Stout Scarab

2015-12-15T23:36:32Z

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[[File:Stout Scarab.JPG|thumb|Stout Scarab on display in Genoa, Italy]]
[[File:Scarab OHTM.JPG|thumb|1935 Scarab at Owls Head Transportation Museum (Owls Head, Maine)]]

The '''Stout Scarab''' is a 1930–1940s [[United States of America|American]] [[minivan]] designed by [[William Bushnell Stout]] and manufactured by Stout Engineering Laboratories and later by Stout Motor Car Company of [[Detroit, Michigan]].<ref name="Ford Richardson Bryan">{{cite book|title=Henry's lieutenants|author=Ford Richardson Bryan}}</ref>

The Stout Scarab is credited by some as the world's first production [[minivan]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indiacar.com/infobank/stout.htm |title=BLAST FROM THE PAST: 1936 STOUT SCARAB |publisher=Indiacar.com |date= |accessdate=2011-08-09}}</ref> and a 1946 experimental prototype of the Scarab became the world's first car with a [[fiberglass]] bodyshell and [[air suspension]].

==Background==
Stout, then President of the Society of Automotive Engineers, had met [[Bucky Fuller]] at a major New York auto show and written an article on the [[Dymaxion Car]] for the society newsletter.<ref name="universe">{{cite web
| title = Buckminster Fuller's Universe
| publisher = Basic Books
| author = Lloyd Steven Sieden
| date = August 11, 2000
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=rG__1rhIzE0C&pg=PA177&lpg=PA177&dq=%22henry+ford%22+%22dymaxion+car%22&source=bl&ots=ZCg1rb_f0x&sig=nvoIy_cqRdV63LarGmGrD1-BT8g&hl=en&sa=X&ei=svJAVfyrKZWgyASIhID4AQ&ved=0CDIQ6AEwBTge#v=onepage&q=%22henry%20ford%22%20%22dymaxion%20car%22&f=false}}</ref>

Stout designed the Scarab in strong contrast to contemporary production cars that commonly used a separate [[chassis]] and [[coachwork|body]]; with a long front, with engine compartment and engine located longitudinally behind the front axle, and a rearward passenger compartment. The front-mounted engine would typically drive the rear axle through a connecting [[drive shaft]] running underneath the floor of the vehicle. This layout worked very well, but had space limitations.

Instead, the Scarab did away with the chassis and drive-shaft, to create a low, flat floor for the interior, by using a [[Unitized Body|unitized body structure]], and by placing the [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]-built [[Ford Flathead engine|V8 engine]] in the rear of the vehicle. The car’s creator, motorcar and aviation engineer and journalist [[William B. Stout]], envisioned his traveling machine to be an office on wheels. To that end, the Scarab's body, styled by [[John Tjaarda]], a well known Dutch automobile engineer,<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=yN8DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA200&dq=Popular+Science+1935+plane+%22Popular+Mechanics%22&hl=en&ei=t_c0TqiZF-6rsALn6bXtCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCgQ6AEwADgK#v=onepage&q&f=true "Airplane Engine Adopted To Streamline Car" ''Popular Mechanics'', February 1935] see notations by editors above on archive issue and photo of Tjaarda</ref> closely followed the construction of an aluminium [[aircraft fuselage]].

Featuring a very short, streamlined nose and tapering upper body at the rear, it foreshadowed the contemporary monospace (or one-box) MPV or [[Minivan]] design — featuring a removable table and second row seats that turn 180 degrees to face the rear — a feature that Chrysler currently markets as ''Swivel ’n Go.''<ref name="Stout" >{{cite news
| title = A Visionary’s Minivan Arrived Decades Too Soon
| publisher = The New York Times, Phil Patton, January 6, 2008
| url = http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/06/automobiles/collectibles/06SCARAB.html?_r=1&scp=6&sq=minivan&st=cse
| date=January 6, 2008
}}</ref>

Although reminiscent of the [[Chrysler Airflow]], [[streamliner]], and the slightly later (1938) [[Volkswagen Beetle#The factory|KdF-Wagen]] — all aerodynamically efficient in appearance, the Stout Scarab was generally considered ugly at the time. Today its futuristic design and curvaceous, finely detailed nose earn it respect as an [[Art Deco]] icon.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20040622/ai_n12792614 |title=Title unknown}} {{Dead link|date=June 2011|bot=RjwilmsiBot}}</ref>

==Innovative features==
The Scarab's interior space was maximized by its [[Ponton (automobile)|Ponton]] styling, which dispensed with running-boards and expanded the cabin to the full width of the car; a long [[wheelbase]] and engine placement directly over the rear axle — which moved the driver forward, enabling a steering wheel almost directly above the front wheels. Passengers entered through a single, large common [[vehicle door|door]]. A flexible seating system could be easily reconfigured, except for the driver's seat, which was fixed. Anticipating the seating in modern [[minivan]]s, such as the [[Chrysler Voyager]] or [[Renault Espace]], there was a small card table which could be fitted with the passenger seats as needed. Interiors were appointed in [[leather]], [[Chrome plating|chrome]], and wood. Design elements also worked in a stylized ancient Egyptian "[[Scarab (artifact)|scarab]]" motif, including the car's emblem. Visibility to the front and sides was similar to that of an [[observation car]], although rearward vision was negligible and there were no rear-view mirrors.

