What? Too Soon?!?!... [PIC]

Undoubtedly, America's first minivan was the Stout Scarab. This streamlined rear engine multi-passenger vehicle had its first prototype built in 1932. William A Stout, an automotive and aircraft engineer received a bit of inspiration from Buckminster Fuller and his Dynamaxion car. Stout bean construction using a light weight tubular construction but, to save cost later went to steel. Using a 90 HP Ford V8, Stout first envisioned an office on wheels with a removable table and a second row of seats on swivels and used a Dutch designer for the layout. Further tweaking of the structure brought the Scarab to a manageable 3000 lbs. Looking for limited production, the Scarab had a price tag of $5000 when some luxury cars could be had for well under $2000. The Scarab was loaded with innovations that would be copied in later years including independent suspension with coil over hydraulic shock absorbers. The V8 was mounted backwards with a 3 speed transaxle forward of that. The second Scarab was built in 1935. This Brooklin model, a 1936. A total of 9 Scarabs were built pre war with no two exactly alike. A final prototype was built in 1946 with a fiberglass that was shown at auto shows. Stout owned and drove his own Scarab putting over 2000 miles on it. A few Scarabs still exist today in museums. This model is listed as a 1936 but looks like the 1935 2nd generation.