1948 Davis Divan
- Engine
- L-head inline-four (Hercules unit), three-speed manual
- Colour
- Metallic brown
The Davis Divan was a three-wheeled, aluminum-bodied microcar conceived by Gary Davis and loosely derived from a Frank Kurtis custom. Built in Van Nuys, California, the Davis Company collapsed after its founder was convicted of fraud, leaving only around a dozen survivors. This 1948 example is the third unit constructed — effectively the first production car rather than a prototype — and spent most of its life stored in Michigan before being discovered in 2011 and subsequently restored to a metallic brown exterior with a two-tone beige and brown interior.
Ownership
- —Auction saleSold US$125,000
- → 2011Acquisition unknownMichigan-based storage ownerpartial documentation
Car resided in Michigan for most of its life, kept in storage and reportedly complete but in poor condition. Photographic evidence documents its state during this period.
- 2011 →Private saleMost recent ownerspartial documentation
Discovered and acquired the car in 2011, developed a strong interest in the Davis marque, and commissioned a full restoration to metallic brown bodywork over a two-tone beige and brown interior.
Competition
No competition history extracted from the catalogue.
Maintenance & restoration
- —Restoration
Comprehensive restoration returning the car to running condition, including a fully retrimmed interior in two-tone beige and brown and a metallic brown exterior finish; a removable fibreglass hardtop was fitted.
Carried out under the ownership of the most recent custodians following discovery of the car in Michigan in 2011.
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