Classic car lovers take note; the revival of Scout Motors by Volkswagen may send prices of the classic Scout through the roof.
We all love a good, classic SUV (or even pickup truck) but now there’s even more reason to show some love to the International Harvester Scout. While never as popular as the ilk of the big “cars” from the Detroit Three, the classic International Harvester Scout still enjoyed top ratings as an off-roader in its heydays, lasting from 1961 to 1980.
Think of the International Harvester Scout as the precursor to the modern SUV, although it came from an automaker that mostly made farm equipment and heavy machinery up until then. Despite the decent success that included a sale of some 500,000+ examples of the Scout, by 1980, IH called it a day, unable to compete with the Detroit biggies and also hit by the autoworker strike.
Today, these classics are few and far between but now is the time to invest in a used one, or hold on to your International Harvester Scout if you have one, because, after more than 40 years, the Scout is back, via Volkswagen!
It was the International Harvester Scout’s off-roading strength that perhaps edged it out of the market, as rivals like the Ford Bronco and the Jeep CJ-7 tried to add city luxury in their off-roaders, to make them appeal to a wider audience.
Of course, given the International Harvester’s relatively humbler origins, it could not compete with the bigger giants either when it came to dealer network or longevity, but it did manage to establish itself in the racing arena, especially in the latter years when the Super Scout debuted.
In 1969, Jimmy Ray Jones managed to finish 13th in the NORRA (National Off Road Racing Association) Baja 1000 in a Scout 800A. By 1972, he moved on to a Scout II 4X2 and won the class and suddenly, the International Harvester Scout became a big thing in racing. In 1977, Jerry Boone finished first in a Super Scout II in the 4×4 class at the Baja 1000, with a lead over the Jeep CJ7 of two hours. Just after three years, the Scout went off the market. Racing continued, and many drivers drove their versions of the Super Scout II to win almost all major off-road races in 1982, creating a stunning legacy for the Scout. Even so, by 1985, the International Harvester itself went defunct and the Scout became nothing more than a memory till now.