History 1948 Davis 3-Wheeler

Here's an advertisement for an "Open House Demonstration" of the Davis 3-Wheeler at their Van Nuys, California plant:

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Back when I was probably around 6 years old, my grandmother got me a little orange booklet of Tad Burness auto illustrations...something I still have near 50 years later. One of my favorites from that book has always been the Davis.

Slightly OT The BBC version of Top Gear had a hilarious piece on the stability of 3 wheel cars...in their case the British Reliant Robin.

 

I bet that this three-wheeler didn't have parallel tilting of opposing wheel pairs, or even independent supension. And it's steering wheel is still utterly conventional (three-spoked). All round independent suspension was first commercialized in the 1930s, and I have read somewhere that Ernst Neuman Neandor designed a tilting three-wheeler that was built back in 1947.

 

Here's are old photos of an unrestored one.

 

here is one in the Southward collection in New Zealand with interesting US history - Same car as shown at bottom of Post 4 I think

 

The Petersen Automotive Museum is "crowd-funding" the complete restoration of their '48 Davis Divan:

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... and here's the "Jay Leno's Garage" episode about the Petersen's Davis:

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I wouldn't believe anything that trio of bell-ends have to say. Top Gear is a made up show for kids, it has about as much relation to real life as American Hot Rod....

 

X2..

 

Davis Automobiles
(1947-1949)

8055 Woodley Ave.
Van Nuys, California

1947 - Timm Aircraft Corporation leased plant to Davis Automobiles.

Located at Van Nuys airport.

 

LOL! Bell-ends. That's just wonderful! Well like it or not, I ended up learning something new today...

 

Happy to help - wasn't sure if that would translate but clearly it does.

 

Here's a recent pic of a restored Davis Divan at the (new) Petersen Automotive Museum:

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I just realized that the restoration of the Petersen Automotive Museum's Davis (pictured the previous post) was captured on a TV show:

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Here's yet another vintage photo of the '48 Davis Divan that I somehow neglected to post:

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Here is a Dec 1945 newsreel which shows perhaps an original prototype for the Davis Motorcar The car is featured at the 4:20 point on the timeline. You can see it in action.
Boasts top speed of 100 mph.

https://archive.org/details/ARC-39095

 

Myron Vernis’ 1948 Davis Divan at the 2019 Chattanooga Motorcar Festival:

image by @Chopperken Gross​

 

In an article (Auto Trim News) I read that Glen Houser of the Carson Top Fame helped in the development of the Davis 3-Wheeler. His daughter was interviewed and said Glen was a work-a-holic. And was always thinking

 

From our friends at the American Hot Rod Foundation:

Two Davis three-wheelers demonstrate their tight turning circles around a little Renault 4 CV back in 1948.
Frank Kurtis built the original three-wheeler prototype he called the “Californian” for Joel Thorne when he was
partners with Art Sparks before WWII. Gary Davis bought it in September ’45 and used it as the inspiration for
the two prototypes seen here. An economy run held at the track lasted for 3,000 miles as the car made 28.8 miles
per gallon. The end- In April ’49 17 Davis employees filed suit for back pay totaling $$188,952.18. In May the plant
closes. In May ’50 Davis is charged with Grand Theft and the company assets are sold at auction to settle tax claims.



A scan from Alan Moss’ original 35mm negative that he shot of the Payne Special back in
1948 on the Davis Motorcar Company test track located at the Van Nuys, California airport.



Various cars ran laps on the Davis Test Track in 1948 and some of them were even “hot rods” like the Payne Special and Thatcher Darwin’s
“Beetle”. With these newly discovered Alan Moss negatives, we can now add to the list ... Isky’s car on left and John Athan’s A-V8 next to it.

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NOTE: All images from the Alan Moss Collection (via Lynda McEvoy)

 

One just came up for sale:

https://www.auctionzip.com/auction-lot/1948-davis-divan-1-of-17-prototype-ever-made_80A441D8D3/

 

Prototype Davis Divans ...

