For a bit of context: a brand called DAF ("van Doornes Automobiel Fabriek") came up with a very clever drive system, called variomatic. It is still in use today under CVVT in Honda vehicles. DAF had an unfair reputation as a 'womans car' because you didn't have to shift gears at all, nor was there a finicky automatic gearbox to maintain, just two pulleys and a belt for each rear wheel. Which gave it insane acceleration as well because the torque convertor gave maximum torque at the lowest speeds ramping down the torque gradually and continuously as speed increased.

One peculiar aspect of this drive system is that it allows your car to go as fast in reverse as it does forward! Of course the Dutch could not let this go without setting up a race around that theme, which was wildly popular in the past.

Since dafjes have an 'unfair advantage' you also got a secondary class, with other car brands, this is a video of that race.

Here are the DAFs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoh8i0jfpTo

That video really hurts to look at by the way, the casual destruction of such a large number of what would be very special classics today is grating, especially that pretty 55 coupe is one that I'd love to keep around.

Creative destruction :-)

Fair enough, it is a bit creative, but only really the first time. They go for twice the original new price now!

If it makes you feel any better : I have very fond memories of these shows ( I was very small still ).

My mom had the real thing :)

She'd outpull Porsches just for fun...

In reverse?

Also, thank you for finally making sense of a childhood memory of a Jacobse & Van Es photo where they sit in a car, with the caption "200 km/u? Dat rijden wij al in z'n achteruit!"

Indian Man Drives Car Backwards On Busy Highways: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aox_4-JNed8

=> so it may be faster indeed... :-)

Awesome if you like crashes :-D Starts at 35:10 min

Actually, in the US, sometimes demolition derby cars run in reverse, because they get to protect the radiators that way.

I don't know, but that video obviously needs a bit of Yakety Sax:

https://tubedubber.com/?q=a59KyXhk74w:MK6TXMsvgQg:0:100:174:...