A Torpedo truck that stood in a barn in a small Dutch village for years will be the DAF Museum’s new showpiece. Two elderly experts are restoring it.
Rob Kieft, DAF Museum’s curator, couldn’t believe his luck a few months ago when he opened his e-mails. “We received an email with a tiny picture; stamp-sized. I took a good look and saw it was a torpedo truck. ‘I have to have it’, I thought.”
DAF designed the torpedo two years after the Second World War. At that time, everything was so scarce; it was difficult to get the raw materials. Against that background, it’s an extraordinary model, Kieft says.
‘Simply, but with nice lines’
“Very simple, but with very nice lines.” Characteristic of the Torpedo is its protruding nose and round ‘panorama windscreen’. The specimen that the DAF Museum that’s now being refurbished stood unnoticed for years in a hay barn in Liempde. Liempde is a small village near Boxtel.
According to Kieft, that’s the reason why it has been preserved quite well. The vehicle does, however, need to be thoroughly restored.
Former glory
The restoration is in the hands of two very elderly experts. They work on the project every week, for several hours. That’s why the museum’s set so much time aside to restore the Torpedo to its former glory.
“It’s quite a process,” Kieft says. “And very labour-intensive. There’s a lot of welding, and the whole cabin has to be renewed. The upholstery is completely gone and has to be redone. The list goes on and on.”
Musem staff affectionately dubbed the lorry Doornroosje (Sleeping Beauty). It had, after all, been asleep in the hay for quite some time. Visitors who want to see Doornroosje will have to be patient. The vehicle will only be ready to be displayed in another two years or so.
Source: Studio040
Translator: Bob
Editor: Melinda Walraven
