Built around an aluminium space frame and a standard looking DAF cab they ran 2 11.9 litre engines (one for each axle) mid mounted and each running 3 turbos. Both engines were pushing 1,200bhp and close to 3,500lb/ft of torque. 2,400bhp and nearly 7000lb/ft of torque in a vehicle weighing around the 11 ton mark and capable of 150mph through the dunes.
Not quite 220bhp/ton, but believe it or not more than some Ferraris (an F360 weighs in at 205bhp/ton)
They first ran in 1987 and won the truck class, returning in 1988 to attempt an overall win. The DAFs were keeping pace with the leading cars (Peugeot 405 T16's) and even taking stage wins until day 9 of the rally when the second of the DAF entries crashed at over 100mph, the co driver was launched from the cab and died after breaking his neck, whilst the driver and mechanic both spent months in hospital recovering.
DAF immediately withdrew from the race, and didn't return to racing for another 9 years.
The trucks are still pretty legendary though, if you look on YouTube there's a clip of an X1 overtaking a 405 T16 in the dunes at over 100mph.
The surviving X1 is on display at the DAF museum whilst the remains of the second truck are still somewhere in the African desert.
