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Built in the Los Angeles suburb of Encino, the Dale was inspired by the 1974 Commutercycle designed by inventor Dale Clifft. Clifft had sold his concept for a three-wheel economy car to G. Elizabeth Carmichael, an entrepreneur who at the time was wanted on counterfeiting charges filed out of state. Only three Dales were made: a poorly constructed operational prototype, this non-running mock-up, and a styling mock-up. The body shell of a fourth example was also fabricated, but never finished. With the Dale promoted as combining 70 miles-per-gallon fuel economy with 85 miles-per-hour performance, the fuel crisis of the mid-1970s enabled Carmichael to raise over $2 million from unwary investors before her arrest and ultimate conviction on fraud and other charges.