Davis-Carlson Mite

(click on photo to enlarge)

The collaboration of Milton "Red" Davis of Harvey, Illinois and John Carlson of Chicago, Illinois produced what is arguably the most successful mite car of its era:  the Davis-Carlson Mite.  Only two dozen of the Davis-Carlson Mites were originally produced, most initially fitted with either Dooling .29 or Hornet .199 engines.  The cars featured a cast aluminum pan, hand formed wood top, C&R wheels and tires, a flying wire front axle and pan handle, and a serial number stamped both inside the tail of the pan and on the drive unit.  Later, as parts for Dooling .29 and Hornet .199 engines became scarce and as more powerful engines became available, several Davis-Carlson Mite owners replaced their Dooling .29s and Hornet .199s with Super Tigre .29 and .19 engines.  As evidence of the success of the Davis-Carlson Mite, the AMRCA Division 7 (.29 Mite Class) speed record of 129.81 mph was set by John Carlson with a Dooling .29 powered Davis-Carlson Mite at the New Castle, Indiana track in September, 1962.  That record still stands today.  The dominance of the Davis-Carlson Mite is further demonstrated by the fact that DC Mites dominated both the .29 Mite Class and the .19 Mite Class at the AMRCA Nationals for over 20 years.

The two Davis-Carlson Mite cars shown below were both originally owned by Butch Williams of Van Nuys, California.  The Dooling .29 powered car on the left is serial number DC 8.  The Super Tigre .29 powered car on the right is serial number DC 9.  The Dooling .29 powered car placed 2nd in the .29 Mite Class at the 1975 AMRCA Nationals and 3rd in the .29 Mite Class at the 1977 AMRCA Nationals, both held in Whittier Narrows, CA.  The Super Tigre .29 powered car placed 2nd in the .29 Mite Class at the 1979 AMRCA Nationals held in Whittier Narrows, CA.

The Davis-Carlson Mite shown below on the left, serial number DC 2, was originally owned by Bud Shirley of Atlanta, GA.  John Carlson brought the car to the 1967 AMRCA Nationals in Anderson, IN, but before the races began Shirley purchased the car for his son, Doug.   Doug Shirley was only 10 years old at the time, so even though the car was entered in his name,  his father had to push off the car for him.  The car placed 1st the 1967 AMRCA Nationals .29 Mite Class with a top speed of 104.65 mph., beating John Carlson's car which finished 2nd.  Shirley's car was never raced again.  The car shown on the right was originally owned by Ken Reiser of Chicago, IL.  Reiser's car has the serial number DC 12 stamped in the pan while the number 5 is stamped on the drive unit.  Reiser's Davis-Carlson Mite placed 3rd in the .29 Mite Class at the 1959 AMRCA Nationals in Belleville, IL and placed 1st in the .29 Mite Class at the both the 1960 and 1961 AMRCA Nationals in Anderson, IN.  His winning speed in 1960 was 121.28 mph.   Both Shirley's and Reiser's cars are powered by Dooling .29 engines.

Both of the Davis-Carlson Mites shown below are powered by Hornet .199 engines.  The car on the left was John Carlson's personal car which placed 1st in the .19 Mite Class at the 1960 AMRCA Nationals with a record speed of 100.55 mph.  The car also placed 3rd in the .19 Mite Class at the 1961 AMRCA Nationals and placed 1st in the .19 Mite Class at the 1962 AMRCA Nationals, both held in Anderson, IN.  Carlson's car does not have a serial number stamped in the pan while the number 12 is stamped on the drive unit (note that the pan of Ken Reiser's DC Mite has the serial number 12 stamped in the pan).  The original owner of the car on the right, serial number DC 13, is not known.

The Davis-Carlson  Mite shown below is purported to be the last car which John Carlson built and shows the evolution of the DC Mite.  Compared with the earlier versions shown above, this car has an extended front axle and the rear axle is positioned rearward to lengthen the wheelbase.  The gear box is not a casting as in the earlier cars, but rather is fully machined from aluminum billet.  In addition, the highly modified Dooling .29 engine is positioned forward to better balance the longer wheelbase car.  The engine features a number of modifications, including  machined front and rear housings, the latter serving as the mount for a greatly enlarged intake venturi.  The car does not have a serial number.

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