1925 DaVinci

This car is a prototype built by James Scripps Booth as the ultimate car in the shop of Louis Chevrolet here in Indy in 1925. The car cost around $100,000.00 to build, an immense amount of money in 1925. Booth was previously a cycle car manufacturer and also ran a firm bearing his name based out of Detroit that made full size cars.  After departing that firm he went off on a tour of the world to seek out the best in auto technology and this was the result of that effort.  The car featured many advanced things for cars in 1925 including a worm drive rear end which allowed the car to sit considerable lower to the ground than any other contemporary car. It also has a remote hood release, adjustable peddles, idiot lights, and other things. Booth decided to sell his design to an existing manufacturer instead of starting yet another company to build them himself.  He proposed this design to several manufacturers including Chrysler and Stutz, the latter lead him on a bit before saying no.  Stutz then proceeded to build practically the identical car, billing it "the Safety Stutz" due to its low center of gravity.  After Stutz stole his thunder, Booth evidently abandoned the chore of getting funding to go into production, opting instead to sue Stutz.  He eventually won the suit, but his settlement largely went to the attorneys representing him.  By this time the innovative features of the car had been adopted by many companies.  In later years he built one more vehicle, a cyclecar called the daVinci Pup. 

Here is Booth with the completed car in 1925.  The body was designed by Booth and built by Fleetwood.

In later years Booth chopped the body to make it a more desirable convertible sedan, changing the bumper to something more modern, having the discs chromed, and adding a fairing in front of the grill...

Things took a turn for the worse (in my opinion) as Booth further chopped the car to showcase its unique gearing. Notes from Booth indicate that he felt the chassis was the true engineering marvel of the car and that it should be exposed when displayed in more of a museum setting.

I guess Booth was reminiscing for this day when he first got the car from Chevrolets shop and drove it to Pennsylvania to be bodied.  One must keep in mind that cars were typically shipped from the factory to a coachbuilder as a bare chassis during this period.  It was not at all uncommon for owners to have cars rebodied versus buying a new one.   Realistically, to an engineer the body of a car was but a superfulous ornament, something that could easily be changed.  He did design several different bodies for this chassis.

The car has a single sleeve valve straight 8 Argyll Motor. Booth had licensed this motor from the inventor in Scotland.

Booths widow donated the car to a University which kept it until sending it to a restoration shop in Maine in 1988, to be readied for sale.  The shop disassembled the motor but failed to ever put it back together, so the car sat forlornly there in Maine, unltil I retrieved it on Thanksgiving weekend in 2001.  Over the years, a cantankerous relationship had developed between the university and the proprietor of the shop.  I purchased the car from the university, and had a difficult time getting the car away from the shop, having to pay a large and arbitrary storage fee.  I figured I had to go there personally to insure I received all the parts given the hostile attitude of the shop owner.  The journey took 4 days of driving 12 hours per day, pulling this relic through the mountains with the transmission supported by a suspect piece of "haadwood".  I figure the only way I made it back intact is by the good graces of the ghost of James Scripps Booth.

Unfortunately 3 of the 4 custom cast hubcaps have been stolen.  Most the the chrome will need replated but overall the car is intact.

The engine has been taken to Walt Reynolds Shop, and we will begin the task of reassembling it in the next couple of weeks.  From there, I am uncertain whether to rebody the car as a roadster or speedster, return the car to the  convertible sedan form above, rebuild the original body, or just leave it as it is (those are in order of preference).  Being a preservationist at heart,  I believe that the remnants of the original body should be incorporated into whatever we do.  But being a driver at heart also, I am not sure I want the car to be strictly a museum display.

There is a long story of its history which I will put up here as time permits.

1/2003 The engine is nearing completion and we are starting on the chassis with the hope of having a drivable chassis in time for the run of summer car shows that start in June or so.

1/2005  I have been lazy in regard to this project and need to get going on it again.  If I could stop buyer other cars it would help I guess.

the following shots were taken of prior to any disassembly.

this is the front of the frame.  those horns were added later as the original fairing would not have allowed them to sit there.

as you can see the rear suspension system is quite unusual.

the action occurs on the rear chassis tube versus on the axle thus extending the wheelbase.  Springs actually wrap around this rear tube, and the axle is attached to the bottom spring.  this is kept in place by the torque tube encasing the driveshaft.