The IH Scout
As in, International Harvester Scout. The one you see with your gorgeous brown/hazel/blue eyes is the 80 Scout, probably from around 1961. The Scout was suppose to be International Harvester’s answer to the Jeep – fold down front window, rough terrain vehicle, two removable doors. In fact, that’s exactly what the Jeep had, but the Jeep could carry a heavier payload.
This little doggie sold for about $1700, much cheaper than the Jeep in those days, but the Scout’s days were numbered. The 80 morphed into the Scout 8000 in 1966 (the year of The Mayor), and although the engine ramped up to 111 hp, Kaiser introduced the V6 to the Jeep and blew the Scout to smithereens , performance wise. As for sales, funnily enough, the Scout outsold the Jeep throughout the 60’s and 70’s.
What happened to the Scout, you ask. Maybe your momma stole it.
Whoa, that was totally uncalled for.
June 16th, 2012 at 9:06 pm
1980 was the last year of the Scout (and International Pickup). The auto union went on strike for a pay and benefit package that was out of reach of the company to provide and still make a profit on the vehicles. They shut down the business (Scout and the pickup) and sent notices to all the strikers that they no longer had a job. I had a 1980 Scout on order (with an optional 4 cylinder Nissan Diesel engine) and actually got my $500 deposit back with in 90 days of International shutting down the plant(s). While I was unhappy that I did not get my Scout, I watched in amazement as the media at the time practically ignored the union/company fight and outcome. You would think that auto unions would take note of what happened at International but they did not change their methods and demands.
June 16th, 2012 at 9:48 pm
My old man had a scout2 (1972). It was ok but the suspension was way too soft. It handled like a sedan on stilts.
June 17th, 2012 at 6:15 am
My Daddy had an IH truck when I was a kid. Never had a Scout. I remember the union trouble at IH, but wasn’t sure exactly when they called it quits.
Thanks, Martyn.
June 20th, 2012 at 5:58 pm
IH truck engines were strong like bull, and long lived, just like their early tractors.
Another well known competitor to the Scout, was the first version of the Ford Bronco, not that bloated white OJ version. Did I just say something racist there Mr. Mayor?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Bronco
June 20th, 2012 at 6:09 pm
No no, you can say *Bronco* on this site.
June 20th, 2012 at 7:07 pm
Thanks for clearing that up Mayor.
June 22nd, 2012 at 3:36 am
My buddy had a Scout. Awesome chameleon vehicle. Yes, it wasn’t as rigid as a Jeep, but it was a much better ride, and it held up against time and weather also better than the Jeep variants.
It’s a much cooler ride than the pre-yuppy tribal sellers which came after…CJ, Hummer, and every other poser on four wheels.