Ironically The Scarlet Car has more in common with the other two "scarlets" than just the color word in the title. All three stories, with the oldest being Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter which he wrote and published in 1850, revolve around a strong, independent-thinking central female character. But, of course, only one features the automobile as a main focus--and this scarlet vehicle occupying no less prominent a position than the title role.