International Harvester Scout

In 1961, International Harvester out of Fort Wayne, Indiana, introduced its version of Willys Jeep to the world. The International Scout for sale was joined the Jeep as one of the first civilian American off-road sport utility vehicles. Because it was created to compete with the Jeep, the Scout had similar body styling's including fold down windshields and removable hard or soft tops. While the Scout was only manufactured for fewer than 20 years (1961 to 1980), it made quite an impact in the car world. In fact, the International Scout for sale is still a much sought after vehicle today. This is because it is a hardy little vehicle, surefooted and just plain cool.

During the 19 year reign of the International Scout, there were roughly six production models and a slew of "special editions" and such. It all started, though, with the Scout 80 and 800. Produced from 1961 to 1971. The 80/800 are the original Scout models. The very first International Scout for sale to roll off of the production line, though, touted a 93 horsepower 4 cylinder engine under the hood, 3 speed, floor mounted transmission, vacuum windshield wipers and was available in 2 wheel drive and 4 wheel drive. 

Scout 80s, were built from 1960 to 1965 with the first Scout 80 being introduced to the public on January 18, 1961. It had the distinct boxy body shape with the 1960-1961 models featuring sliding side windows. It had a 152 4 cylinder engine, vacuum windshield wipers and the Jeep inspired fold down windshield. Probably the most remarkable thing about the Scout 80, though, is that, as the introductory model to the Scout line, it was conceived, developed and produced in an amazing time frame - less that two years. Given the automotive industry of the 1960's, this was no small feat.

The Scout 800 made its appearance in late 1965 until mid 1971. These were the more "civilized" version of the Scout, featuring a fixed windshield, windshield wipers that were mounted at the bottom of the windshield and bucket seats for added comfort. Buyers had their choice of a 196 4 cylinder engine, a 232 Inline-6, a 266 V-8 or a 304 V-8 (which entered the ring in the 1969 production model as well as newer models.). Designed to provide more creature comforts than earlier rough and ready models, the 800 had a better instrumentation system, better heating system and even optional rear seats.

Other models included the 810 which appeared in 1971, the Scout II from 1971 to 1980, the Scout II Terra from 1976 to 1980, the Scout II Traveler from 1976 to 1980 and the Soft top Safari II from 1977 to 1979. The interesting thing about the Soft top Safari II, or SSII as International Harvester tagged it, was that most buyers did not know that the SSII actually referred to the Soft top Safari name, they weren't even aware that that was the name! People began to assume that the SS meant Super Scout which is how this model is referred to today.

The Scout did succeed at giving the Jeep a run for its money. Today it stands side by side with the Jeep, holding its own, in a class by itself. You can find more information about the International Harvester Scout on my blog.