes: anything Dutch and auto-related makes us hot and bothered. Second of all, the Romans had mad roadage. 53,000 miles of highway, to be precise. This allowed those skirt-wearing legionaries to quickly spread out across the empire and bop upstart Vandals and Visigoths on the noggins when the barbarians got out of line. These roads also allowed a certain Elephant loving Hun to, you know, sack the shit out of Rome. Still, the fact that the Romans were building roads over 2,000-years before anybody bothered to invent the automobile shows just how forward thinking our Italian forefathers were. I mean, do you think the Dutch even knew that DAF was coming? – Jonny Lieberman More »

The Dutch Stole the Dorky Gyroscopic Scooter Thingy: Segways Banned in Netherlands

While we'll forever smile at the goofy little Segway for almost succeeding where so many pretzels assassins haven't even bothered to try, we're with the Dutch on this one. The rent-a-authority-figures outside our favorite pub ride Segways. And they do nothing but wear loud yellow shirts and get in the way of people on foot as they uselessly zip around hitting on underage Asian girls. Plus, like, how stoned do you have to be to think upright electric scooters are in anyway cool? For reals; even the working gals in the windows would refuse your nerdy money. Though, if those dual electric motors were driving rubber bands... Naw, they'd still be lame. – Jonny Lieberman More »

Son of DAF, Father of 300-Series: It's the Volvo 66!

In 1975, DAF's automobile unit was picked up by Volvo. Volvo, being the safety-conscious Swedes that they are, added bigger bumpers, stuck their manly shield to the grille and called it a day until bringing out the DAF-designed 3-Series a year later, which was a phenomenal success for Volvo in Europe, enjoying a sixteen-year production run. Eventually though, the pragmatic Swedish engineers found the clutch that the Dutch had stolen and soon Americans will be able to purchase the 66's spiritual heir, the C30 sans Variomatic transmission. – Davey G. Johnson More »

DAF vs. FAF: IT'S OVER!

If Johnson had a tail right now, it would be tucked between his thighs in defeat as he staggered home from the bodega with all manner of who-knows-what in his hand. Meanwhile, the Loverman is bounding merilly (and surprisingly daintily) across the rooftops of Mount Washington shouting, "The Dutch stole the clutch!" and "Snatchback!" Meanwhile, his neighbors are shouting, "There's a Loverman! On the roof!" We kind of hope at least one is named Tevye. At the other end of the 110, Johnson is trudging slowly through the streets of Pedro, idly batting himself over the head with a discarded copy of the Daily Breeze and could only be made out to be mumbling "ifonlytheywouldadroppedthefugginhydro-pneumaticsuspensioninthatdamnedfaficouldafinallywonsomethingandmy- More »

DAF vs. FAF Finale: DAF Kini: The Prince of all DAFs

We promise, this is the last time Jalopnik readers will see a post about DAF for a long, long while (unless of course we can hook up a test drive of that TurboTwin X1). But, DAF beat FAF, so this is our victory lap. The, um, well, car pictured above was a gift from DAF to the Dutch Royals when prince Willem-Alexander was born. For years the Kini could be seen rocking the Italian Rivera where the young prince used it as a M hari. We just like where they put the headlights. – Jonny Lieberman More »

DAF vs. FAF: The Final Battle

To the aggravation of some and the amusement of others, two of the guys who exist in the form of Jalopnik.com have been at war for the last week over a couple of vaguely ridiculous European cars. The Loverman has come down on the resin-encrusted side of Dutch manufacturer DAF, while Davey G. has gone on record as ridiculously worshipful of Citro n's easy-to-build, easy-to-finance FAF project. DAF has a miraculous rubber-band drivetrain. The FAF vehicles were based on the venerable 2CV platform. DAF built an omnidirectional amphibious vehicle. There is a cult of 2CV speedboat enthusiasts on the Continent. Both had Camino variants. In short, both Jonny and Davey will admit that the other's choices are awesome. But ultimately, which is more awesome? That readers, is what we're leaving it up to you to decide. Who will triumph? The can-can-dancing harlots of the Moulin Rouge, or the weeded-out kinkstresses of the Red Light District? More »

DAF vs. FAF: A New Salvo; OSI DAF City Car

That's a microcar with suicide doors. Johnson's goose cooking suicide doors. But just two, as the driver's side features a Tjorven-style slider. That combo is... well, it's unique. And Dutch/Italian is way cooler than plain old French. Predicting a near-future where traffic snarls and general congestion would make life in the city (or at least parking) miserable, the Dutch rubber band mad men of DAF teamed up with the slick Italian coachbuilder OSI to produce the City Car concept. Why suicide doors? Why the hell not? Fine, they are supposed to make the car more practical. We also love the white vinyl-look interior. Especially the door padding. A few more dangerous pics after the jump. – Jonny Lieberman More »

Space Wagon Swallows DAF and FAF

Flimsy corrugated French tin and Dutch belt drive what-nots are simply no match for the Mitsubishi Delica Space Gear. Superior Mitsubishi FUSO technology was summoned and used to assimilate the puny and less luxurious vehicles into the cavernous yet practical interior of the Space Gear. More than eleven 2CV's were melted down to make the suspension alone. – Mike Bumbeck More »

DAF vs. FAF: Storming the Beaches with the DAF Dune Buggy!!!

