The perpetual lure of the three-wheeler. In more recent years, it’s an easy way to get around all the regulations governing genuine automobiles. But in 1947, it was just something radically new and different, like the Davis. Let’s rearrange the traditional automobile, and make it better.
Some 15 to 17 were ever built, before Gary Davis’ operation was shut down due to unpaid payroll and other irregularities. Davis eventually spent time in jail for fraud. The immediate post-war years were ripe for this kind of thing (Tucker, etc.). A little Hercules flathead four powered the Davis; old school in that regard.
Davis bought a car from Frank Kurtis called the Californian. And rebuilt it into the Davis 3 wheeler.
http://www.kustomrama.com/index.php?title=Frank_Kurtis&redirect=no
4 up doesnt look very comfortable, how did this thing go in the twisties?
My only comment has to do with seeing the four guys in a row. Now if the two passengers nearest the passenger door decided to bend ‘way down pretending to tie their shoes for an extended period of time…we used to do that in my buddies’ cars when we rode three in front. Sure was embarassing and made whoever the driver was and middle guy very mad! Laughing all the way…
On three-wheelers, some time ago I posted a photo of an Isuzu three-wheeled truck on Okinawa in the early ’70’s. Lots of three-wheeled vehicles over there. I used to see tiny three-wheeled Mazdas, but can’t find information on them anywhere, unless they weren’t Mazdas, but I can’t find anything like what I saw.
Here is a Davis video along with other futuristic cars
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=e5b_1272568676
Bryce,have you ever seen the episode of Top Gear UK where Jeremy spends some time with the Reliant Robin? I’d imagine the Davis wouldn’t be much better!
That was an enlightening episode as far as three wheelers go!
Yeah saw that one tough little sucker that Reliant despite its cornering problems
And despite the fact that Jeremy was deliberately driving it badly to make it tip over as many times as possible, and to make the car look as ridiculous as possible. Which is something I’m getting REAL tired of on that show. If the Robin really tipped that often and that badly under the care of the owners who actually bought and paid for them, Reliant would have gone out of business very quickly.
Is it just me, or is anyone else here getting tired of watching vintage cars deliberately trashed in the course of an episode? Yeah, they’re not in all that great a shape to begin with, but still. It’s not like they’re exactly common on the road, and their numbers aren’t exactly increasing.
Agreed. I hated the Mythbusters episodes where they destroyed a cherry ’67 Fury III and ’64 or ’65 Imperial Crown. There was another one where they dropped a ’69 Cadillac from a crane. Why couldn’t they have used 1990s Tauruses, Camrys or Corollas? At least something that is not a collectible car.
In texas at least, there are some little things you can do that slip you up and subject you to the whole gamut of cr regulations. This thing pictured is sure a car and should have to be in full compliance.
The two biggest things are a saddle seat and handlebars to be a bike. Go with a reverse trike and the natural inclination is to use a steering wheel and a seat. In Texas, that is a car.
Compliance with what? Safety and emission regs are all federal. That’s why three-wheelers still abound, to get around the very onerous certification requirements. Licensing trikes as a car is a different thing.
Depends on where.
If you happen to be here and register a trike as a car you will comply with whatever the regs are for a car. For instance the major population areas of Houston, DFW, San Antonio and I think El Paso must test for emissions.
Your escape is to find an old car or bike and use that as the basis for your vehicle (vin must be evident). If less than 25 years old smog laws apply. Seat belt laws, headlights, etc also apply depending on year and whether its a bike or a car.
If you register as a bike you are home free. To do that you must set astride a saddle seat and basically use handlebars. Thats per our DPS and as interpreted by my local inspector. Also you must have windshield wipers. You do not need to have a windshield. Fourth wheel, permanently attached and on ground is automatic car Now where was I before I tripped on the root and fell down the rabbit hole.
How bout two wheels up front extrmely close to together for better stability but still keeping the tight turning radius?
Anything with more than three wheels is automatically a car. Even with Isetta closeness. Of course that is texas. Go one state to the west and all bets are off. You tell me.
OH I’m sorry I was talking about it for the purposes of this car or the wild and crazy era of inovation after the war.
And I know that different states have different laws. I can’t find them online right now but I know some people have manufactured trike kits that keep the center wheel and the problem is that in some states that immediately makes it a car, subject to the same laws.
And . . . . if your state has helmet laws, you have to wear a helmet. Even if your three-wheeler has a roof and roll bar (say, like the T-Rex).
The official name for this car was Davis Divan. Sounds like something a cartoon character would drive! There was a pretty good article in Collectible Automobile on the Davis a few years ago, there was even a Jeep-like version built as a prototype, only one or two of those were built. I believe Davis was the correct spelling of the car, I have not seen it spelled as ‘Davies’ before.
There are times when my fingers do the most inexplicable things, and then repeat it again! I even spelled Gary Davis’ name right in the article, yet…Thanks.