William Bushnell Stout was born on March 16, 1880 in Quincy, Illinois.  Stout designed and built his first model airplane out of cardboard and rubber bands when he was 14 and kept designing and building thereafter.

Stout’s innovative designs led him to a number of engineering positions at several American automobile companies. His most noticeable invention was a monoplane, the first successful airplane design devoid of exterior struts, wires and other wind obstructions. His company, the Stout Metal Airplane Company, was bought by the Ford Motor Company in 1924.

In 1934, he founded the Stout Motor Car Company, which featured a “beetle-like” Scarab with an all-aluminum tubular airframe covered with aluminum skin, with the engine in the rear, glove compartment and reclining aircraft-type seats.