Havas

Corporate brand

Havas was a small Dutch automotive marque and conversion business founded by Hilversum garage proprietor Hans van As, best known for turning DAF passenger cars into rare open recreational vehicles.

Last updated October 5, 2026

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Overview

Havas was a small Dutch automotive marque associated with Hans van As, a garage owner and constructor based in Hilversum. The name was derived from Van As’s own name and became his trading identity from the 1950s. Unlike large-volume automobile manufacturers, Havas operated as a specialist constructor and coachbuilder, combining garage work, one-off racing-car construction, and low-volume conversions of existing DAF passenger cars. Van As’s first known Havas vehicle dates from 1956. During his military service he built a small competition car inspired by Formula Three racers, using a Fiat 500 Topolino-type front suspension arrangement and a 500 cc JAP single-cylinder engine. He later constructed a more substantial Formula Three-style racer on a Simca 8 chassis. That car initially used Simca and Fiat-related mechanical components and was subsequently fitted with a Porsche engine adapted to the original Simca four-speed gearbox. Van As continued racing with it until approximately 1960. In October 1964, Van As appeared at the Zandvoort circuit with two purpose-built sports-racing cars. These cars used tubular chassis and lightweight polyester bodies influenced by the Lotus 23. One was fitted with a Porsche Carrera engine and the other with a Porsche Super 90 engine. Both cars suffered reliability problems, and one was later destroyed in an accident. The other continued in modified form after being passed to racing driver Cees van de Bos. Havas’s most commercially recognizable work came from its DAF-based recreational vehicles. The first prototype was built on a DAF 33. Later conversions were developed with DAF’s cooperation on the DAF 44, DAF 55, and DAF 66. The conversions removed or substantially altered the roof and doors, added open bodywork and weather equipment, and created compact beach cars or cabriolets using DAF’s distinctive Variomatic drivetrain. The Havas Mermaid was an early open-bodied conversion, while the Havas Beachcomber, introduced shortly before the summer of 1973, was the best-known model and was based primarily on the larger DAF 55. Production remained very limited. Sources identify approximately 21 Havas-Dafs sold in the Netherlands, with additional vehicles or conversion activity connected to Belgium, Germany, Austria, and France. Five completed vehicles were exported to France, and conversion kits were supplied to a French DAF dealer or representative for local assembly. Other accounts describe roughly 25 kits sent to France, indicating that the total number of surviving or completed vehicles may differ depending on whether factory-built cars and locally assembled kits are counted together. The marque’s automotive activity ended after Volvo acquired DAF’s passenger-car business in the mid-1970s and withdrew or refused to extend the conversion approval. A proposed Havas conversion based on the Volvo 343 was never realized. The Hilversum garage continued under Van As for a period, but the Havas name disappeared after he transferred the business upon retirement. Havas is therefore remembered less as a conventional mass-market manufacturer than as a highly specialized Dutch constructor whose rare DAF-based beach cars have become collectible examples of postwar Dutch automotive experimentation.

