History SCARAB-bitchin' American Road Racer

Here's to that rich kid and his American road racing masterpiece!

 

For those that don't know what a Scarab is;
The Scarab'swere built by Troutman-Barnes in Southern California for Woolworth department Store heir Lance Reventlow. He and ace driver Chuck Daigh raced two of the three cars in 1957-58. Reventlow retained the third for his personal transportation. The Scarab's greatest triumph was Daigh's victory in the 1958 Riverside GP. He defeated Phil Hill in the Ferrari 412-MI and a full field of local, national, and European stars.

 

The single seater GP car was really nice looking, a restoration/clone was built on the East Coast about 10 years ago. What was the total production of SCARAB cars?

 

There was another, later version of the scarab roadracer. I used to have the monogram slotcar.

 

Man, you have a wonderful collection of pictures. Did you take them? In any case these are great. Thanks.

 

I took these at Orosco's open house last year. He had this setup at Pebble Beach. Jesse Cruz did the paint.

 

I beleive there were 3 sports Cars and 9 single seaters.

 

This is from Road & Track November 1963. A Scarab For The Street.

 

Probably the rear engined one

 

Last years 50th. anniversary Scarab meet at Road America in Wis.:

This is the new "clone" that is being built today for those of us who still can dream...








Here is one of two Scarab four cylinder desmodromic valve engines for the above F1 Scarab.
Desmo engines use a cam to open the valves and another to CLOSE the valves!


This is a rear engined Scarab designed for the abortive 305 cu. in. formula for the international races that really never took off.


Probably the most original Scarab in existence. Owned by racer Augie Pabst since he raced it back in '59/'60...

Enjoy!
ZOOOM

 

I was at Castle Rock with Ak Miller in 1960. A young Mr. Shelby drove a Scarab that day to a decisive win over Billy Krause in a D Jag. The sound of that V 8 gearing down for the corners is forever etched in my memory.

 

The original pinstriping, lettering and Scarab logo were done by Von Dutch. The Scarab front engine single seater GP car arrived just in time for the shift to rear-engined cars. As pretty as it was, it was obsolete before it's first race.

 

The Echidna was a similar car of that era; I remember watching them race in Minnesota.
http://www.supercars.net/cars/2421.html

 

Troutman & Barnes ended up building Jim Hall's Chaparral 1's...

 

and the F1 Scarab had an engine penned by the legendary Leo Goossen of Miller and Offenhauser fame. It was a lay-down 4 with desmodronic valve train. There was a glitch in the blueprints which produced a destructive harmonic vibration, which has been rectified apparently in a current restoration. They developed the car with an Offy 4 while desmo motor was on the dyno.

 

I can think of no finer pastime for a rich kid than designing/building cars like these. . .

 

Reventlow committed suicide, didn't he? Still one of the most beautiful sports cars ever built.

 

Plane crash, Aspen Colo. early 70s IIRC.

 

Lance Reventlow, born Lawrence Graf von Haugwitz-Hardenberg-Reventlow (February 24, 1936 – July 24, 1972) was a wealthy playboy, entrepreneur, and racing driver.
Reventlow was the only child of Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton and her second husband Count Curt von Haugwitz-Hardenberg-Reventlow and also the stepson of actor Cary Grant.
Reventlow's marriage to Jill St. John ended in divorce in 1963. In 1964, he married ex-MouseketeerCheryl Holdridge, introduced to him by close friend, singer Jimmy Boyd. The couple mostly remained out of the glare of publicity for several years. An avid Alpine skier, hiker, sailor and pilot, Reventlow maintained a home in Aspen, Colorado. It was there in 1972 while looking at an area to build a ski resort with real estate brokers, that, according to the NTSB report, Reventlow was a passenger in a Cessna 206. Unknown to Reventlow, (who was a fully rated instrument, multi engine, commercial pilot with thousands of hours), the Cessna pilot was an inexperienced 27-year-old student who flew into a blind canyon and stalled the aircraft while trying to turn around. The small plane plunged to the ground, killing Lance Reventlow and the others aboard. Cary Grant took some of Lance's closest friends along with him in his plane to Aspen for Reventlow's memorial service, given by his widow Cheryl.

 

mmmmm did someone say Jill St. John?

 

Old Road & Track test

 

He also had a line of vitamins called "Revups", and he's "Rev" in Revlon cosmetics.

 

No, that was Peter Revson.

 

You are correct. My apologies! The old gray cells ain't what they used to be!

 

Easy mistake to make, both rich kid road racers with similar names that inherited their money, hob-nobbed with movie stars and raced and died in the same time frame.

 

Revson could sure sink his foot in those big, BIG block Can-Am cars...

 

Would anyone happen to have a copy of the book on Reventlow's Scarab MkI, and/or good drawings/blueprints that they could share? I'm putting ideas together for this year's pinewood derby entree and I don't have the $400 for a copy of the book...

Thanks, Bill

 

The Scarab is the ultimate front engine sports racer of all time. My personal favorite.

 

You might be thinking of Tommy Lee. He was another very wealthy car guy! He jumped off a building for some unknown reason.

 

Reventlow died in a plane crash.