From 1961 to 1980, International Harvester, one of the biggest names in the world of agriculture machinery, made sport-utility vehicles. The Scout 80, 800, 800A, Scout II, Terra and Traveler added a fun aspect to go along with IH’s “Light-Line” series of pickup trucks. Kind of genius, if you think about it: the company had a whole herd of die-hard fans who only wanted red machines working for them. So when it was time to think about repairing the combine, or the tractor needed servicing, why not consider a spartan, built-to-work utility that had a lot in common with the Jeep? Or, for the Scout II era, why not trust the plusher (yes, plusher) sport-ute to put in the work? After all, only Jeep had a lead on IH anywhere in the field.
Meet the original Scout, a 1961 Scout 80.
…and the last Scout II off of the South Bend, Indiana assembly line.
Unfortunately, International Harvester hit a big patch of bad times in the 1970s and into the 1980s. At the end of October 1980, the last Scout, a Nissan Diesel-powered unit, rolled off the line and with that, IH’s days in the passenger vehicle segment was pretty much over. By 1985, the company had broken up: the ag side of the house was sold to Tenneco and merged into what we now know as Case IH, while the truck and bus side of the house reorganized under the Navistar brand and with it, International (no Harvester). This would hold out until 2020, when Traton, Volkswagen’s truck and bus division, moved to purchase all of the Navistar shares they didn’t already have from an earlier partnership. Since that day, we’ve been hearing the rumors of a relaunched Scout.
Last week I got to see them with my own eyes.
The Scout Terra, and…
…the Scout Traveler.
By now, you can read all of the information on what they are all about in detail on the Internet (I humbly suggest this particular article, myself). Here’s the TL:DR summary: A body-on-frame EV platform with a solid rear axle, lockers front and rear, an available range-extending gasoline engine called “Harvester”, 1,000-plus ft-lb of torque, 0-60 MPH in 3.5 seconds or quicker, prices starting at around $60,000 before any incentives, deals or other factors are involved, with production projected to start in 2027 in South Carolina. The Terra is roughly about the size of a Ford F-150; the Traveler is the same width but a bit truncated, with both showing strong Scout II design qualities that aren’t teeth-achingly retro-sweet.
If you’re interested, you can put a $100 deposit down on their website (www.scoutmotors.com). If not, that’s fine too, because I made sure to shoot all of the older Scouts that showed up to the unveiling event. Enjoy!