The Scammell Scarab "Mechanical Horse".
The Scammell Scarab and its predecessor the Mechanical Horse were an imaginative solution to the problem of replacing horse transportation of commercial and industrial goods with motorised vehicles in England.
The Scammell Scarab provided extraordinary maneuverability with great adaptability such that they were extensively used by industries, the armed forces, municipal governments and health services in the Great Britain.
These vehicles with their quite unique appearance were a ubiquitous presence on the streets of Britain and many overseas nations as well.
- The idea for a "mechanical horse" to replace real horses for transport of goods began in the 1920’s and resulted in British commercial vehicle maker Scammell creating the first Mechanical Horse in 1934.
The Scammell Mechanical Horse remained in production up until the late 1940’s by which time Scammell had made 14000 of them.
- After the Second World War Scammell decided that their Mechanical Horse could use some improvements. They improved the vehicle’s design and construction – moving from a wood framed cab to all pressed steel construction.
- The improved Mechanical Horse was dubbed the Scammell Scarab.
- It was made as a three wheel prime-mover or as a rigid light truck, and had a front bonnet/hood that made it look rather like a beetle.
The idea that the Scarab was named after the Egyptian Scarab beetle gained some traction and with some merit. But the name was an imaginative play on words: it included the "Sc" of the name "Scammell" and combined it with the most noble of all the horse family, the Arab: so it was the "Scammell Arab mechanical horse".
