Davis Divan History

The Davis Divan was a three-wheeled convertible built by the Davis Motorcar Company of Van Nuys, California between 1947 and 1949. It was the brainchild of used-car salesman Glenn Gordon 'Gary' Davis, and was based on 'The Californian,' a custom three-wheeled roadster designed by future Indianapolis 500 car builder Frank Kurtis for millionaire racer Joel Thorne. Davis bought that car in 1945 and reworked it into the Divan, whose name — Arabic for a couch or daybed — referred to its single bench seat, wide enough to sit four passengers abreast.

The Divan rode a remarkably long 109.5-inch wheelbase for a three-wheeler and used an aluminum body over a steel frame. Most cars carried a 2,600 cc Continental inline-four rated at 63 hp, while the two prototypes used a 47-hp Hercules industrial four. Davis pitched the single front wheel and aerodynamic body as the future of motoring, claiming high fuel economy, a tight turning circle, and the ability to change a tire without a jack, and toured the car across the country in a lavish publicity campaign.

The promotion outran the product. Davis raised about $1.2 million by selling some 350 dealership franchises but never delivered cars or paid staff on time, and was sued by both dealers and employees. In total only around 16 running vehicles were completed — roughly 13 civilian Divans (including the two prototypes) plus three military versions — before the company collapsed in 1948. After a Los Angeles County district-attorney investigation, Gary Davis was convicted in 1951 on multiple counts of fraud and grand theft. A dozen Divans are believed to survive, examples held by museums including the Lane Motor Museum and the Petersen.