Picture credit score: Cool Ideas
In 1943, because the Netherlands struggled beneath Nazi rule, Hub van Doorne, co-founder of DAF, dreamed up a car so outlandish it may solely thrive throughout these occasions Meet the DAF Cellular Raincoat, a three-wheeled oddity that blended automotive and motorbike with a daring streak. At simply 80 centimeters broad, it may squeeze by way of an everyday door—a characteristic that wasn’t simply sensible, it was a delicate insurgent yell.
Weighing a lightweight 330 kilos, the Cellular Raincoat was a feather in a sea of cumbersome wartime gear. Its lone entrance wheel, pushed by a 150cc ILO four-stroke engine, managed a peppy 45 km/h—not precisely a pace king, however stable for a motorized tricycle with huge ambitions. DAF’s personal hydraulic torque converter, a sneak peek at their later Variomatic, smoothed out the experience, modest because it was. The actual magic? That entrance wheel may swivel 180 levels. No reverse gear wanted when your entrance finish may simply twirl round.
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Its measurement and nimbleness turned the Cellular Raincoat right into a wartime shapeshifter. At 31.5 inches broad, it slipped by way of doorways, letting house owners stash it indoors—secure from nosy Nazis or grab-happy troops. The foldable canvas roof, a fast escape hatch if it tipped onto its single aspect door, added a sensible edge. Certain, muddy tire tracks on the lounge flooring may’ve ruffled some feathers, nevertheless it was a small commerce for retaining the experience safe.
After the warfare, the Cellular Raincoat discovered a brand new highlight: the circus. Its pint-sized body and quirky attraction made it a clown favourite.Born in a time of gas rationing, it sipped sparingly—a should when each drop counted.
Hub van Doorne’s objective wasn’t to mass-produce a automotive; it was to make an announcement. He believed everybody deserved wheels, even within the bleakest days. The Cellular Raincoat, now showcased on the DAF Museum in Eindhoven, by no means hit manufacturing, however that solely boosts its mystique—a frozen second of 1 man’s gritty creativity outsmarting a harsh actuality.
Historical past doesn’t have a good time the Cellular Raincoat for pace or luxurious; it cheers its guts. This was a experience that smirked at wartime limits, on the notion that innovation ought to kneel to wrestle. Each quirky angle and odd element spins a story of grit, of a Dutch engineer who noticed a problem and crafted an answer that was as sensible because it was wild. The Cellular Raincoat didn’t win the warfare, nevertheless it redefined what a automotive may very well be—a tiny, three-wheeled proof of human spark, nonetheless cruising our minds a long time on.
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