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Howdy, from Wickenburg AZ. This is Cactus Cliff
and I'm here with Buckwheat Pete and we gone tell you big yarn about a Scarab
and although he is the historian
and I'm the brains we're going to do the best we can to get this out
to you. so I'm gonna turn it over to Pete for the history of this car
as I failed history and he's much better at it
Howdy folks, in 2007 an old friend of mine
*** Kitzmiller in Kansas City along with Beth Schmidt, got a crazy idea to
make continuation cars of the Scarab of which there were 3 original roadsters
made 1958. When *** got the idea
we went back and I met with *** and I am old
Cobra guy myself so I love you early race car
and and I'm met with *** and his brother Norm Kitzmiller
in Scottsdale we sat down hash this out I asked *** "well what's your plan?"
he said - I have been researching the history of this car for some 3 or 4 years maybe longer then that
is certainly, probably the most desirable car to be replicated in the world not just in United States
so I said well what kind of body? he said I've gotta
aluminum manufactured we gone go see, I said that's a great start
he said the frame is 41-30 all TIG welded
frame 95% accuracy to the original I said my goodness
that's absolutely awesome that started
It has winner center section in the back which is basically a heavy-duty
version of orignial Halibrand Quick Change rear end
the small block Chevy is still the engine choice
most of the cars are approximate 22 that were build so far
most those cars have small block Chevy's in 350 versions
Cliff's of course has the 283 one is 327 two of the cars build
have LS engines kinda hybrid
think but it's a very fast car too the car weighs about about 2100 lbs
you get much over 400hp
it's a little hard to get much more of that Horse Power to the ground
Don Devine drove the car
in Elkhart Lake when we debuted in 2007 and after Don take
a couple laps, I said Don what do you think? He said, it drivers like a Scarab that I remember
Don actually owned one of the original Scarabs Augie Pabst was their with his car also, Augie just
Augie just sold his original Scarab I blelieve it was number 2 Scarab
to fella in Southern California for a lot of money
so is a really great chances at 50th reunion back in Elkhart Lake
to debut the car
and watch the cars on the track and then have one of ours driven
during that time the guy who's division chief SVRA
Came and looked at our car went back and forth between the original car
and the Scarab Motorsports car back and forth back and forth
he came to us and said OK you guys can race it if you put the smaller brakes and have iron heads and a 4-speed
2 of the cars have been build and they have been track only cars
the guys were very successful and having a great time in them
the body witch is absolutely one of most
beautiful bodies ever design was designed by Chuck Pelly
in Southern California at the Arts Center when he was all 18 years old
I asked Chuck few years ago what lines he
put into this body his answer was this body has
many of the line of every favorite car he's ever have
consequently that's absolutaly gorgeous body he desing
it's a long enduring body style and still popular today, still looks beautiful today as it was in 1958
*** ask me to come back and join them we went to
Poland, we talks some manufacturers there
guys that were absolutely flawless craftsmen we spend a week with them
very impressed with the quality of their work
That started the body building
*** lives in Kansas City he has
a complete shop donw there they have a jig
The street cars as we call them
use modern modern Corvette C6 uprights and brakes
cars that are actually SVRA qualified
use a smaller brake because this thing has giant Wilwood's on it for the street
and the smaller brakes are from early model Corvette's and they are disk brakes
the original car had inboard
double drums in the back, the Dyna rear end
and the fronts were 58 Mercury Turnpike cruiser brakes drum brakes
*** and crew are in the process of making, replicate
That car, know as a Meister Brauser now in Kansas City
along with continuation cars of the street cars what you've seen today is a number 19
chassis build which belongs to this young fella right over here
he put it together, drives it loves it, as does every Scarab owner
so far that has purchase and build there own Scarabs
the history of the car is pretty well documented
1958
the Reventlow family, Lance Reventlow
who was all about 21 years old son of
miss Hutton heiress to the Woolworth fortune
Barbara Hutton
and his buddy Bruce Kessler who was also car nut, went racing in Europe
and Lane came out with an idea that he thought he can build a car as good as anything he saw
over there, whether it was Aston Martin, Ferrari, Maserati, Mercedes, Porsche etc. etc.
back to Southern California they want bunch of hotrodders down there
including Chuck Daigh and Phil Remington and drivers like
Don Devine all got together
they put that car together Chuck actually build most of it along with Lance
after the Chuck Pelly have design the body
they build that engine, Troutmand and Barns build the body Traco build the engine
it was a Souther California Hotrod that happen to go around corners
car was extremely successful most every race that they finish
in United States they won
this last year at Monterey 60th anniversary of the Corvette
we took this young guy's car out there and
fortunately for every one
the number one original car was also there to this day
2013 that car was back on the track, which is worth millions and millions
they drove pants of that car and blew everybody of the track
just as they have done 50 years ago
wonderful car to drive on the street
wonderful car for everybody to see, we enjoy, we think you will enjoy it.