Vehicle Description
The history of the automobile is rife with its share of
well-intentioned dreamers, underfunded geniuses, hair-brained
showmen, and downright shady characters, all looking to cash in on
the next great trend in motoring. Depending on how one interprets
the story of the Davis Divan, Gary Davis of Van Nuys, California,
fell somewhere between the latter two categories. In the mid-1940s,
Davis had acquired a one-off, three-wheeled custom called the
Californian, which the brilliant Frank Kurtis designed for the
wealthy playboy racer Joel Thorne. While Kurtis was known for his
successful race cars, the Californian was not one of his more
successful designs. Nevertheless, Davis used the Californian as
inspiration for a new automobile which he boldly touted as the
economy car of the future. Davis took the basic layout of the
Kurtis design and made it considerably wider and longer. At 15 �
feet long, it was huge for a three-wheeled economy car! The body,
allegedly inspired by aircraft design, looked straight from a
Sci-fi comic book with wraparound bumpers, hidden headlamps, and a
smooth, aerodynamic appearance. While Davis claimed the aluminum
body had aircraft influences, some suggest the looks landed
somewhere between a shoe and a steam iron. Davis touted that five
passengers could sit across the bench seat, which, depending on the
size of the passengers, was a gross overestimation. Mechanically,
the Davis Divan (the name taken from the word for a couch or bed)
featured a 2.2-liter Hercules inline-four, though a few cars used a
2.4-liter Continental unit. Aside from the single-wheel front end,
the chassis was fairly conventional, with a live rear axle
suspended by leaf springs. Davis famously exaggerated the car's
capabilities, claiming 35-50mpg, a top speed of 116 mph, and -
curiously - the ability to perform a sharp U-turn at 55mph. In
reality, the softly-sprung Divan would lift the inside rear wheel
on sharp turns, indicating a much higher speed on the speedometer!
The Davis Divan was not a fundamentally flawed design despite the
apparent shortcomings. However, Gary Davis's dubious promotional
tactics doomed the project from the onset. He made unproven claims
to investors, customers, and dealers, who gave Davis over a million
dollars in deposits and dealer franchise fees. Meanwhile, Davis had
no intention of putting the car into production, even firing his
production manager for spending money on the parts needed to fill
orders! When the house of cards fell, Gary Davis ultimately wound
up in jail on a fraud conviction and was barred from doing business
in the automobile industry again. When the dust settled, about
sixteen running vehicles were built - two prototype Divans, eleven
"production" Divans, and three incredibly strange 3-wheel military
Jeeps. Rather than being liquidated or destroyed when the company
folded, they were given to creditors - an admittedly paltry return
on investment! Yet remarkably, the Davis Divan has become somewhat
of a "cult classic" over the years, and the fates of all sixteen
are documented by the enthusiastic Davis Registry. Davis Divan #10
is believed to have been originally painted bright coral with an
ivory top and early in its life - perhaps before it left the
factory, was resprayed in a two-tone green livery. After the
liquidation of the factory to creditors, it went into private
hands. The first owner is not documented, though the file contains
correspondence from a Davis dealer with Mr. Charles Hiller Jr., who
had inquired about purchasing one in 1948, and it is possible he
put a deposit down. Also included is the extremely rare original
brochure sent by the dealer to Mr. Hiller. At some point before the
1970s, #10 was used as a promo vehicle by Truly Nolen of
Scottsdale, Arizona, a pest control company known for its brightly
decorated black and yellow classic cars adorned with mouse ears and
tails. It may have been an undignified role for the Davis, but it
also must have looked pretty charming as the Truly Nolen mouse. The
car eventually wound up in Kansas in the 1960s, passing through a
couple of owners before finding a long-term custodian in 1970. That
owner fondly recalls driving the car in the early 70s, joking that
riding in the softly-sprung Davis was "like riding in a bowl of
Jell-O." The car stayed with that same owner from 1970 through
2009, and at the time he sold it, it was a well-preserved but tired
car in need of restoration. Since 2009, Davis Divan #10 has been
treated to a complete nut-and-bolt restoration finished to
world-class concours standards, with no expense spared. It is
without question the best example of a Davis Divan extant,
strikingly finished in black with a silver hard top. It looks the
part of the futuristicMotoramajet-age dream car, adorned with crisp
whitewall tires, impeccably restored brightwork, and a beautifully
trimmed interior with black leatherette and sparkling silver Rayon
inserts. This Davis Divan truly delights in the details. The
aluminum body is superbly restored, is impeccably straight, and
features proper pushbutton door handles, wraparound bumpers, and
the correct Plymouth taillights. New glass has been made, including
the curved windscreen, using custom molds made at considerable
expense. Under the hood, the humble Hercules inline-four is
exquisitely detailed in the correct shade of green and adorned with
authentically plated hardware and impeccably refinished
ancillaries. Very few of the 13 known cars have been completely
restored, and none have received such lavish treatment as car #10
has. This is a one-off opportunity to acquire the very best example
of the delightfully oddball Davis Divan, which is ready to bring a
whimsical flair to serious concours events worldwide. Offers
welcome and trades considered For additional details please view
this listing directly on our website
https://hymanltd.com/vehicles/3992-1948-davis-divan-coupe/
