In The Mix

Trucks have evolved a great deal in 50 years but just how much? We tried out a 1968 Daf and its 2018 counterpart, both pulling concrete.

- Dan Parton

Go to any truck show around the country and you’ll always encounter swathes of vintage vehicles – if you can get to see them past the inevitable gaggle of people around them, that is.

Nostalgia for old trucks seems to be growing, so when the opportunity to get behind the wheel of a 50-year-old one came up at Daf’s 90th anniversary celebration in the Netherlands, it was a chance not to be missed.

But just how different does a vehicle from the 1960s compare with a modern product? And would someone who has only ever driven modern trucks take to one that was built and out working on construction sites long before he or she was even born?

1968 Daf A1902DS

My ride is a 1968 Daf A1902DS. Fully restored, it looked immaculate sitting in the spring sunshine. Given that the truck normally spends its days in the Daf Museum in Eindhoven (see page 80 for more on that), that’s perhaps no surprise, although there was no sign of a lack of regular use when we turned the key. The engine has a pleasing chug to it but it is the Daf’s great acceleration that first grabs the attention. This is down to the turbocharged Daf DS575 six-cylinder 5.75-litre diesel engine – Daf was in the turbo technology vanguard – and it really pulls through the gears.

Of course, being from 1968, it has a manual (six-speed) gearbox but it shifts up and down the ’box with ease. The steering isn’t heavy, either – the wheel can be turned with one hand, and its turning circle is pretty small.