A Man and His Plan - Part One: Gary Davis and the Davis Divan

One Man and His Plan: Gary Davis and the Davis Divan — The Three-Wheeled Dream That Almost Was

The 1948 Davis-Divan. The first “production” Davis, now in the Tucson Auto Museum collection

When you think of revolutionary car companies founded by a single visionary, names like Tucker naturally spring to mind. But history is peppered with lesser-known pioneers whose bold dreams nearly reshaped the automotive world — men who dared to defy convention, engineer the impossible, and race against the clock in post-World War II America’s feverish landscape of innovation.

Enter Gary Davis and his brainchild, the Davis Divan.

Born in 1915, Gary Davis was an engineer and entrepreneur with a flair for the unconventional. After serving in World War II, he returned to civilian life determined to create a vehicle unlike any other: affordable, efficient, and futuristic. His answer was the Davis Divan, a daring three-wheeled car with an eye-catching streamlined aluminum body and a unique seating arrangement for four passengers side-by-side. Most of the Divans were powered by 2,600 cc (160 cu in), inline 4-cylinder Continental engines capable of producing 63 hp (47 kW). Others, including both the D-1 "Baby" and D-2 "Delta" prototypes, as well as the TAM example pictured (which is the third one ever made), were instead fitted with 47 hp (35 kW), four-cylinder Hercules industrial engines.

Davis touted the Divan’s innovative features — including its monocoque aluminum chassis, a fiberglass roof, and a top speed of around 100 mph — as proof that his design was ahead of its time. The car’s striking aerodynamic shape was not just for show; it helped reduce drag and improve fuel efficiency, appealing to the postwar American consumer’s desire for modernity and thrift.

However, the road to success was anything but smooth.

Despite the initial buzz and Davis’s charismatic promotions, the company was plagued by production delays, supply chain troubles, and a lack of sufficient capital. Worse yet, Davis’s ambitious timelines often proved overly optimistic. The manufacturing facilities were small-scale, and only 17 Divans were ever completed. More devastating was the financial scandal that eventually engulfed Davis and his fledgling company.

Accusations of financial mismanagement and investor fraud surfaced, leading to legal troubles that tarnished Davis’s reputation. He was accused of selling stock without proper authorization and misrepresenting the company’s financial health. The resulting lawsuits and loss of investor confidence crippled the company’s chances of survival.

In 1948, after just a year or so in production, the Davis Motorcar Company collapsed. Gary Davis faded into relative obscurity, his dream undone by a mixture of technical challenges, financial overreach, and the unforgiving realities of postwar industry competition.

Today, only a handful of Davis Divans remain, and the Tucson Auto Museum is honored to house two of these rare survivors. These cars are more than just vehicles — they are artifacts of bold ambition, of an era when one man’s vision could challenge the status quo.

Gary Davis’ story serves as both inspiration and caution. It reminds us that innovation often requires more than a great idea — it demands meticulous execution, trustworthy leadership, and sometimes, a bit of luck.

In the end, the Davis Divan stands as a testament to postwar American ingenuity and the tireless spirit of entrepreneurs who dared to dream differently. We invite you to come see these rare pieces of automotive history and reflect on the fine line between genius and hubris.

Stay tuned for the next chapter in our series, “One Man and His Plan,” where we continue to explore the visionaries who shaped the future of the automobile — sometimes at great personal cost.