International Scout

The International Scout is an off-road vehicle produced by International Harvester from 1960 to 1980. Created as a competitor for the Jeep CJ, the Scout was the precursor of more sophisticated SUVs, including the Ford Bronco, Chevrolet Blazer, and the later Jeep Cherokee.

The Scout was designed as an open-top two-door truck as a base vehicle with options to configure it as a station wagon, half-cab pickup truck, or a soft-top convertible.

International Harvester assembled the model line in its facility in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

History

thumb|The first model, a 1961 Scout 80, as a pickup with a removable hardtop. A full cap was also available, known as the Travel-Top.

International Harvester began building trucks and pickups in 1907. In 1953, International began selling a truck-based people carrier, the Travelall. During the late 1950s, International began to design a competitor for the two-door Jeep CJ 4x4. The 1961 model year Scout 80 debuted in late 1960.

Later, chief designer Ted Ornas recalled:

...the market potential for a four-wheel drive recreational vehicle was an unknown quantity in the early 1950s. The only such vehicle offered in the post-war period was the Willys Jeep, a version of the military jeep produced for World War II. It was a flat-sided bare-bones product, and American military personnel learned to appreciate its ability to maneuver over rough terrain. Sales volume was very low. In early 1958, we were directed to develop a concept proposal to enter this small market. So help me, Mr. Reese, the engineering manager, said 'design something to replace the horse.' There was no product definition to use as a guide. It was even proposed to use the defunct Henry J body tooling. Compound body surfaces were considered too far out for this type of vehicle. The military jeep was thought to have the correct appearance. Our design sketches with the flat-side, no-contour look never excited the executive committee. The program began to die. One night while sitting at our kitchen table (full of frustration and desperation), I dashed off this rough sketch on a scrap mat board. It had contoured sides and was designed for plastic tooling. The next morning it was shown to a committee member. He reviewed it with controlled enthusiasm, but revived interest in the program. We were off and running. Goodyear produced many plastic parts for WWII and formed a large plastic engineering group. We entered a program with them, a scale model was vacuum formed to simulate body assembly. This model received executive approval for appearance. By July 1959, Goodyear completed their costing, and because of the high costs, the plastic program was cancelled. By this time, the contoured design met with executive approval and a decision was made to convert the body design to steel. Starting in late July 1959, a full-sized clay model was completed, and in November 1959, it was approved. It was a remarkable program with fast-paced engineering and manufacturing developments. The total development time of 24 months was a heroic achievement considering the concept was unique and no in-house engine or manufacturing was available or even considered when the program started.

</blockquote>

The first Scout was introduced in 1960. A concept for its replacement was initiated in 1964 and approved for production in mid-1965. The Scout II was introduced in 1971. The basic sheet metal remained unchanged until production stopped on October 21, 1980. During the 20-year period (1960–1980), 532,674 Scouts were produced. The Scout, introduced as a commercial utility pickup in 1960, set the stage for future four-wheel drive recreational vehicles of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.

Print slogans and marketing jingles during the 1970s signaled its appeal in the words, "International Scout: Anything less is just a car."

Line tickets

When an order for an IH vehicle was sent to the factory, a factory plan or construction sheet was created with the new vehicle's VIN or ID number and all the codes for standard equipment and options used by the salesman that issued the order. This sheet was used to assemble the vehicle from beginning to finish. After the vehicle was assembled, shipped, and sold, the so-called line ticket identified the engine type, transmission type, drive line, paint codes, gear ratio, and standard and optional equipment specific to that vehicle. Different parts were used on the same model in the same year. A small copy of the line ticket was attached to each vehicle during the building process at the factory. The location of the ticket varied: 1971–1976 Scout IIs had their copies mounted under their hoods, attached to the cowl cover panels. The 1977–1980 Scout IIs had their copies on the inside of the glove box doors, and 1969–1975 pickups and Travelalls had them attached to the back of the glove boxes; depressing the keeper tabs on each side of the box lets the box swing down to reveal the ticket. If lost, line tickets can be ordered through several Scout parts specialists due to their diligence in maintaining these valuable resources.

