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International Harvester Baja Brings Back the Scout in Rugged Rendering

These days, the high-riding craze is seeing truck-based SUVs regaining popularity, as certain buyers prefer their ruggedness to the road bias of crossovers. And, decades before such machines became a trend, the International Harvester Scout gave offroading enthusiasts an incredibly good time. Well, this rendering brings the amazing slice of America under the spotlights.
International Harvester Scout Baja (rendering) 6 photos
Photo: colorsponge/behance
International Harvester Scout Baja (rendering)International Harvester Scout Baja (rendering)International Harvester Scout Baja (rendering)International Harvester Scout Baja (rendering)International Harvester Scout Baja (rendering)
While its agricultural machines and heavy equipment were the one that helped the International Harvester Company build its reputation, this decided to properly enter the recreational four-wheel drive market by offering a Jeep competitor in 1961. Nevertheless, the model we have here is the Scout II, which landed a decade later.

The vehicle reached its peak with this second generation, which was actually a heavy update of the original, offering improved comfort. Not that such an asset would matter for a Baja racer such as the one depicted in these images.

The real world wasn't all that kind to the Scout - its maker folded in the mid-1980s and while the model had initially beat the Ford Bronco to the market, the Blue Oval model ended up outshining it over the years.

And now that the Bronco has returned for the 2021, Bronco R desert racer and all, it's nice to see the Scout being revived in these renderings, which come from digital artist Carlos "colorsponge".

Officially nicknamed The Vanguard (the designation in the title is on us), the creations looks ready to jump some dunes, but it has remained road-legal.

As it has happened in the past, Carlos has been inspired by digital artist and creative director Ash Thorp (the inspiration flows in both directions): "At first, I was close to doing a Ford Bronco but in one of those chat brainstorming between Ash and me, back and forth on different options... Ash showed me a super slick and elegant Scout 2. And I knew immediately that it will be my next build: The Vanguard!"

The overfendenders struggling to contain the monstrous BF Goodrich tires wrapped around beadlock wheels are just the tip of the iceberg. In fact, as you can notice in the second Instagram post below, the suspension work might just be the most complex part of the project, as it would happen in real life.

Even though we can't see too much of the cabin, at least for the time being, there's a complex cage in there - this might not come as news, but rugged terrain races sometimes have the bad habit of flipping trucks and one has to be prepared.

Once again, the focus seems to have been on function rather than form. And it's enough to check out the rather discreet side exhaust to figure that out.


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About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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