History

Havas developed from the work of Hans van As, a garage proprietor in Hilversum who used the Havas name for his automotive activities from the 1950s onward. Van As was not simply a dealer or repairer: he designed and built competition cars, experimented with lightweight body construction, and later created low-volume recreational vehicles from standard DAF passenger cars. The earliest recorded Havas vehicle dates to 1956. Built during Van As’s military service, it was a compact competition car influenced by the Formula Three cars of the period. It used a small JAP engine and front-suspension components associated with the Fiat 500 Topolino. Van As later produced a second racing car on a Simca 8 chassis. The body was designed and manufactured at the Havas premises in Hilversum. A Porsche engine was later adapted to the car’s Simca gearbox, and Van As raced the vehicle until around 1960. In 1964, Van As constructed two more advanced racing cars. They featured tubular frames and polyester bodies influenced by the Lotus 23, a lightweight sports-racing design. One car used a Porsche Carrera engine and the other a Porsche Super 90 engine. Their competition careers were hampered by mechanical and racing incidents. One was eventually lost in an accident, while the other was modified and continued to be used by Cees van de Bos. Havas subsequently concentrated on its garage and conversion business. Its best-known project was the transformation of DAF saloons into open beach cars and cabriolets. The first prototype was based on the DAF 33. Later versions were produced in cooperation with DAF using the DAF 44, DAF 55, and DAF 66 as donor vehicles or factory-new platforms. The work involved removing the roof and doors, reinforcing the body where necessary, fitting open recreational bodywork, and adding items such as fabric tops, removable polyester doors, and safety chains. The Havas Mermaid was one of the early open DAF conversions. The Havas Beachcomber followed as a more developed recreational vehicle and was presented shortly before the summer of 1973, principally on the DAF 55. Havas built completed vehicles in Hilversum and also supplied conversion kits to France. Approximately 21 vehicles were sold in the Netherlands according to one specialist source. Other accounts record exports to Belgium, Germany, Austria, and France, including five completed vehicles sent to France and approximately 25 kits supplied to a French DAF dealer or representative. The different figures reflect the distinction between completed cars and kits assembled outside the Netherlands. Havas’s business depended on technical and commercial cooperation with DAF. That relationship became impossible to sustain after Volvo took over DAF’s passenger-car operations in the mid-1970s. Volvo withdrew the approval or licence needed for further conversions, ending the Havas vehicle-manufacturing activity. Van As considered a successor conversion based on the Volvo 343, but the project was never completed. The garage itself survived for some time and was later transferred when Van As retired; the Havas name subsequently disappeared from active business use. Today Havas is a rare marque within Dutch automotive history. Its vehicles occupy the boundary between coachbuilt car, accessory conversion, and independent automobile manufacture. The surviving cars are valued for their scarcity and for their connection to DAF’s Variomatic-era passenger cars. Museum displays and specialist historical references have helped preserve the story of a small Hilversum enterprise that transformed ordinary Dutch family cars into unusual open-air recreational vehicles.

2026
DAF Museum displays a Havas DAF 31
[2]Roofless DAF 31 HAVAS Arrives at the Museumdafmuseum.nl
The DAF Museum announced the display of a roofless 1965 DAF 31 converted by Havas, bringing renewed attention to Hans van As’s small Dutch automotive enterprise.
2024
A Havas-converted DAF returns to the Netherlands
[2]Roofless DAF 31 HAVAS Arrives at the Museumdafmuseum.nl
A 1965 DAF 31 Havas was reported to have returned to the Netherlands before being added to the DAF Museum collection.
2023
Specialist history of Havas updated
[1]Havas, Hilversum — Dutch automotive-history referenceconam.info
A Dutch automotive-history reference documented the Havas racing cars, DAF-based production models, export activity, and the closure of the marque’s vehicle-manufacturing work.
1975
DAF passenger-car takeover ends Havas conversions
[2]Roofless DAF 31 HAVAS Arrives at the Museumdafmuseum.nl
After Volvo acquired DAF’s passenger-car business, approval for further Havas conversions was withdrawn, bringing Havas’s activity as a vehicle manufacturer to an end.
1973
Havas Beachcomber introduced
[3]Auto’s van Toen: HAVAS-DAFautorai.nl
The Havas Beachcomber was presented as an open recreational vehicle based primarily on the DAF 55, following earlier Havas conversions of DAF models.
1964
Two Havas sports-racing cars appear at Zandvoort
[1]Havas, Hilversum — Dutch automotive-history referenceconam.info
Van As presented two tubular-chassis racing cars with polyester bodies influenced by the Lotus 23. Their engines were supplied by Porsche in Carrera and Super 90 specification.
1956
First recorded Havas competition car
[1]Havas, Hilversum — Dutch automotive-history referenceconam.info
Hans van As built an early Havas racing car during his military service, using a small JAP engine and a Fiat 500 Topolino-inspired front suspension layout.

