This segment was prefaced with the following:
"In 1973, America was faced with an oil crisis that nearly crippled the country. It created a gas shortage and motorists had to wait hours to fill up their tanks. Consumers wanted a solution: cheaper gas or more economical cars."
One such solution, The Dale, was a prototype vehicle designed in the early 1970's by engineer Dale Clifft, and marketed by Geraldine Elizabeth ("Liz") Carmichael, proprietor of the newly formed Twentieth Century Motor Company, headquartered in Encino, California.
On May 29, 1975, however, Carmichael was indited by the Los Angeles County Grand Jury for grand theft and fraud, and was later found guilty on 34 counts. After all the buzz surrounding this "space age" automobile, it turned out to be a sham.
This revolutionary car was touted as getting 70 miles to the gallon, weighing less than 1000 pounds, and costing less than $2000. More than $300 of the cars price, as well as 300 pounds of its overall weight, had been knocked off, just by eliminating a wheel in the rear. It was claimed that the car's lightness in no way affected its stability or safety, as "the low center of gravity remained inside the triangle of the three wheels, making it more than impossible to tip over."
Other very large claims included that it was constructed of a special aerospace plastic, and could withstand an impact against a brick wall at 50 miles per hour.
At a time Detroit was releasing large, gas-guzzing vehicles, the Dale seemed the perfect answer to the nation's fuel crisis.
Liz Carmichael was responsible for unveiling the idea. She was a forceful woman, six feet tall, 200 pounds, and saw herself as a cross between Howard Hughes and Henry Ford. According to her colleagues, she had a very distinguished presence; her "masculine" frame was all part of her appeal. She was able to raise $3 million dollars through advance purchases of the car.
Carmichael had a rather intriguing backstory. In 1973, she was a housewife living in Los Angeles with her five children. She claimed to have a degree in mechanical engineering, and formed Twentieth Century Motor Car Corporation in 1974, solely to produce the Dale.
She had told investors and the press than her company was renting three large aircraft hangers, where they would soon begin the car's production. Nobody seemed to question her authenticity or sincerity. Instead of inquiring about her manufacturing facilities, engineers on the project, and her qualifications to build such a car, it was primarily. According to LA deputy district attorney Robert Youngdahl, it was almost solely an attitude of, "Well, Liz, we're behind you and where can I send my money?"
News of the Dale spread across the country, and Liz Carmichael would soon be interviewed by Newsweek and People Magazine. Back at her headquarters in Encino, however, authorities began to question her claims. The California Department of Corporation accused Carmichael of illegally selling dealer franchises and cars that did not yet exist. The Department of Motor Vehicles also discovered that the company had no state permit to manufacture cars, and even questioned whether the lab was developing a vehicle at all.
"We went to the research and development lab and observed what appeared to be people appearing to be busy," said Bill Hall, Senior Special Investigator with the DMV. "But in wandering through the lab, I saw no evidence that they were designing a vehicle or in the process of making a vehicle."
Twentieth Century Motors employee, however, maintained that everyone in the lab was sincere and believed in the car. There was even talk that should the company fold, there remained a group of them that wanted to continue with the development and manufacturing of the car.
When Hall went to check out the three hangers where Carmichael claimed she was setting up to make the cars, he found all three completely empty. The hangers, he said, had been rented for only one month, and the rent by then had expired.
With the authorities closing in, Liz Carmichael moved her headquarters from Encino to Dallas. But a mere two weeks later, the district attorney filed criminal charges against her for grand theft.
One week after that, Bill Hall went to the company's research and development lab with a search warrant. His observations were as follows:
Five weeks later, she and the children were discovered living in Miami. A neighbor had recognized her from a news photo and phoned authorities. She was working for a dating service and going by the name of Susan Raines. It turned out Carmichael also had another identity: she was really a man, Jerry Dean Michael, who claimed he'd begun hormone treatments in preparation for a sex change operation.
Jerry Dean Michael had also been wanted by federal authorities for counterfeiting in 1961, and jumping bail in 1962.
In April of 1975, Carmichael was finally arrested, and extradited to Los Angeles where she went on trial. She still believed wholeheartedly in the Dale, and maintained that but for the myriad of trial proceedings, the car would have been in production. She also promised that as soon as the cars rolled off the line, they would be delivered.
In January 25, 1977, Carmichael was convicted of conspiracy, grand theft, and fraud. She was released on $50,000 bail, which was paid by a prominent TV production company in exchange for the rights to her story. For four years, Carmichael appealed her conviction.
In 1980, however, she failed to show up in court for sentencing, and she and her five children vanished yet again.
A prototype of the Dale is in permanent collection of the Peterson Automobile Museum in Los Angeles, California.
"In 1973, America was faced with an oil crisis that nearly crippled the country. It created a gas shortage and motorists had to wait hours to fill up their tanks. Consumers wanted a solution: cheaper gas or more economical cars."
One such solution, The Dale, was a prototype vehicle designed in the early 1970's by engineer Dale Clifft, and marketed by Geraldine Elizabeth ("Liz") Carmichael, proprietor of the newly formed Twentieth Century Motor Company, headquartered in Encino, California.
On May 29, 1975, however, Carmichael was indited by the Los Angeles County Grand Jury for grand theft and fraud, and was later found guilty on 34 counts. After all the buzz surrounding this "space age" automobile, it turned out to be a sham.