Models and variants

Scout models include:

Scout 80 (1960–1965): Original standard model.
Scout 800 (1966–1971): Same overall design as 80, with upgrades (electric wipers, newer engines, etc).
Scout 810 (1971); some early Scout IIs contain Scout 810 badging on the glove box.
Scout II (1971–1980): Later standard model with a removable soft or hard top (100-inch wheelbase).
Scout II Terra (1976–1980): Light pickup truck model (118-inch wheelbase).
Scout II Traveler (1976–1980): Sold with removable fiberglass hardtop and optional third row of seats (118-inch wheelbase).
Super Scout II (1977–1979): Sold with removable fabric doors, roll bar, and soft top. The soft-top model was tagged the "SSII" by IH marketing. Eventually, the "SS" letters were assumed to stand for "Super Scout", the name this model is called presently.

Scout 80 and 800

thumb|Rear view of an International Harvester Scout 80, showing the IH logo and tailgate hooks

80

Scout 80s were built between 1960 and 1965. These models were identifiable by removable sliding side windows in 1960–1961 and even some very early 1962 models, a fold-down windshield, vacuum windshield wipers mounted to the top of the windshield, and an IH logo in the center of the grille and tailgate. The Scout 80 had a gasoline-powered International 152 inline-four as its standard engine.

Red Carpet

The first special package was the "Red Carpet" series, celebrating the 100,000th Scout manufactured by International; only 3,000 were produced. It had a red interior with a white exterior, full-length headliner, full floor mats, and a special silver-plated medallion affixed to the door, which read "Custom". This Scout was a step up from regular models; it was marketed to attract more people and was often advertised with women in mind. Each International dealer in the United States received one Red Carpet Scout for use in parades, in the showroom, and for promotional purposes.

Campermobile

thumb|right|International Harvester Scout 80 Campermobile

During the early 1960s, International experimented with a camper body permanently mounted to the Scout 80. The roof was raised to nearly double the original height (to allow standing upright inside), tented sleeping bunks folded out from the sides, and the rear of the body was extended significantly. The tailgate/liftgate system was replaced with one large ambulance-style swinging door. Plans included that the unit could be purchased as a stripped-down shell ($960 installed), or as a "deluxe" unit with a dinette set, stand-up galley, and a screened chemical toilet that retracted into the wall ($1850 installed). The May 1963 issue of Mechanix Illustrated contained a full-color advertisement for the Scout Camper on the inside cover, which features two artist's renderings of the unit and a form to fill out and send in for free literature. The camper appeared again in the May 1963 issue of Popular Science, this time in an actual photo as part of a two-page article about pickup campers. Production of these units was low due to limited orders, and they are now rare.

Early 800

thumb|An early 1965 Scout 800 built with remaining Scout 80 parts. The hood loop in the center and grille from the 80 are present here. This vehicle's final inspection took place on 10/14/65 and it was deemed a new 800 model.

The final run of the Scout 80s were built in 1965 and the new 800 was fully developed during 1966. However, some Scouts built in the later months of 1965 are considered Scout 800s, as indicated by their VIN and Line Setting Ticket (LST). An assumed 3000 of these "1965 1/2" Scouts exist. Existing parts were used in piecing together these new 800 models, such as the hood that retained the tie-down loop that would hold down the 80's folding windshield, a feature the 800 lacked. This was likely due to an overstock of 80 parts from the years prior. The front grille, also from the 80, featured a gold-plated IH emblem on a black backing piece secured to wire mesh. In the new for 1966 models of the 800, the wire mesh grille stayed but the center emblem changed to spell "INTERNATIONAL".

A stronger Dana 44 axle was available in the 800 until 1968, though early 800 models only used the 80's weaker Dana 27 axle, which was more prone to axle shafts breaking during heavy off-road use. By 1968, Scout 800s came with 4-wheel drive as standard.

800

The Scout 800 replaced the Scout 80 in 1965 and was built from 1965 to 1968. These models had many improvements in comfort and design, including bucket seats, better instrumentation and heating systems, an updated dashboard, optional rear seats, and an optional inline-four (from 1966) or inline-six. Beginning in March 1967, International's V8 engine was also offered. Externally, changes were limited to an anodized aluminum grille with a rectangular "International" logo placed on the grille (with the IH badge being moved to the hood), door handles with buttons, and a tailgate without hooks.