Products and positioning

A niche Dutch coachbuilder and specialist automotive constructor focused on low-volume sports cars and open recreational conversions of DAF passenger cars.

Sports and racing cars · 1956
Havas racing cars
Havas racing cars were low-volume, self-designed competition vehicles built by Hans van As for circuit and hill-climb use. The earliest example dates from 1956 and used a small JAP engine with a Fiat 500 Topolino-related front-suspension concept. A later Simca 8-based Formula Three-style car received a Porsche engine adaptation. In 1964, Van As built two tubular-frame sports-racing cars with polyester bodies influenced by the Lotus 23, one powered by a Porsche Carrera engine and the other by a Porsche Super 90.
DAF-based open recreational car
Havas Mermaid
The Havas Mermaid was an early open-bodied conversion of a DAF passenger car, generally associated with the late 1960s. Havas removed the roof and doors and added structural reinforcement, open bodywork, a lowered driving position, a sport steering wheel, and a safety chain between the body pillars. The vehicle was offered as a specialist conversion rather than a mass-produced model, with customers sometimes supplying their own used DAF for modification.
DAF-based beach car · 1973
Havas Beachcomber
The Beachcomber was Havas’s best-known recreational vehicle and was introduced shortly before the summer of 1973. It was based mainly on the larger DAF 55, although Havas conversions also used the DAF 44, 46, and 66. The design featured open sides, a black fabric top, removable polyester doors, and safety chains. Completed cars were built in Hilversum, while kits were also exported to France for assembly by a DAF dealer or representative.
Automotive conversion kit
Havas-Daf conversion kits
Havas supplied conversion packages that allowed DAF passenger cars to be transformed into open recreational vehicles. The kits were particularly important in France, where a local DAF representative received components for assembly under Havas supervision. The use of kits expanded the marque’s reach beyond the small number of completed cars built in Hilversum, although surviving historical accounts differ on the exact totals because they count completed vehicles and kits separately.

Brand decisions

1975
End of Havas vehicle production after Volvo takeover of DAFOther
Background
Havas’s business relied on modifying DAF passenger cars and on the technical approval associated with those vehicles. Volvo’s acquisition of DAF’s passenger-car operations changed the authorization environment.
Action taken
Approval or licensing for additional Havas conversions was withdrawn, preventing the company from continuing as a vehicle manufacturer.
Aftermath
A planned Havas conversion based on the Volvo 343 was not completed. The garage continued for a period, but the Havas marque eventually disappeared after Hans van As retired and transferred the business.
Source
1973
Launch of the Havas BeachcomberProduct launch
Background
Havas sought to develop a more commercially recognizable open recreational vehicle after earlier DAF-based conversions, using the larger DAF 55 as its principal platform.
Action taken
The company introduced the Beachcomber, an open-bodied DAF conversion with a fabric top, removable polyester doors, and safety equipment such as side chains.
Aftermath
The Beachcomber became Havas’s most recognizable product and was sold in the Netherlands and selected export markets, including France.
Source

Recent events

2026
A Havas DAF 31 entered the DAF Museum display[2]Roofless DAF 31 HAVAS Arrives at the Museumdafmuseum.nl
Other
The DAF Museum announced the addition of a roofless 1965 DAF 31 converted by Havas. The museum described Havas as the work of Hilversum garage owner Hans van As and noted that the marque later ceased operations after Volvo withdrew approval for the conversions.
2024
A preserved Havas-DAF returned to the Netherlands[2]Roofless DAF 31 HAVAS Arrives at the Museumdafmuseum.nl
Other
A 1965 DAF 31 Havas vehicle was reported to have returned to the Netherlands before becoming part of the DAF Museum’s collection.
2023
Havas vehicles documented through specialist Dutch automotive history[1]Havas, Hilversum — Dutch automotive-history referenceconam.info
Other
A Dutch automotive-history reference described Havas as a Hilversum manufacturer of sports cars and convertibles, recording its racing projects, DAF conversions, export activity, and eventual disappearance as a vehicle producer.

Sources18 sources

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