We've talked about the Airflow and the Dymaxion before, but we've never really touched on the Stout Scarab and all of its wierdness. It all started with a loon... William B. Stout was an aviator and motor journalist (Motor Age) with a wonder... <BR><BR>To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.
Weird yes but very ROOMY as in holy shit you could put a sleeper sofa in there and still have room >>>>.
A guy was driving one around at Back to the 50's a few years ago, got a real close look at it. Very cool.
Wheels out at the corners, flat floor, flexible seating: add a few dozen cupholders and you've got a minivan. Did this beetle come out before Porsche's?
In this vein, there's also the McQuay Norris promo streamliners built in 1934 to tour the country and promote McQuay Norris parts to dealers. One was for sale in AZ about a dozen years ago.
DAMN what a car. Really have to give it to some of those guys back in the day who tried to make a run at it. was this the first motorhome LOL. So thats where airstream campers came from.
The Owl's Head Transportation Museum in Maine has one on display. We saw it last Spring and drooled all over it, my wife wanted to bring it home! Pictures don't do the car justice, it's even more amazing in person. Here's their website: http://www.ohtm.org/edu_col.html .
The logo of this thing always reminded me of the HOK(House of Kolor) Logo. I wondered if this car had anything to do with it. most likely no. kool car, no doubt.
Interior is way cool and the outside looks like a slug.....but in a good way. The story reminds me of the creation of the Monopoly board game. Necessity is the mother of invention, and kids speed up the process huh?
they may have only made a few actual cars but Buddy L toys made thousands of pressed steel versions back in the day. all the ones I ever saw in my toy collecting days were red, and I believe they all had a spring loaded motor for them to scoot across the floor. they were going for about 300 bucks in the late 80's. I'll see if I can dig up a picture.
"While on a cross country trip with this family, William began to ponder the inefficiencies of the automobile when used as a long hauler. We’ve all been there… He was cramped, his ass hurt, his back hurt, he was tired of the kids screaming, and tired of his wife’s toe prints on the front windshield as she “reclined” in the passenger seat. There had to be a better way." Which is why I have a Suburban....
I have had the priveledge in riding in two of the Stout Scarabs. If you think they are neat from the outside, wait until you go cruising in one. At the V8 National Meet in Dearborn many years ago, I went cruising in the "ghettos" of Detroit.. The responses from the people hang'in on the streets was unbelievable. Stout also produced a folding house trailer. It is made to fold neatly into a "box" and opens up to be a triple-wide. One of these exists and is being restored now. Stout has a middle school named after him in Dearborn. Appropriately, it is on Oakwood Blvd, just a few blocks south from the place where he built the tri-motors for Ford. At the school, enclosed in a glass case, is the most AMAZING large scale model of a tri-motor that you have ever seen. I believe the model was built by Stout. Some of the buildings that the tri-motors were built in still exist and are used by Ford for research and development. They can be seen from Oakwood Blvd. This is now the facility that is one of Ford's proving grounds but used to be the Ford airport. It is located just across the street from the Dearborn Inn, which, arguably, was the first hotel built to serve an airport.
Wow what a beautiful car.The lines are like a sexy woman very art deco.I find it funny that in the 20s and 30s people came up with very modern high tech ideas but we now can barely make a car get over 35 mpg.Where are all the super genious car builders for this generation?
Where are all the super genious car builders for this generation? they have been replaced by bean counters
I love those things! Saw the one at Owls Head too, and drooled over it as well VespaJay. The Tatra is also similar in shape and layout to these, though a little later in history. The Tesla is and interesting sidebar, they have been having the same teething problems as any car maker had, but innovative hell yeah.
There was one sitting in a field in Fontana. Maybe still there but I don't remember where....... Goggle Earth? I'm slowing down.
I was lucky enough to see one in person a couple of years ago at the "Streamlined Automotive Design" exhibit at the Phoenix Art Museum. I remember staring at the rear of it forever. That rear grill is just a work of art!
"William threw in the towel and lost to the Detroit big boys, but gave them one hell of a shot - don’t ya think?" He didn't lose, he created what is still today the sexiest motorcoach I've ever seen! I've never heard of a Scarab before, but I'm beyond impressed. What a glorious piece of work, form and function in every part I see. Thanks for showing us something new (at least for me), I'm going to google this thing and see what else is known about this vehicle.
Wow...great exterior design elements. Anybody watch the movie? Looks like the driver could barely keep it running straight, going off onto the shoulder once. Maybe it was a windy day!
One came thorugh Jackson, Tn on the Great American Race in about 1990. It was silver & looked like the one ProEnfo posted above. It was an amazing piece of design. Was by far my favorite of the bunch that day.