The DAF Museum

If you love trucks, cars, and innovative engineering then this museum should not be missed. It traces the history of the DAF company in the Netherlands from their start making trailers in the 1920s to their current status as a global truck manufacturer. The DAF Museum features highlights from the company’s collection and milestone in its nearly 100-year history.

The company started in 1928, when Hubert “Hub” van Doorne founded “Commanditaire Vennootschap Hub van Doorne’s Machinefabriek” or Hub van Doorne Engineering Works and Repair Shop. In 1932, Hub and his brother, Wim van Doorne changed its name to “Van Doorne’s Aanhangwagen Fabriek” (Van Doorne’s Trailer Factory), or DAF for short. After World War II, DAF also manufactured cars equipped with the company’s unique continuously variable “Variomatic” transmission.

Cars were manufactured by DAF from 1959 to the mid 1970s, when they continued for a while under the Volvo badge. They were generally smaller cars and often had flat, twin cylinder, air-cooled engines. The truck business continued to be successful, and expanding to a plant in the United Kingdom. DAF has also been a major builder of military vehicles.

The museum reflects the many and varied part of DAF’s business over time. In November 2019, the DAF Museum completed a major renovation project that updated many of the museum facilities and added a new wing. Its exhibitions are spread over two floors, with trucks and engines on the ground floor and cars and other components on the mezzanine floor. Also on the ground floor is a replica of a village square displaying the early history of the company. There is a replica of the forge from which the company grew and another of the founder’s office.