This revolutionary car was touted as getting 70 miles to the gallon, weighing less than 1000 pounds, and costing less than $2000. More than $300 of the cars price, as well as 300 pounds of its overall weight, had been knocked off, just by eliminating a wheel in the rear. It was claimed that the car's lightness in no way affected its stability or safety, as "the low center of gravity remained inside the triangle of the three wheels, making it more than impossible to tip over."
Other very large claims included that it was constructed of a special aerospace plastic, and could withstand an impact against a brick wall at 50 miles per hour.
At a time Detroit was releasing large, gas-guzzing vehicles, the Dale seemed the perfect answer to the nation's fuel crisis.
Liz Carmichael was responsible for unveiling the idea. She was a forceful woman, six feet tall, 200 pounds, and saw herself as a cross between Howard Hughes and Henry Ford. According to her colleagues, she had a very distinguished presence; her "masculine" frame was all part of her appeal. She was able to raise $3 million dollars through advance purchases of the car.
Carmichael had a rather intriguing backstory. In 1973, she was a housewife living in Los Angeles with her five children. She claimed to have a degree in mechanical engineering, and formed Twentieth Century Motor Car Corporation in 1974, solely to produce the Dale.
She had told investors and the press than her company was renting three large aircraft hangers, where they would soon begin the car's production. Nobody seemed to question her authenticity or sincerity. Instead of inquiring about her manufacturing facilities, engineers on the project, and her qualifications to build such a car, it was primarily. According to LA deputy district attorney Robert Youngdahl, it was almost solely an attitude of, "Well, Liz, we're behind you and where can I send my money?"
News of the Dale spread across the country, and Liz Carmichael would soon be interviewed by Newsweek and People Magazine. Back at her headquarters in Encino, however, authorities began to question her claims. The California Department of Corporation accused Carmichael of illegally selling dealer franchises and cars that did not yet exist. The Department of Motor Vehicles also discovered that the company had no state permit to manufacture cars, and even questioned whether the lab was developing a vehicle at all.
"We went to the research and development lab and observed what appeared to be people appearing to be busy," said Bill Hall, Senior Special Investigator with the DMV. "But in wandering through the lab, I saw no evidence that they were designing a vehicle or in the process of making a vehicle."
Twentieth Century Motors employee, however, maintained that everyone in the lab was sincere and believed in the car. There was even talk that should the company fold, there remained a group of them that wanted to continue with the development and manufacturing of the car.
When Hall went to check out the three hangers where Carmichael claimed she was setting up to make the cars, he found all three completely empty. The hangers, he said, had been rented for only one month, and the rent by then had expired.
With the authorities closing in, Liz Carmichael moved her headquarters from Encino to Dallas. But a mere two weeks later, the district attorney filed criminal charges against her for grand theft.
One week after that, Bill Hall went to the company's research and development lab with a search warrant. His observations were as follows:
Upon inspection of this vehicle, it was not a viable vehicle at all. It had no engine, two-by-fours were holding up the rear wheel, the accelerator was just sitting on the floor; it wasn't even attached. The windows were not safety glass, they would bend back and fourth. The doors were put on by regular door hinges like one might find on a house door. The vehicle just absolutely did not exist.Subsequent to Hall's findings, The Dallas police, also armed with a search warrant, arrived at Carmichael's home. They searched the house. It was evident that Carmichael and her five children had left in a hurry.
Five weeks later, she and the children were discovered living in Miami. A neighbor had recognized her from a news photo and phoned authorities. She was working for a dating service and going by the name of Susan Raines. It turned out Carmichael also had another identity: she was really a man, Jerry Dean Michael, who claimed he'd begun hormone treatments in preparation for a sex change operation.
Jerry Dean Michael had also been wanted by federal authorities for counterfeiting in 1961, and jumping bail in 1962.
In April of 1975, Carmichael was finally arrested, and extradited to Los Angeles where she went on trial. She still believed wholeheartedly in the Dale, and maintained that but for the myriad of trial proceedings, the car would have been in production. She also promised that as soon as the cars rolled off the line, they would be delivered.
In January 25, 1977, Carmichael was convicted of conspiracy, grand theft, and fraud. She was released on $50,000 bail, which was paid by a prominent TV production company in exchange for the rights to her story. For four years, Carmichael appealed her conviction.
In 1980, however, she failed to show up in court for sentencing, and she and her five children vanished yet again.
Update:
Jerry Dean Michael, alias Liz Carmichael, was captured two weeks following the Unsolved Mysteries broadcast thanks to a viewer tip from Dale, Texas, near Austin. She was working as a flower vendor and going by the name Kathryn Elizabeth Johnson. She returned to California where the judge gave her a one-to-ten year sentence, and served two years for her Los Angeles convictions. She passed away from cancer in 2004.A prototype of the Dale is in permanent collection of the Peterson Automobile Museum in Los Angeles, California.
Additional Info
- Autoweek Magazine: This Week in 1976: Bizarre Dale Car Fraud Trial Underway
- Colorfully Narrated Audio Documentary on The Dale from YouTube user, RegularCars
- Unsolved Mysteries Wikia Entry
- Dale Clifft on Find A Grave
- 3Wheelers.Com Archive of Articles and Brochures
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