Chrysler Airflow stablemate?
A 1936 Stout Scarab – one of nine made Stout Scarab – with a questionable claim to be the world’s first production ‘minivan’ – will be on display at Concours of Elegance in September.
The Scarab was the creation of automotive and aviation engineer William Bushnell Stout. Inspired by ‘futurist’ architect and designer Buckminster Fuller and his tear-drop creation: the Dymaxion, Stout saw the Scarab as a production phenomenon in an age of uninspiring automotive design.
Then reality set in. The time-consuming coach-work and $5,000 price tag (~$100,000 today) meant failure, and the Scarab died after just nine were completed.
This particular Stout Scarab is also part of a war-time legend; it was claimed to be the scene of a meeting between General Eisenhower and Charles de Gaulle during the Second World War.
During the 1950s it was used by a circus owner, keeping monkeys in the car while they toured the continent. It was then sold on to a French industrial designer who had the vehicle placed in a museum in Reims.
The current owners had the vehicle restored in 2001 and have kept it in top condition. This museum-worthy creation is a fantastic addition to the Concours of Elegance, joining some of the world’s rarest and unique automobiles in the gardens of Hampton Court.
There will be a display of one of every Aston Martin Zagato variant, a collection of the most important vehicles in Bentley’s 100-year history, and one of the most significant Ferrari’s extant.
Adult tickets for this year’s Concours of Elegance start from £40, with children under five and minders entering free of charge. Visitors are also able to purchase hospitality packages, including VIP parking, three-course lunch, drinks reception and cream tea. Tickets at: http://www.concoursofelegance.co.uk/tickets
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
Stout Scarab Minivan Joins Concours of Elegance 2019
Chrysler Airflow stablemate?
A 1936 Stout Scarab – one of nine made Stout Scarab – with a questionable claim to be the world’s first production ‘minivan’ – will be on display at Concours of Elegance in September.
The Scarab was the creation of automotive and aviation engineer William Bushnell Stout. Inspired by ‘futurist’ architect and designer Buckminster Fuller and his tear-drop creation: the Dymaxion, Stout saw the Scarab as a production phenomenon in an age of uninspiring automotive design.
Then reality set in. The time-consuming coach-work and $5,000 price tag (~$100,000 today) meant failure, and the Scarab died after just nine were completed.
This particular Stout Scarab is also part of a war-time legend; it was claimed to be the scene of a meeting between General Eisenhower and Charles de Gaulle during the Second World War.
During the 1950s it was used by a circus owner, keeping monkeys in the car while they toured the continent. It was then sold on to a French industrial designer who had the vehicle placed in a museum in Reims.
The current owners had the vehicle restored in 2001 and have kept it in top condition. This museum-worthy creation is a fantastic addition to the Concours of Elegance, joining some of the world’s rarest and unique automobiles in the gardens of Hampton Court.
There will be a display of one of every Aston Martin Zagato variant, a collection of the most important vehicles in Bentley’s 100-year history, and one of the most significant Ferrari’s extant.
Adult tickets for this year’s Concours of Elegance start from £40, with children under five and minders entering free of charge. Visitors are also able to purchase hospitality packages, including VIP parking, three-course lunch, drinks reception and cream tea. Tickets at: http://www.concoursofelegance.co.uk/tickets
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.