DAF 44

The DAF 44 is a small family car that was introduced in September 1966 by the Dutch company DAF. It was the first car to be built at the company's new plant at Born in Limburg. Styled by Michelotti, it represented a cautious move upmarket for the company which hitherto had produced, for the passenger car market, only the smaller slower Daffodil model. The 2 cylinder engine would have been familiar to any driver of the less powerful DAF 33, and the bore remained unchanged at 85.5 mm. Stroke was increased to 73.5 mm, however, giving an increase in engine displacement from 746 cc to 844 cc and an increase in claimed output from 28 bhp to 34 bhp. The compression ratio remained low enough to permit the use of relatively low octane fuel. Stopping power commensurate with the car's rather leisurely performance came from all-round drum brakes. An innovative feature for the time was face-level ventilation with adjustable fascia mounted outlets. The spare wheel was stored under the front hood / bonnet which left more space for luggage at the back and makes the point that the engine was a relatively compact one.