Construction of America's First Ever F1 Car

Construction of America's First Ever F1 Car, The Reventalow Scarab. Lance Reventalow christened the team Scarab after the Egyptian "good luck" beetle, but good fortune was in short supply as the American team endured a misfiring season in 1960.

He and fellow driver Chuck Daigh made their debut at the Monaco Grand Prix, but failed to qualify for the race later won by Britain's Stirling Moss driving a Lotus.Powered by a V8 Chevrolet at the front, the Scarab cars built in 1959 were fast but not as quick as the rear-engine Cooper Climax driven by Jack Brabham which had better roadholding.

The famous British racing team became the first to win the world title with an engine towards the rear. Rival F1 teams would quickly follow suit, leaving Sacrab to fight an almost unwinnable battle.

Daigh and Reventlow persevered, making it to the starting grid at the Belgium Grand Prix - qualifying 16th and 18th respectively - only to see Reventlow retire with engine trouble after one lap.Daigh didn't last much longer, succumbing to the same problem 15 laps later. A 10th place for Daigh at their home grand prix, held at California's Riverside International Raceway, proved to be both a high point but also the closing curtain on Scarab's brief F1 adventure.