DAF 66 History

Arriving in September 1972 as the replacement for the DAF 55, the 66 used the same Michelotti body architecture but with revised styling, a larger rear window, and an improved interior. The standard engine was a 1108 cc Renault Cléon unit; the more powerful 66 1300 Marathon, introduced in 1973 with a 1.3-litre Renault engine producing around 57 hp, extended the range upward and gave the car genuine highway performance.

Behind the scenes, DAF's finances were deteriorating under the strain of running both a passenger-car and a heavy-truck division. Volvo had taken a one-third stake in DAF Car B.V. in 1972, and that stake grew to 75 % by 1974 before Volvo assumed full control in early 1975. The last car to carry the DAF badge left the Born plant in 1975.

Assembly then continued without interruption as the Volvo 66 — mechanically identical and visually near-indistinguishable — until October 1980, with 106,137 Volvo-badged units produced. The DAF 66 was thus the bridge between two eras: the final expression of Hub van Doorne's belt-CVT vision and the opening chapter of Volvo's Dutch operations, which later evolved into the Volvo 340/360 series.