Twentieth Century Motor Car Corporation

Twentieth Century Motor Car Corporation was an American automobile venture established in Nevada in 1974 by Geraldine Elizabeth “Liz” Carmichael. Its central project was the Dale, a highly publicized three-wheeled, two-seat vehicle presented as an inexpensive and exceptionally fuel-efficient answer to the energy concerns surrounding the 1973 oil crisis. The company attracted attention by claiming that the Dale would use an 850 cc air-cooled engine, achieve approximately 70 miles per U.S. gallon, sell for about $2,000, and combine low weight with unusual stability and safety. These claims placed the project within the period’s strong public interest in small, economical alternatives to conventional American cars. The Dale originated with designer and builder Dale Clifft, who had hand-built an earlier three-wheeled vehicle using a tubular frame, a red metal-flake Naugahyde covering, and a 305 cc Honda Super Hawk motorcycle engine. Carmichael subsequently took over the commercial promotion of the concept and presented it as the foundation of a major automobile business. Public descriptions of the proposed production car varied. Carmichael said it would be powered by a rebuilt BMW two-cylinder motorcycle engine producing roughly 40 horsepower, reach about 85 mph, weigh less than 1,000 pounds, and use a long 114-inch wheelbase. She also claimed that its low center of gravity and three-wheel geometry made it highly resistant to rollover. The company promoted ambitious sales forecasts, including tens of thousands of vehicles in its first year and substantially higher volume thereafter. Only a small number of Dale prototypes were made, generally reported as three, and only one was capable of moving under its own power. A nonfunctional example appeared at the 1975 Los Angeles Auto Show, while another model was displayed as a potential prize on the television program The Price Is Right. The company also proposed two related three-wheeled station wagons, the Revelle and the Vanagen, but neither reached production. Despite claims of a large corporate office, a prospective assembly facility, and more than 100 employees, no manufacturing program was established and no vehicles were sold as production automobiles. The company’s business practices soon attracted regulatory and journalistic scrutiny. California authorities ordered it to stop offering stock to the public because it lacked the required permit. Reports and investigations questioned the company’s representations, its financing, and the state of the vehicle prototypes. Clifft, who said he expected substantial royalties if production began, received only limited payment, including a check that reportedly bounced. Carmichael eventually disappeared with investors’ money and became a fugitive. She was later located in Texas under an assumed identity, extradited to California, convicted, and sentenced to 18 months in prison. The Dale story has remained notable less as an automotive production program than as an example of 1970s technology promotion, speculative fundraising, and media-driven business claims. Carmichael’s gender history and later coverage of the case also became part of public discussion, including debates about media bias and selective prosecution. HBO revisited the affair in the four-part documentary series The Lady and the Dale, which premiered in 2021. Carmichael died of cancer in 2004. Clifft, who was not shown to have participated in the fraud, later pursued further development work through The Dale Development Co. and obtained patents before his death in 1981.

The Twentieth Century Motor Car Corporation emerged in 1974 amid intense American concern about fuel prices, petroleum shortages, and the efficiency of large conventional cars. Founder Liz Carmichael promoted the company as a serious challenger to established manufacturers and centered its business around the Dale, a small three-wheeled automobile. The concept had first been hand-built by Dale Clifft, whose prototype used a tubular structure, a Naugahyde exterior, and a motorcycle engine. Carmichael transformed the experimental vehicle into a commercial proposition and made extensive claims about its performance, affordability, safety, and production prospects. The proposed Dale was described as approximately 190 inches long, 51 inches high, and under 1,000 pounds. Carmichael promoted a target price of about $2,000 and fuel economy near 70 miles per U.S. gallon, figures designed to appeal to consumers during the oil crisis. She also stated that the car would use a rebuilt BMW two-cylinder motorcycle engine with about 40 horsepower and a top speed near 85 mph. The three-wheel layout was presented as a weight-saving and stability-enhancing design, with the low center of gravity supposedly remaining within the triangle formed by the wheels. The company claimed to be preparing for large-scale production. Public statements referred to a substantial corporate office in Encino, a leased aircraft hangar in Burbank that was allegedly to become an assembly site, and a workforce exceeding 100 people. Carmichael projected very high sales, but the physical evidence remained limited. Prototypes were built in Canoga Park, only three Dale examples were reportedly completed, and only one could operate under its own power. A static model appeared at the 1975 Los Angeles Auto Show, and the vehicle also received television exposure through The Price Is Right. The proposed product family included the Revelle and Vanagen, both described as three-wheeled station wagons using the same basic two-cylinder powertrain concept. Neither vehicle entered production. In practice, the corporation never manufactured a production automobile, and its business became associated with promotional claims and the solicitation of investor funds rather than vehicle sales. Regulatory concerns developed while the company was seeking public attention and financing. California’s Department of Corporations required the company to stop offering stock publicly because it lacked a permit. Journalists and a television reporter investigated the venture, and allegations of fraud began to circulate. Clifft maintained that he believed in the project and had been promised millions of dollars in royalties, but he received only a small amount and a further check that was not honored. Carmichael disappeared, taking investor funds with her, and became a wanted fugitive. She was eventually found working at a flower shop in Dale, Texas, under the name Katherine Elizabeth Johnson. After arrest and extradition to California, she was tried and sentenced to 18 months in prison. Later accounts have emphasized that Clifft was not established as a participant in the fraud. He subsequently formed The Dale Development Co. and continued technical development, securing several patents before his death in 1981. The case continued to attract attention because it combined automotive futurism, financial deception, fugitive celebrity, and questions about the treatment of a transgender woman by authorities and the media. The 1989 television program Unsolved Mysteries brought the story to a broad audience. In 2021, HBO premiered The Lady and the Dale, a four-part documentary directed by Nick Cammilleri and Zackary Drucker. The documentary placed the company’s history within wider discussions of fraud, law enforcement, media bias, transgender politics, and alleged institutional failures. Carmichael died of cancer in 2004.

