Cars
"Simplify and Lighten"
The article discusses the innovative designs of William B. Stout, the man behind America's first airliner and groundbreaking trains, and his foray into automobile design with the Scarab minivan in 1936.
In 1924, he got America’s first airliner, the Stout Ford Tri-Motor, off the ground. He was also the genius behind spectacularly innovative trains like the Railplane railroad car in 1933 and the legendary Union Pacific Speedster M 1000 in 1934.
The front of the Scarab, with fake air intakes inspired by the image of an Egyptian scarab with spread wings, is both attractive and original. Note the semi-concealed headlights and the central pillar that splits the windshield, giving the front a prow-like appearance.
And the principle behind these achievements was the same one he applied throughout his working life: Simplify and Lighten. It was only after he turned his attention to automobiles, in 1936, that the renowned William B. Stout missed out on the pleasure of seeing his ideas transformed into reality.
