The Most Awesomely Bizarre Racing Ever Is European Reverse DAF Racing – Jumps and All


The Most Awesomely Bizarre Racing Ever Is European Reverse DAF Racing – Jumps and All

(By Eric Rood) – Bangshift’s fine truck-fan contingent are likely well-aware European truck maker DAF, but the Dutch company also built small, terribly slow cars. While they’re notable for looking utterly, utterly mid-century, the DAF cars are also notable for their use of a continuously variable transmission dating back to at least 1959 in the DAF 600. Those little family cars were powered by a 590 cc flat-twin engine, but the CVT in them was the famous Variomatic transmission.

Although a CVT generally has advantages in terms of power curves and fuel mileage, the absolute best part of DAF’s Variomatic is that it allowed their cars to enjoy the exact same performance in reverse as it did in the forward gear. As any sane, 10W-blooded human would do, the Dutch took these little appliances racing. In reverse.

The results are unmitigated chaos in the most entertaining possible way (aided of course by riotous Dutch commentators) and this particular video throws in some quality caravan banger racing and Joie Chitwood-style two-wheeling, too. For laughs, the reverse-race organizers throw in some ancient-suspension-collapsing jumps, too. I don’t know what the entry fee was for the spectators at these races, but they got their money’s worth.


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7 thoughts on “The Most Awesomely Bizarre Racing Ever Is European Reverse DAF Racing – Jumps and All

    1. Arjen

      André van Duin, Dutch commedian.
      Not many Dafjes left, many where “raced in reverse”.
      My aunt had a yellow DAF 46, there was no luxery, very basic.
      It was cheap transportation, it had a roof !
      Later models had 1300cc Renault engines.
      In the Netherlands we pay roadtax based on the weight of the car, gas is expensive, wich made used american cars worthless. As a result the cars where often used as bangers.

  1. Chevy Hatin' Mad Geordie

    Surely that should be FAD racing….

    The drivers should walk backwards to their cars and for all I know the MC is speaking backwards as I can’t understand a word of Dutch!

    Now let’s see reverse drag racing where the cars start by popping their chutes and gradually slow down until they go through the lights at walking speed..

  2. Tony

    This is insane and creative! And the backwards numbers on the cars really
    adds to the weirdness. It’s like watching Japanese professional wrestling.
    Why didn’t we think of that?

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