1958 Scarab Sports Roadster MK II Sports Roadster

During the production of the Scarab Sports Roadster, European sports car rules were changed to permit only engines up to 183 cubic inches. This made the Scarab's small block Chevy 283 cubic-inch V8 obsolete. Other engines were tried but were met with dismal results, so the Chevy-powered Scarab racers were limited to the U.S. with Chuck Daigh and Lance Reventlow driving. No car was more successful in SCCA B-Modified during this period.

Of the eight Scarab racers built, four were an astounding successes and four were spectacular failures. This Scarab MK II is the 3rd and final sports racer to be finished. It has the 339 cubic-inch Chevrolet small block 283 V8 engine married to a Corvette 4-speed gearbox. The resulting racer was spectacular; it handled beautifully thanks to the adjustable de Dion rear suspension designed by Dick Troutman. Frustratingly, just after the first Scarab was finished, the European sports car rules, for which it had been designed, were changed to permit engines only up to 183 cubic inches or 3.0 liters. An Offenhauser engine was tried in this car but with dismal results, as it was both heavier and less powerful. So the larger Chevy unit was put back in and in 1958 the Scarabs went racing, but only in America. With Chuck Daigh and Lance Reventlow as team drivers, the Scarabs were immediately successful in the SCCA Group B-Modified class. Scarab sports racers remained competitive well into the 1960s, long after Reventlow had retired from the scene.

Lance Reventlow sold this Mark II Sports Racer to Meister Brauser in 1959. Harry Woodnorth purchased it in 1961, selling it to Skip Lehmann that same year. Ownership later passed to Jerry Hansen, Don Devin, and then to Dick Barbour before coming into the care of the Collier Collection.

By Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2018