After he had finished the restoration of his 1936 Stout Scarab, Ron Schneider took it to a prestigious car show in Michigan. Two suited Chrysler executives looked over the car. As they turned to go, one said to the other, “So, who’s going to tell Lee he didn’t invent the minivan?” There have been instances when the Scarab was likened to a minivan, but despite resemblances, it is far more innovative than a minivan.
William Stout – the man
The Scarab was the brainchild of William Bushnell Stout an aeronautical engineer, toymaker, industrial designer, president of the Society of Automotive Engineers, writer and editor. Born in Quincy, Illinois, in March 1880, he was credited with more innovations than Edison. He designed the Ford Trimotor airplane, an air-conditioned bed, improved theater seating, the Pullman Railplane (the first gasoline-powered streamlined train), and an incredible and influential—albeit not very successful—automobile.
