Stunning DAF Torpedo completes VIPRE combination

Internally, the DAF Museum's new acquisition is called "Sleeping Beauty," a sleeping beauty brought back to life after a complete 4-year restoration. The unique Torpedo - truck is now on display at the museum and completes the so-called VIPRE combination, as used by large companies in the 1960s to transport employees to and from work.

the day the Torpedo was driven into the DAF Museum workshop. The condition of the vehicle was moderate not to say poor. A challenging job awaited the volunteers engaged in restoration work at the Eindhoven museum. In total, they worked on it for exactly four years, taking the truck apart to the last screw. Now it looks like it has only just left the DAF factories.

"It was with incredible pride that we unveiled the Sleeping Beauty on June 23," said Geert van Rooij, museum curator. "Wonderful that with our volunteers we have all the expertise to carry out such a complete restoration. And wonderful that we were finally able to complete our VIPRE combination."

VIPRE stands for 'Vervoer Industrieel Personeel Regio Eindhoven' and was a joint initiative in the 1960s by Bata, DAF and Philips, among others, to organize collective transport to and from work. Special trailers were developed for it - produced by coachbuilder W. Kusters of Venlo - , pulled by Torpedo trucks, such as we have now added to the collection as a new showpiece.

Learn more: www.dafmuseum.nl