Rubber bands, boxer engine, fiberglass body, retro-design and a inflatable dolphin! And yeah, it's a Camino. You cannot find a hotter and/or uglier ride anywhere. I checked. Davey, you have no victory. The Dutch karate is too strong. More topless, clutchless, eyesore-ness after the jump. – Jonny Lieberman More »

DAF vs. FAF: All the Loverman's Caminos Are Actually Belong to Johnson

In some ways, Jonny, I feel a bit like I'm cheating here, as I'm going back to the Citro n t FAF page, and I already noted part of this in your Tjorvenamino post's comments, but not only was there a FAF-Pere 2CVamino, an open-cockpit FAFamino, and an A FAF air-droppable military vehicle with Camino-esque tendencies, there was also a hardtop FAFamino. Plus, the FAF's guillotine could dispense with your beloved rubber bands in a heartbeat. Read 'em and weep: the Dead Man's hand again. – Davey G. Johnson More »

DAF vs. FAF: The Dutch Beat the French: The DAF-Tjorvenamino!!!

Go ahead, dude. Seriously, go ahead and even try to front on the quadruple-radical, insane mind-breaking magnitude that is a Dutch/Swedish Camino which started life as a postal van, sports an air-cooled boxer mill and has rubber bands connecting the continuously variable tranny to the rear wheels. Just try it, Johnson. We, along with Holland, exist in the form of the winner. – Jonny Lieberman More »

DAF vs. FAF: The Davey Made Me Do It: Swedish DAF Postal Van AKA The Tjorven!!!

Sweden's got some very bad weather. So who do they call on to deliver their mail? Answer: Not Saab. Why, it is none other than DAF! This rubber band-motivated Kalmar Verkstad rebodied DAF 44 sports the awesome air-cooled 2-cylinder 40hp boxer engine we love so much along with the righteous, clutchless Variomatic CVT. It only has a single seat (much like the Jalopnik-beloved DAF Pony Military Vehicle) on the right and a sliding door on the left. Davey, why won't you save face and admit defeat? More Dutch/Swedish mania after the jump. More »

DAF vs. FAF: Would Bond Drive a DAF?

Since before lunch, the Loverman has been promising more evidence that the DAF is superior to the FAF. So far, we've yet to see any, and it's almost time for dinner. If DAF superiority is indeed the case, why does one of the most beautiful women in the history of the world, Carole Bouquet, choose the 2CV, the foundation upon which the FAF's greatness is built? More »

DAF vs. FAF: Would You Rather be a Platypus or a Shark?

Not so fast, Loverman. I will concede that the DAF Swim Car is a rather impressive piece of machinery. In theory. Everyone knows that amphibious cars barely work. How many Sherman Duplex Drives ended up at the bottom of the English Channel before they reached Normandy? But a 2CV on the other hand — a 2CV can be turned into a speedboat, as Dear Leader Spinelli pointed out long ago. And it's a short jump from a 2CV to a FAF, not unlike the minor leap from great ape to DAF defendant. Music! – Davey G. Johnson More »

DAF vs. FAF: The Surrender Monkeys Lose: The DAF Swim Car!!

We're not even entirely sure what we're looking at. But we do know DAF has check-mated old Johnson and his French non-hackers. This dear friends, is the DAF Swim Car. It is an off-roader. It is a convertible. It has a propeller. It has four-wheel steering via a second driver who faces backward. It floats. It looks the same coming or going. The engine cover can probably be used as a picnic table. It makes Davey say, "Uncle." It kicks the cheese-eaters in the nads. Make the jump for more photos. – Jonny Lieberman More »

DAF vs. FAF: Military Pony, Meet the A FAF, Take One Look and Die

The base vehicle has been modified to give it a 4x4 suspension, upholstery and floor mats which do not wear out as fast, and a switch starter instead of a key, along with things such as rifle racks, radio mounts, and other such accouterments. The front windshield can be folded forward and the canvas top removed. The rear bench seat folds forward to increase cargo room if necessary. Rear area commanders and teams in lower-priority areas use these vehicles. The A FAF is strong enough to be airdropped.

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DAF vs. FAF: Froggy Mehari Gets Whooped By DAF Pony Military Vehicle

Davey, Davey, Davey. Will you ever learn? Ouias? Non? You can't beat DAF, you can only hope Volvo buys them. Your little French off-roader is cute, but its puny butt gets beaten redder than table wine by the true king of obscure European 4x4s, the DAF Pony Military Vehicle. First of all, the driver sits in front of the vehicle — not in the front of, but all the way ahead. Which is insane. Second, he has to steer side-saddle. Which is the origin of the word batshit. And don't even get me started on approach/departure angles. France simply cannot compete, Johnson. More proof? Make the jump to check out the horn. – Jonny LIeberman More »

DAF vs. FAF: Get Your YA-YAs Outta My Face, Jonny: Mehari!

