This ‘car’ is so unique looking, we decided to share it with our readers, writes Trish Whelan.
This is billed as the world’s first production minivan, the art deco-inspired 1936 Stout Scarab. It will be on display at this year’s Concours of Elegance 2019 from 6-8 September at Hampton Court Palace.
Only nine were ever built and it is one of the rarest vehicles to be on display. It’s rumoured to have hosted a meeting between General Eisenhower and Charles de Gaulle during the Second World War. Throughout 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 it restored in 2001 and have kept it in top condition ever since.
It was the brainchild of journalist and automotive & aviation engineer William Bushnell Stout. Unfortunately for him, the time-consuming coach-work and $5,000 price tag (almost $100,000 today) meant that the idea never gained the traction needed to become a success and the Scarab dream died after just nine were completed.
The show is described as ‘an oasis of the rarest Ferraris, Bugattis, Rolls-Royces, Maseratis and more’.
Photo credits -Michael Furman
