DAF 55
| DAF 55 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | DAF |
| Production | 1967–1972 |
| Assembly | Born, Netherlands (DAF Born) |
| Designer | Giovanni Michelotti |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Small family car (C) |
| Body style |
Saloon Station wagon Coupe |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 1.1 L (1108 cc) straight-4 |
| Transmission | Variomatic |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 2,250 mm (88.6 in) |
| Length | 3,880 mm (152.8 in) |
| Width | 1,540 mm (60.6 in) |
| Height | 1,445 mm (56.9 in) |
| Curb weight | 765 kg (1,687 lb) |
| Chronology | |
| Successor | DAF 66 |
The DAF 55 is a small family car produced by the Dutch company DAF from December 1967 to September 1972. At that time it was replaced with the DAF 66.
All 55s featured the unique Variomatic belt-driven continuously variable transmission, with no manual transmission available. This feature of all DAF cars was very unusual for its class at the time.
The 55 was available as a 2-door saloon, a 3-door estate and a 2-door coupe.
In total 164,231 DAF 55s have been built.
The 55 was developed to be a more powerful version of the 1966 DAF 44. The redesign was extensive, and featured the following major changes:
The rest of the car featured detail trim changes to set it apart from the lesser 44. All this heightened performance to a 136 km/h top speed, and made for a more practical car.
The saloon was launched at the end of 1967, with the coupe version launched three months later, in March 1968. The coupe was overall more elegant than the saloon, featuring a lower and gently sloping roof line, pillarless doors and a more upscale interior featuring reclining seats, carpet instead of the saloon's rubber mats and fake wood on the dashboard. Although the roof line turned it from a 4-seater into a 2+2, the coupe was a very successful model; 1 in 8 sold DAF 55s was a coupe.
In September 1968 the estate version became available. In August 1969 there was a minor facelift of the whole model range and a delivery version became available, essentially a 55 estate without a rear seat. After the success of the DAF 55 in the London-Sydney Marathon, the dealer option 'Marathon' package was introduced. The multi-tier package meant that the dealer could fit an optical package with alloy wheels and interior parts, an uprated suspension, parts to upgrade the B110 engine to 65 bhp (48 kW), or all of the above.
In 1971 the factory version of this package was introduced, simply called the 55 Marathon. This did not feature an upgraded suspension, and had a 63 bhp (47 kW) 1108 cc engine, the BR110. This raised the top speed to 145 km/h. The 55 Marathon featured wider steel wheels, exterior striping and a brake booster was added for safety and comfort. The Marathon was available as a saloon or a coupe.
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Wikipedia