Yes, once, long ago, I did write about the sheer radness of Citro n's mini-Jeeplet, which totally kicks the poo out of the DAF 66 YA. It's beefier, tougher-looking, was actually briefly sold in the US of A, and was available with four wheel drive. The plastic-bodied Mehari was also the basis for the mighty FAF, and featured very little to none, er actually, none in the way of variator-type technology. 2CV-Mehari-FAF? That's a lineage that can't be touched, son. Don't make me drop the 2CV Safari on you. More »

DAF vs. FAF: Nailing Shut Davey G's Coffin; The DAF 66 YA

Around the time Nixon resigned, the Dutch military realized that they were wasting an awful lot of money for all-wheel drive Jeeps that never left the pavement. If Luxemburg should attack, something less potent would do just fine. So the brass commissioned the best (and only) clutch-thieving Dutch carmaker to create a comparable two-wheel drive Jeep-type thingy. While cheap and cute, the CVT and its infamous rubber bands proved to be the weak spot. Though was it the 66 YA's fault? Not totally, according to DAF Cars — make the jump for more. More »

Don't Call it a Comeback: More FAFtasticness, Loverman Meets the Guillotine

Okay, so I was a little disheartened when the Loverman dropped the DAF Pony bomb. But I got up, dusted myself off, checked for traces of polonium and syphillis, and then I got busy. Dude, Jonny. There was also a FAF Pony! What's more, there was the FAF Patrol, which featured your beloved four-wheel drive, and is probably the ultimate French car for listening to Discharge at very high volumes in. Beyond that, the madmen at Citro n came up with a plot to build FAF factories in developing nations, using local labor and materiel. They even laid out an equipment list for the plants. Which, in classic French style, featured a guillotine. Beat that, you wooden-shoe wearing hippies! Click through for the scheme. More »

DAF vs. FAF: Kicking Davey G. in the FAF: The DAF Pony is Quite Simply the Radness

We hate saying it Davey, but all your FAFaminos are now belongs to us. Actually, with this post we will state that all Frenchcaminos are now the sole property of us, too. The Pony pictured is mechanically identical to the regular DAF micro-car (2-banger air-cooled boxer mill, CVT with rubber bands powering the rear-wheels, prefers tulips) except the Pony can be had as a dump truck! Or, if you prefer, a semi-truck!!! In your face, Johnson, in your face!! Make the jump for more boots up Davey's backside. – Jonny Lieberman More »

Screw the DAFamino! It's About the FAFamino!

Yes, Mister Loverman, I see your DAFamino and raise you a FAFamino. The only thing better than a Dutch two-cylinder ElCo with a beefed-up moped transmission is a French two-cylinder ElCo from the nation that gave us the Mobylette in the first place. Plus, open-topped goodness! Take that! – Davey G. Johnson More »

Screw DAF! It's About FAF!

Okay, so the Loverman's DAF fixation is righteously awesome (although some of us are secretly wondering if dude fell in love with a Dutch prostitute/coke mule). Regardless, the rest of us shall not front. But all DAFs aside for the moment, often overlooked in the scheme of wacky shit Citro n has pulled over the years is the FAF, which stands for Facile Fabriquer and Facile Finance. Which means it should probably have been called the FAF et FAF. Do not ask us, as we are only slightly French, and Alsatian French at that, so we might be German. Europe was a messy place in the 19th century. More »

You Knew This Was Coming: The DAFamino!!!

Why leave coolest car ever alone? When would a front-mounted, two-banger air-cooled boxer engine, the world's first CVT and real-wheel drive via goddamn rubber bands ever be enough? "Hey Vincent, let's load up the bed with ice and Heinies and go watch Spetters at the drive-thru, ja?" And yes, they're from the factory. Furthermore, its big brother could kick your Unimog's ass. We're dying here friends, simply dying. More Dutch-camino madness after the jump. – Jonny Lieberman More »

There's Free Love in Amsterdam: Jalopnik Hearts DAF Ads!

We're really not convinced that a cooler all-around car has ever existed. First of all it's from Holland. Not only is that unique for a car brand, but, like, red light district, dude. Second of all, these tulip tiptoeing micro-cars have their wheels driven by rubber bands. Thirdly, at one point they dropped the model designations (600, 31, 33, etc.) and just sold the car as the Daffodil. And you wonder where the flower children got their inspiration... More rad ads after the jump. – Jonny Lieberman More »

Double-Radder Than Anything You Could Possibly Imagine: The DAF Turbo Twin II!!!

We have found the 2007 Jalopnik Bullrun vehicle (we'll run the Justy in 2008, Bumbeck). You are looking at the truck that quirky Dutch brand DAF used to win the Paris-Dakar Rally in 1987. Long story real short, this monster rig is a semi-truck filled with spare tires, navigation equipment and an 11.6-liter turbo-diesel engine for each axle! These DAF juggernauts were so potent that they overtook most cars during the race and handily won the truck class. More big rig madness after the jump. More »