My Dad has had this in his garage since the 70s. He wrote to the Twentieth Centrury Motor Car Corp. to receive information about the new two-seat, three-wheeled car that was supposed to weigh 1,000 lbs and return 70 mpg. It includes a hand signed letter from Geraldine Elizabeth Carmichael. -The female car builder shown in the photo.
The photo is of a page from the May 1974 edition of Car and Driver. The paperwork other than the magazine, is the Twentieth Century Motor Car Corp's official literature that documents all of the pertinent information that you would need if you had wanted to become a dealer.
The background surrounding the car is really weird. I think that it is cool that my dad still has this.
| | | quote | From Wikipedia
The Dale was originally envisioned by Carmichael. The prototype was built by Dale Clift, and the project was subsequently marketed by Carmichael. Much of the interest in the Dale was a result of the 1973 oil crisis: higher economy automobiles like the Dale were viewed as a solution to the oil crunch. Speaking to the Chicago Sun-Times in November 1974, Carmichael said she was on the way to taking on General Motors or any other car manufacturer for that matter. She said she had millions of dollars in backing "from private parties", and also talked of a 150,000 sq ft (14,000 m2) assembly plant in Burbank, California and over 100 employees on the rolls.
The Dale was also marketed as being high-tech, lightweight, yet safer than any existing car at the time. "By eliminating a wheel in the rear, we saved 300 pounds and knocked more than $300 from the car's price. The Dale is 190 inches long, 51 inches high, and weighs less than 1,000 pounds", said Carmichael. She maintained that the car's lightness did not affect its stability or safety. The low center of gravity always remained inside the triangle of the three wheels making it nearly impossible for it to tip over. She also went on record to say that she drove it into a wall at 30 miles per hour (48 km/h) and there was no structural damage to the car (or her). She said the Dale was powered by a thoroughly revamped BMW two-cylinder motorcycle engine, which turned out 40 horsepower (30 kW) and would hit 85 miles per hour (137 km/h). She expected sales of 88,000 cars in the first year and 250,000 in the second year.
Other vehicles
Two additional vehicles were planned to complement the Dale: the Revelle and the Vanagon. Both of these would also feature a three-wheeled design and used the same 2-cylinder engine. None of the vehicles ever saw production and only two prototype vehicles of the Dale were made. Only one of those was able to run under its own power.
Geraldine Elizabeth "Liz" Carmichael (1937-2004) was a U.S. entrepreneur who marketed the three-wheel Dale sports car in 1975.
The Dale car was a design of Dale Clifft and was supposed to be produced by Twentieth Century Motor Car Corp in California. According to Twentieth Century's 1975 brochure, it had a two-cylinder engine, would reach 70 miles per gallon and would cost $2000. The body was to be constructed out of 'rocket structural resin' that would withstand damage well. There were only three prototype copies and only one of them could move under its own power. |
|
Here is where it gets really weird| | | quote | Once arrested it was discovered that Carmichael was actually a male born Jerry Dean Michael. His wife was the former Vivian Barrett and they were the parents of five children. Carmichael stated she had undergone hormone therapy and was in the process of completing a sex change. Carmichael had previously been charged by the FBI for alleged involvement in a counterfeiting operation.
Following her arrest related to the Dale car, Carmichael's bail was paid by a news station who was guaranteed the rights to her story. She subsequently jumped bail and remained at large until the airing of an Unsolved Mysteries episode in 1989. This episode revealed that Carmichael had been working as a flower vendor in Dale, Texas under the name Kathryn Elizabeth Johnson.
Unverified sources (one claiming to be a grandchild) report that Carmichael died of cancer in February 2004.
Fraud
Rumors of fraud began to emerge and the California Securities Commission began an investigation.[4] Although Clift said he still believed in the project and said that he was promised $3 million in royalties once the Dale went into production, he only received $1,001, plus a $2,000 check, which bounced. Carmichael went into hiding and was featured in an episode of Unsolved Mysteries which detailed the fraud behind the Dale as well as the fact Carmichael was wanted. She was eventually found working under an alias in a flower shop and was arrested shortly after the episode's airing. Elizabeth Carmichael, as a result, went to prison. |
|
------------------
Central Iowa Fieros
