1936 Stout Scarab

The Stout Scarab was designed by William Bushnell Stout and manufactured by Stout Engineering Laboratories and later by Stout Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan. It had an advanced aerodynamic design and, unlike the conventional vehicles of the day, which used a separate chassis and body with a long hood, used a unitized body structure and rear-engine placement. This setup allowed for the elimination of the chassis and drive shaft resulting in a low, flat floor for the interior. The Ford-built V8 flathead engine developing 90 horsepower was placed in the rear of the vehicle, driving the rear wheels via a Stout-built three-speed manual transaxle. The engine was mounted over the rear axle and with the flywheel and clutch facing forward. The transmission was placed ahead of this, lowering and reversing the driveline back to the axle. It had an independent coil spring suspension and a wheelbase that measured 135 inches. The rear swing axle suspension with long coil spring struts was similar to the landing gear of airplanes. The body was designed by Dutch automobile engineer, John Tjaarda, who emulated the aluminum fuselage of an aircraft. Using lightweight materials, the vehicle weighed under 3,000 pounds.

The pontoon styling provided for a spacious interior that included a second row of seats that could turn 180 degrees to face the rear. William Stout envisioned the Scarab as a 'traveling office on wheels,' so it came equipped with a table that could be removed.

Since the Scout Scarab was hand-built, no two examples are identical. Production remained low for several reasons but mostly due to the $5,000 price tag. The Chrysler Imperial Airflow, which had a similar ultra-modern design, cost just $1,345.

by Daniel Vaughan | May 2020