The Stout Scarab concept car tops the list of ‘Star Cars’ at 2025 Des Moines Concours d’Elegance

Des Moines, IA - In the early 30’s, Bill Stout, along with his fellow engineers, envisioned an entirely new style of rear-engine automobile shaped, not like a finless fish or even a scarab beetle, but a turtle. Stout constructed his Scarab prototype utilizing aircraft technology – shaping aluminum body panels over a welded chrome-moly tubular skeleton.

The Scarab, occupying a space no larger than a contemporary Ford, offered twice the interior room. The driver entered through a door beside the seat, while passengers entered through a single door near the back of the car.

Many of Stout’s innovative ideas, such as unit-body construction, smooth body lines, flush-type hinges, electric door locks, and 4-wheel independent suspension, were eventually adopted by automobile manufacturers. By the 1980s, millions of families the world over were traveling in minivans - each one a design descendant of Stout’s revolutionary Scarab.

Read more history, including pictures, about the fabulous 1936 Stout Scarab on the Des Moines Concours d'Elegance website using the link button below.

Des Moines Concours d'Elegance
P.O. Box 13322
Des Moines, Iowa 50310
https://desmoinesconcours.com/

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