Vicky Turner finds out about a truck nicknamed the Fat Daf by the Dutch Army
pictures Vicky Turner and Richard Stennett
James (Jim) Pearson is a lifelong petrolhead but a somewhat accidental military vehicle enthusiast. This DAF YA328 is his first, and only, military truck and he bought it in 2020.
Growing up, Jim was into speed and sports cars; first, it was Triumph Stags, then a Sunbeam Stiletto, a TVR Griffith 500 and latterly a Lotus Elan M100. When he got into trouble speeding though, he says he decided to go 'old, slow and way more cool'.
He was introduced to the military vehicle world through a friend made in the pursuit of his other hobby; shooting. As a member of a gun club, he met folk with an interest in military history and vehicles.
They dragged him to shows and willingly let him drive some of their collection.
In particular, he fell in love with a 1943 Dodge Ambulance.
In 2018, Jim decided that, as the military show scene had become part of his social life, he really ought to own a vehicle but had no idea what to buy.
When he stumbled across a picture of a DAF YA328, it caught his eye. He says 'it was so ugly it was cool! I'd never seen one at a show and it was just so 'different' that it appealed to me'.
