While at Monterey Car Week, I once again was deeply honored/humiliated (honormiliated) to find that I was once again to be a judge for the Concurs D’Lemons, the most prestigious event of all of car week, at least according the talking crow that alighted on my shoulder after I ate those expired pills I found in the ashtray of a Dodge A100 parked by the event.
My category was Swedish, which generously also seemed to include Holland, the Netherlands, the country of the Dutch, all those places. This was fortunate, as the car I picked to win was a charming DAF utility van. This was a very simple, humble machine, and had real character. Plus, as a DAF, it was technically interesting, because DAF’s signature technical trick was the first real production continuously-variable transmission, using cones and big rubber belts.
I’m sure you’ve seen diagrams of it before; it looks like this:
Neat, right? Of course it is. Even better, this transmission means you can go backwards as fast as forwards, leading to races like these:
The DAF that I was judging was one of these you see below; unfortunately and bafflingly I somehow didn’t get a shot of the exterior?
I did get a nice shot of the simple, lone instrument:
There’s no fuel gauge, just that yellow light with the old-school, round-headed fuel pump, and – I think this part of the deal – this corner-shaped plastic gas can in a holder at the rear that maybe functions as a sort of reserve tank?
Okay, but none of this answers the big question: what does this weird green triangle button do?
It’s not a hazard light switch, I’ll give you that. and why is it partially shaded? What is this strange, ancient rune?
Guess away! And, when you’re ready for the answer, click here, and I’ll show you right out of a DAF owner’s manual.
I’m not sure I’d have gotten it, but it sort of makes sense, in hindsight.
DAF’s advertising budget is impressive. I didn’t realize they could afford to get the Swedish Chef to announce their races!