XT105 – the bonneted Daf
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By Iep van der Meer
Dutch hauLier A Jansen Transport is taking a trip down memory Lane to mark its 40th anniversary
THIS IS THE Daf XT105, a new Euro-5 bonneted truck for the European market.
Unfortunately, it isn’t an oficial Daf product. It belongs to Dutch container haulier A Jansen Transport from Nuenen, near Eindhoven in the Netherlands. The haulier had operated a bonneted Daf NTT truck for 20 years (below). It became famous after appearing in a Dutch TV series and was retired with 2.5 million km on the clock. Although the truck still exists as part of Jansen’s collection, its departure left a hole in its leet.
40th anniversary
When the company was planning its 40th anniversary celebrations, it decided it wanted something to commemorate the milestone.
A Jansen Transport owner Anton Jansen talked to local Daf dealer De Burgh, which believed it could produce the truck by making major modiications to a factorybuilt XF105.
It made as few changes to the technical layout as possible, keeping the original frame, front axle, bumper (including the front underrun protection system) and the complete driveline. Consequently, the inished product can be serviced at any Daf dealership. The Super Space Cab was removed, then repositioned on new mounts. The cab-tilting system was stripped out, resulting in a signiicant weight saving. The only additional weight coming on the XT, compared with the XF, comes from the longer frame required to accommodate the bonnet. One of the greatest challenges De Burgh faced was having to design an upper grille that perfectly complemented the lower part, ensuring that the truck kept its typically Daf appearance.
Finished product
The 1.5m bonnet also required a lot of effort to ensure it could incorporate the standard front bumper, headlights and lower grille. After seeing the inished product, Jansen ordered two of them.
The trucks are going to run with tipper trailers in the Eindhoven area, and will frequently pass the Daf factory. Although the XT105 is not an oficial Daf product, the irm is sympathetic to the initiative.
A Daf Trucks spokesman says: “It shows the enormous com mitment of our customer to the Daf brand, and we see it as a tribute to the Daf NAT and NTT models that were so successful in the Jansen leet.
“However, we have no plans to introduce bonneted trucks, as there is no market for us in that segment.” ■