The Stout Scarab - The First Minivan

by Mike - 

Minivans are not normally the subject of My Car Quest but for the Stout Scarab I am making an exception.

The Stout Scarab incorporated design features found in airplanes because the creator, William Stout, had been an aircraft designer for Packard during WWI.

It looks like a beetle, the bug, and maybe non-coincidentally like the Volkswagen beetle. It uses a rear-mounted Ford 221 cid flathead V8 engine producing 85 hp. The fenders were incorporated into the body and thus running boards were not used, a major change from other cars of the 1930s.

The Scarab design eliminated the chassis and drive-shaft which resulted in a flat floor in the interior, so with the engine in the rear there is much more room inside.

The Scarab's body was styled by John Tjaarda, an aeronautical designer, and resembled an aluminum aircraft fuselage. The streamline design reduced air resistance and improved drivability.

Only nine Stout Scarabs were produced in the early to mid-1930s and cost $5,000 when new and this very high price may partially explain why it was not a market success. The radical looks may be another reason, although today these looks would be an asset, in my opinion.

An experimental prototype of the Scarab became the world's first car with a fiberglass body.

Click on the images for a larger view.