Photo: Mecum
For most young people, the name International Harvester doesn’t mean all that much today. The American carmaker went the way of the dodo back when most of us were still toddlers. Had it survived, it would have probably been a major competitors for today’s big players in the pickup and off-road segments.
Over the course of its nearly a century-long life, especially toward its end, International made some incredible vehicles. Originally created to produce agricultural equipment, it went into the business of making automobiles, especially pickups that battled the products of Detroit’s Big Three.
The Scout is one of the best-known nameplates born on the company’s assembly lines. Introduced in 1961 as a competitor for Willys Jeep, it quickly rose to icon status among customers, being assembled in several variants.
As most cars of any age, the standard Scout came with a variety of packages. One of them was the SSII (Soft-top Safari II), a stripped-down version of the original model that came to be in 1977. Aimed straight at the CJ Jeep, it came in the form of a two-door soft-top built with roll bar.
In this configuration, the Scout managed to climb at the top of the pack in the 1977 Baja 1000, beating runner up Jeep CJ7 by no less than two hours and being one of just 9 vehicles to finish the race.
With such a pedigree, the International Scout would be a serious competitor for any modern-day off-roader, if only it were still made. It isn’t, and the only way we can enjoy Scouts today is through custom builds such as the one in the gallery above.
Sitting on the waiting list of cars to sell during the Mecum Davenport auction later in June, this particular Scout takes the SSII package to the extreme.
Built with a soft canvas top and matching side doors, it rides on a lifted suspension and massive Super Swamper tires, and it gets its power from a 355ci (5.8-liter) Chevrolet small-block V8 with four-barrel Quadrajet carburetor.
The Scout is one of the best-known nameplates born on the company’s assembly lines. Introduced in 1961 as a competitor for Willys Jeep, it quickly rose to icon status among customers, being assembled in several variants.
As most cars of any age, the standard Scout came with a variety of packages. One of them was the SSII (Soft-top Safari II), a stripped-down version of the original model that came to be in 1977. Aimed straight at the CJ Jeep, it came in the form of a two-door soft-top built with roll bar.
In this configuration, the Scout managed to climb at the top of the pack in the 1977 Baja 1000, beating runner up Jeep CJ7 by no less than two hours and being one of just 9 vehicles to finish the race.
With such a pedigree, the International Scout would be a serious competitor for any modern-day off-roader, if only it were still made. It isn’t, and the only way we can enjoy Scouts today is through custom builds such as the one in the gallery above.
Sitting on the waiting list of cars to sell during the Mecum Davenport auction later in June, this particular Scout takes the SSII package to the extreme.
Built with a soft canvas top and matching side doors, it rides on a lifted suspension and massive Super Swamper tires, and it gets its power from a 355ci (5.8-liter) Chevrolet small-block V8 with four-barrel Quadrajet carburetor.
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