• 2021

  The Lady and the Dale premieres

  [2]The Lady and the Daleen.wikipedia.org

  HBO released a four-part documentary about the company, its founder, the fraud case, and its broader social context.

• 1989

  Case covered by Unsolved Mysteries

  [1]Twentieth Century Motor Car Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  The television program examined Carmichael’s disappearance and the alleged fraud surrounding the Dale.

• 1981

  Dale Clifft dies

  [1]Twentieth Century Motor Car Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  The original Dale designer died after continuing development work and obtaining patents through The Dale Development Co.

• 1975

  Dale displayed at Los Angeles Auto Show

  [1]Twentieth Century Motor Car Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  A nonfunctional Dale model was exhibited as the company promoted its proposed production vehicle.

• 1974

  Company established

  [1]Twentieth Century Motor Car Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Liz Carmichael started the Nevada-incorporated Twentieth Century Motor Car Corporation to commercialize the Dale three-wheeled automobile.

• 1974

  California stock offering halted

  [1]Twentieth Century Motor Car Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  California regulators ordered the company to stop offering stock publicly because it did not have the required permit.

A low-cost, lightweight, fuel-efficient alternative to conventional automobiles, marketed during the 1970s energy crisis as a technologically advanced and safer three-wheeler.

• Three-wheeled automobile · 1974

  The Dale

  The Dale was the company’s flagship and only extensively promoted vehicle. It was presented as a lightweight two-seat three-wheeler with exceptional fuel economy, a low purchase price, and improved stability. Carmichael publicized specifications including an approximately 850 cc engine, fuel economy near 70 miles per U.S. gallon, a weight below 1,000 pounds, and a projected top speed of about 85 mph. In reality, only a few prototypes were built, no production vehicles were manufactured, and only one prototype was capable of self-propelled movement.

• Three-wheeled station wagon

  Revelle

  The Revelle was a proposed station-wagon derivative intended to expand the Dale concept beyond the original two-seat vehicle. It was described as sharing the project’s three-wheel configuration and two-cylinder engine concept, but it remained a proposal and was never produced.

• Three-wheeled station wagon

  Vanagen

  The Vanagen was another proposed three-wheeled station wagon associated with the company’s planned product range. Like the Revelle, it was intended to use the same general powertrain and design approach as the Dale but never progressed to production.

• 1974

  Unpermitted public stock offering

  California’s Department of Corporations ordered the company to stop offering stock publicly because it lacked a permit.

  Source

• 1970

  Dale investment fraud

  The venture was ultimately found to be fraudulent after Carmichael disappeared with investors’ money. She was later arrested under an assumed identity, extradited, tried, and imprisoned.

  Source

Read more

• 1975Auto-show and television exposure

  United States

  A nonfunctional Dale model was shown at the Los Angeles Auto Show, and a model also appeared as a potential prize on The Price Is Right.

  Outcome. The exposure increased public awareness but did not lead to commercial production.

  Source
• 1974Dale fuel-crisis promotion

  United States

  Carmichael promoted the Dale as a low-cost, high-mileage alternative suited to the 1970s energy crisis. Public claims emphasized fuel economy, lightweight construction, safety, and the possibility of challenging established automobile manufacturers.

  Outcome. The campaign generated substantial media and investor interest, but no production program followed.

  Source

• 1975

  Display the Dale publiclyProduct launch

  Background

  The company needed public visibility for a vehicle that remained at the prototype stage.

  Action taken

  A nonfunctional Dale model was presented at the Los Angeles Auto Show and a model was used for television promotion.

  Aftermath

  The public displays did not result in a production launch or customer deliveries.

  Source

• 1974

  Position the Dale as a mass-market fuel saverStrategy

  Background

  The oil crisis created demand for vehicles promising lower fuel consumption and lower purchase prices.

  Action taken

  The company promoted the Dale as a lightweight, inexpensive, high-mileage alternative to conventional cars and announced ambitious sales expectations.

  Aftermath

  The claims attracted publicity and investment interest, but the company never established production.

  Source

• 1974

  Propose Revelle and Vanagen derivativesOther

  Background

  The company sought to portray the Dale as the basis for a broader vehicle range.

  Action taken

  It proposed two three-wheeled station wagons using the same general engine and design concept.

  Aftermath

  Neither proposed model was produced.

  Source

1. 1Twentieth Century Motor Car Corporationen.wikipedia.org
2. 2The Lady and the Daleen.wikipedia.org