Da Vinci

The daVinci is a prototype built by James Scripps Booth as the ultimate car. Booth contracted Louis Chevrolet here in Indy to build the car. It was a 2-3 year effort completed in 1925. The car cost around $100,000.00 to build, an immense amount of money in 1925. No further cars were produced. Booth was previously a cycle car manufacturer and also ran a firm bearing his name based out of Detroit that made full size cars, and was absorbed in to GM.  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 considerably lower to the ground than any other contemporary car. It also has a remote hood release, adjustable peddles, idiot lights, and other things. Booth received several Patents for various things on the car. 

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 on appeal in a landmark intellectual property rights decision in 1934, 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. 

The car is in the collection of Shawn Miller of Indianapolis, IN, and is undergoing a full restoration. Watch this page for updates and more information on this car and its unique story.