This three-wheeler was an experimental model that appeared in a 1945 LIFE story touting the automotive lifestyle in California:

photo by Nina Leen (via The LIFE Picture Collection © Meredith Corporation)​

... and a image that Mark @Royalshifter Skipper recently posted on Facebook:

photographer unknown
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Here's some more vintage photos of the '48 Davis Divan (that I somehow neglected to post):

Test Chassis


with a P-80 Shooting Star


removable top


comfortably seats two couples


comfortably seats four women


loading into an Eastern Airlines Cargo Plane


with two models
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RM auctions this Saturday Amelia Island Florida. (3/5/22)
https://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/am22/amelia-island/lots/r0068-1948-davis-divan/1211452

 

For those who don't like to click links:

AMELIA ISLAND | LOT 182

1948 Davis Divan
Chassis No. 482E39
$150,000 - $175,000 USD
Amelia Island, Florida
5 March 2022​

• A rare, uniquely styled American independent offering with an unconventional three-wheel configuration
• The first production Divan; one of only 12 known to survive
• Features aluminum construction with hidden headlamps; accompanied by a color-matched fiberglass hardtop
• Restored in its present metallic brown over a two-tone beige and brown interior
• Ideal for the collector of American independent marques or connoisseur of unusual automobiles

To any aspiring automotive magnate, there must have been a gold rush feel to the years following World War II. The American public’s ravenous appetite for new cars, the availability of new technologies, materials, and manufacturing capacity developed in wartime, and the general sense of optimism permeating the country made it seem like anything was possible…no matter how unconventional.

Enter the delightfully eccentric and unmistakable Davis Divan. The brainchild of Glen Gordon “Gary” Davis, a used car salesman from Indiana, it was based loosely on a one-off custom designed by legendary Indycar designer Frank Kurtis. The wild, three-wheeled Davis Divan was promoted as the car of the future: a fuel-efficient, streamlined, aluminum-bodied runabout with room for—rather optimistically—four adults across the bench seat, and a price tag of just $1,000. Unfortunately, after failing to deliver on more than a million dollars in dealer contracts and deposits, Davis was convicted of fraud, and the Davis Company ordered shuttered by the courts.

This 1948 example is the third Davis Divan produced and one of only a dozen known extant. Preceded by two prototypes, it is the first “production” example of the rare model. After liquidation, the car went to Michigan where it lived most of its life, quietly stored away; photos show that the Divan, though in a sorry state of repair, was largely complete. It was discovered there in 2011 by the most recent owners, who became devoted Davis enthusiasts. Under their care, it was restored in its present metallic brown exterior over a two-tone beige and brown interior.

This car features an L-head Hercules 4-cylinder engine paired with a three-speed manual gearbox, a removable fiberglass hardtop, and a fully retrimmed interior. This is a rare opportunity to acquire one of the most unusual automobiles in history—a fascinatingly oddball machine with an equally fascinating history.

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The Lane Museum has one, that I got to inspect up close.... beautiful car! It's bigger than I imagined. Lane also built a Dymaxion replica that had me drooling! Highly recommend the museum if you never been there.

 

Kind of reminds me of the Shotwell three wheeler that Jay Leno restored...fascinating story behind that one!

 

It did not make reserve, bid to $135k.

 

The 2022 "The Amelia" - Road Tour (held Friday, March 4, 2022):

image via HAGERTY - photographer unknown​

The 2022 "The Amelia" Concours d'Elegance (held Sunday, March 6, 2022) included a Davis Divan Three-Wheeler class:

images by Zac Palmer



image by Elizabeth Puckett


image by John Puckett


image by Zac Palmer​

 

Savoy museum in Cartersville, Ga has one.

 

There may have a Davis performance test at the local airport during Amelia weekend. Four, six and eight cylinder cars participated. Allegedly.