The innovations did not end with the car's layout and body design. In an era where almost everything on the road had [[Beam axle|rigid axles]] with [[leaf springs]], the Scarab featured [[independent suspension]] using [[coil spring]]s on all four corners, providing a smoother, quieter ride. The [[Rear-engine design|rear-engine]]-induced weight bias coupled to the coil spring suspension endowed the Scarab with very good handling and traction. The rear [[swing axle]] suspension with long coil spring struts was inspired by aircraft landing gear.<ref name="Ludvigsen, Colin Chapman, Scarab" >{{Cite book
|title=Colin Chapman: Inside the Innovator
|last=Ludvigsen |first=Karl
|authorlink=Karl Ludvigsen
|publisher=Haynes Publishing
|year=2010
|isbn=1-84425-413-5
|ref={{harvid|Ludvigsen|Colin Chapman}}
|pages=114–115, 120
}}</ref> The Scarab suspension would itself inspire the later [[Chapman strut]] used by [[Lotus cars|Lotus]] from their [[Lotus Twelve]] model of 1957.<ref name="Ludvigsen, Colin Chapman, Scarab" />

The Ford flathead V8 drove the rear wheels via a custom Stout-built three-speed manual [[transaxle]]. The engine was reversed from its normal position, mounted directly over the rear axle and with the flywheel and clutch facing forwards. The transmission was mounted ahead of this, reversing and lowering the driveline back to the axle.<ref name="Ludvigsen, Colin Chapman, Scarab" /> This unusual layout would later be repeated by the [[Lamborghini Countach]].

==Production==
The first running prototype of the Scarab was completed in 1932, probably the first car ever with an [[aluminum]] [[spaceframe]] [[Unit body construction|unit-construction body]], although the frame parts were steel.<ref>[http://miscfug.blogspot.com/ ]{{dead link|date=August 2011}}</ref> The second Scarab, completed in 1935, was an evolution of the first, incorporating some styling and mechanical changes. The [[headlamp]]s were set behind a fine, vertical-bar [[grille (motor vehicle)|grille]], and at the rear, narrow chrome bars curved from the back window down to the bumper, giving the car its Art Deco appearance. The body was now steel to reduce cost.
[[File:Stout Scarab Gilmore Car Museum 2011-11-11 02-28-05.jpg|thumb|Stout Scarab Experimental (1946)]]

Stout issued a statement that the car would be manufactured in limited quantities and sold to those who were invited to buy. Up to a hundred a year were to be made in a small factory at the corner of Scott Street and Telegraph Road (U.S. 24), [[Dearborn, Michigan]]. Although the Scarab garnered much press coverage, at $5,000 (equivalent to $80,000 in 2010), when a luxurious and ultra-modern [[Chrysler Imperial]] Airflow cost just $1,345, very few would pay this hefty premium for innovation, and total production of the Scarab amounted to no more than nine units.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/bv/scarab.htm |title=Motoring Memories: William Stout and his Scarab - Autos.ca |publisher=Canadiandriver.com |date=2005-07-29 |accessdate=2011-08-09}}</ref> The vehicles were completely hand-built and no two Scarabs were identical.

Immediately following [[World War II]], Stout built one more prototype Scarab, called the Stout Scarab Experimental.<ref name="ConceptcarzStoutScarabExperimental">{{cite web|url=http://www.conceptcarz.com/z20937/Stout-Scarab-Experimental.aspx|title=1946 Stout Scarab Experimental news, pictures, and information|publisher=www.conceptcarz.com |date= |accessdate=2012-02-07}}</ref> It was shown in 1946 and was more conventional in appearance, although still equipped with a rear engine. It was 2-door, featured a wraparound windshield and the world's first [[fiberglass]] body. Like its metal counterparts, it too was a [[monocoque]], built up out of only eight separate pieces and, for good measure, featured the world's first fully functioning [[air suspension]], previously developed in 1933 by [[Firestone Tire and Rubber Company|Firestone]]. It never went into production.

Stout owned and drove his own Scarab, accumulating over 250,000 miles in travel around the United States.<ref name="Ford Richardson Bryan"/>

Up to five Scarabs are reported to survive today. A 1935 Scarab in running condition is on display at the ''Owls Head Transportation Museum'' in [[Owls Head, Maine]].

==See also==
*[[Dymaxion car]]

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==Literature and media==
*Kimes, Beverly R., Clark, Henry A., ''Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805–1942''. Kraus Publications, 1996, ISBN 0-87341-428-4
*The Stout Scarab is one of 15 hidden vehicles that can be driven in the 2011 video game [[L.A. Noire]].

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/bv/scarab.htm Motoring Memories: William Stout and his Scarab]
*[http://carsatlarge.com/2006/08/futuristic-style-1935-stout-scarab.html Futuristic Style: 1935 Stout Scarab (Part III)]
*[http://www.conceptcarz.com/view/vehiclePhotos.aspx?carID=9131&optionID=0&pg=2&catID=747&eventID=112 1936 Stout Scarab Photographs]
*[http://www.fayobserver.com/Articles/2010/01/03/963373 Lumberton man owns rare Scarab auto]
*[http://books.google.com/books?id=QdsDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA62&dq=Popular+Science+1935+plane+%22Popular+Mechanics%22&hl=en&ei=QIs_TpjpHOPJsQKo4uC_Bw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCwQ6AEwATgU#v=onepage&q&f=true "Deluxe Bullet on Wheels Has Rear Engine" ''Popular Mechanics'', January 1936]

[[Category:1930s automobiles]]
[[Category:Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States]]
[[Category:Rear-engined vehicles]]
[[Category:Rear-wheel-drive vehicles]]
[[Category:Minivans]]
[[Category:Motor vehicle manufacturers based in Michigan]]
[[Category:Cars introduced in 1932]]
[[Category:Defunct companies based in Michigan]]

Wikipedia - Benutzerbeiträge [de]

Stout Scarab