Davis Model 494 History

Alongside the civilian Divan, the Davis Motorcar Company built a small number of three-wheeled military vehicles, designated the Model 494. Open-bodied and Jeep-like, they were submitted to the U.S. Army for evaluation, with two of the three cars tested at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland in April 1949.

Three Model 494s were built — reportedly in less than a week — and tested against the M-38 Jeep, but the design lacked the Jeep's off-road capability and the Army did not adopt it. The military program, like the Divan itself, ended as the company collapsed into bankruptcy and litigation. The military three-wheelers count among the roughly 16 total running vehicles Davis ever completed.