If there has ever been a car that looks exactly like what its name implies, then the Stout Scarab is it. It is the result of trying to completely rethink the car in order to maximize interior space and aerodynamic properties in the mid 1930s.
The Scarab was created in 1936 by William B. Stout out of Michigan. He had a background in the aeronautics industry and he’s apparently most famous for building what is believed to be one of the first ever all-metal airplanes.
His cars are pretty cool too; the Scarab is rear-engined, has fully enclosed wheels, no door handles (you pushed a button to electrically open them!) and flourishes of Art Deco style.
In fact, with its streamlined shape it really epitomizes the glamorous image of that age, its strangeness adding to the mystique…
Looks pretty nice inside too, this particular example having been painstakingly restored by its current owner over the course of several years, sacrificing another one of the nine Scarabs ever built in the process.
Check out the car and its owner Ron Schneider in the two videos posted below, one courtesy of WSJ and another (the older one) courtesy of RidesWithChuck over on YouTube.