The base engine was a naturally aspirated International "Comanche 152" inline-four producing , of which a turbocharged version producing , the 152-T, was also offered. In August 1966, the 152-T was complemented by the larger 196-4, which used less fuel (being capable of 20 mpg) with the same power output. The 152-T was discontinued during early 1968. A fold-down windshield was still available as an option, but few were ordered because it was not advertised. The vacuum-powered wipers were moved to the bottom of the windshield frame with the fixed windshield.

thumb|left|International Harvester Scout 800 Sportop

Beginning in early 1966, International also offered the Scout 800 Sportop, which had an upgraded interior and a unique fiberglass top (also available as a convertible) with a slanted rear roof and a Continental spare tire kit. The 800A's grille was in three segments: the center grille and two matte-black headlight bezels. The Light Line of pickup trucks received bodywork similar to that of the Scout in late 1969.

The 800A could be ordered with the Sportop, and later in Aristocrat and SR-2 packages. The Aristocrat was the final version of the original-bodied Scout. These trucks had a blue vinyl interior, a blue and silver paint scheme, and a chrome roof rack; four-wheel drive was standard for most models.

800B

The last of the 800 series was the 800B, available for less than eight months from August 1970 until March 1971, before it was replaced by the Scout II. Other than minor cosmetic details (notably chrome instead of matte black headlight bezels), it was identical to the 800A. It was only produced until the Scout II entered production.

The 800B was available with the Comanche package. This package included special paint and decals, chrome trim, sliding Traveltop-style windows, and other options such as a roof rack, chrome wheels, and an upgraded interior. In late 1970, the Sno-Star package became available; only available with the six-cylinder engine, it was developed specifically for snowplow usage.

Scout II

Scout IIs were manufactured from April 1971 to 1980. The design was finalized much earlier, with a version nearly identical to the production model shown to management in December 1967.

The Scout II is most identifiable by its different front grilles. The 1971–1972 Scout IIs' grilles had three horizontal bars between the headlights and chrome rings around the headlights. The 1973 Scout IIs had 14 vertical bars between the headlights, a split in the middle, seven bars on each side surrounded by chrome trim pieces, and an "International" badge at the bottom left corner. 1974–75 Scout II grilles added a vertical bar trim overlay to the 1973 design. 1975 grilles had chrome and black square trim rings around the headlights; 1976 had the same headlight trim rings as 1975, and a chrome center grille of 15 horizontal bars split into three sections was used in this year only, the automatic shifter was relocated to the floor

The maximum GVWR of all Scouts, no matter the engine or equipment, was increased to for 1976 so as to avoid having to fit catalytic converters. These did not appear on Scouts until the 1979 model year. 1977–79 Scout IIs used the same grille between the headlight bezels; the new chrome grille had two large horizontal bars and three vertical bars, and the "International" nameplate was moved up to the center of the grille on the left side.

Scout II's could be ordered with the full metal Traveltop, the half-cab Roadster top (now seldom seen), or a soft top.

In 1980, the final year of production for the Scout, the grille used a distinctive single-piece design made of ABS plastic and available in black or silver. Both grille color options had imprinted chrome trim around the headlights and an "International" badge on the left side. Starting with late 1974 Scout IIs, power disc brakes were standard; early 1974 models had disc brakes as a rarely selected option. Very few 1971–1979 Scout IIs were ordered in RWD-only configuration—most were 4WD.

Before International discontinued the Scout in 1980, International experimented with Scout-based minivans, station wagons, dune buggies, Hurst-built special editions (in similar fashion to the Oldsmobile Hurst/Olds and Hurst SC/Rambler), and even a small motorhome. These plans were scrapped due to the International Harvester strike of 1979-80 and a lack of funds for the company to continue production of the Scout, let alone expand the Scout product line. The last IH Scout was produced on October 21, 1980.

File:IH Scout II Rallye in orange, rear right (at Balsam Farms).jpg|IH Scout II with Rallye package

File:1976-80 IH Scout II Traveller front.jpg|A 1976–1980 Scout II Traveler

File:1976-80 IH Scout II Traveller rear.jpg|Rear view of a 1976–80 IH Scout II Traveler

</gallery>

Terra and Traveler

The Terra and Traveler were produced from 1976 to 1980. Terras and Travelers had fiberglass tops, with a half-cab for the Terra and a full top with a hatchback-type liftgate on the Traveler. These models were extended by between the door and the front of the rear wheel well.

SSII

thumb|left|1977 International Scout SSII Baja Cruiser

The SSII (Super Scout II) was a stripped-down, off-road version introduced in February 1977. It was intended to compete directly with the Jeep CJ and was built until 1979. It included a soft top with soft doors, windshield-mounted mirrors, plastic door inserts, a unique plastic grille, and a roll bar, among other options. Four sub-models were on offer, from the barebones four-cylinder Rancher Special (the passenger seat was a cost option, as was the soft top and rear bumper) and the slightly more comfortable Brush Buster, to the dressy Sport and Baja Cruiser models.

Scout III SSV concept

IH developed a concept prototype for the next version of the Scout in 1979 named the Scout III SSV, but due to the company's decision to discontinue the Scout product line, it was never put into production. The second prototype of the concept vehicle is displayed at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum in Auburn, Indiana. It was a two-door model with a sloped back window, built on a chassis with a V8. The SSV name, standing for Scout Supplemental Vehicle, referred to what would have been a limited-production supplement to the regular model to help promote it, much as the Corvette supplements the Chevrolet brand. While the SSV may have appeared in 1981 if it had reached production, designs already existed for a new model in 1981 to replace the Scout II. Clay models of these designs showed an evolution of the Scout II into a more rounded body resembling the Chevrolet S-10 Blazer.

Case IH Scout

In 2010, Case IH started production of a UTV named the Scout and Scout XL, also sold as the New Holland Rustler. These UTVs were built by Club Car.

Motorsports

Scout SSIIs were awarded honors for off-road racing during the late 1970s. In 1977, an SSII driven by Jerry Boone of Parker, Arizona finished first among 4x4 production vehicles in the Baja 1000. Boone completed the run in 19 hours and 58 minutes, crossing the finish line at Ensenada almost 2 hours ahead of his closest competitor, a Jeep CJ7, and at times ran even faster than Class IV modified 4x4 racers. Only 9 of 21 vehicles that started the race finished the course. Boone later revealed that his team only had a month to prepare a stock SSII for the race and were not sponsored by IH until after the race. Boone also won in 1978 at Riverside, California.

Sherman Balch, among many other accomplishments in off-road racing, won the off-road "world championship" in 1977 (the SCORE event in Riverside, California). Three other finishers also drove Scouts. Balch also won the Baja 1000, the Mint 400, and three events in the fall of 1978 at Lake Geneva Raceway. Balch and co-driver James Acker later won virtually all major off-road races in 1982 offered on the West Coast/Mexico circuit in an SSII: the Baja 250, the Baja 500, the Baja 1000, the Mint 400, and the Parker (Arizona) 400.

Revival

thumb|[[Scout Terra (pre-production model)]]

In September 2021, a report by Motor Trend revealed that Volkswagen Group may look to revive the Scout nameplate as a potential competitor to the Jeep Wrangler, Toyota 4Runner, and the revived Ford Bronco. VW Group had acquired the Scout trademarks earlier in the year when its commercial truck business Traton acquired Navistar. As VW Group is unlikely to acquire the International Harvester trademarks from Case IH even for a licensing deal, a revived Scout would either be sold under the Volkswagen nameplate as a sub-brand similar to the aforementioned Bronco or as a standalone off-road themed brand similar to Jeep. These rumors were confirmed when in May 2022, Volkswagen announced its intention to produce electric pickups and SUVs - and therefore become a competitor to Rivian and other electric off-road oriented vehicles - built in the United States as Scout Motors under the Scout brand name. The first prototype is expected in 2024, with production models expected by 2026.

Scout Motors revealed two concepts on October 24, 2024, one of which is the Terra, a pickup truck, and the other is the Traveler, an SUV. They are expected to release in late 2027 as a 2028 model.