COMPANY

More well-known for its agricultural machinery, construction equipment, International Harvester also produced passenger vehicles, including off-roaders, and light trucks, or pickups, from 1907 to 1980.

The Scout was manufactured by International Harvester from 1961-1980 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It was among the first American sport utility vehicles intended for the general public. It was created to compete with Jeep and like the early model Jeeps, also featured windshields that folded down. The first and second generation models had 2 doors and featured options such as a removable hard or soft top. There was also the possibility of choosing the half-cab, pickup truck option. The International Harvester company had been building trucks since 1907. The first Scout available in 1961 was the Scout 80.

The Scout 80 series was built between the years 1960-1965. The earliest models had removable side windows that were designed to slide. There were vacuum windshield wipers that were attached at the top part of the windshield. This vehicle had a 152 4-cylinder standard engine. There was a special 'Red Carpet' series built to celebrate the manufacture of 100,000 Scouts. The exterior of the car was white, while the interior was red. It had full-floor mats as well as a full-length headliner. There was a special decal attached on the door which commemorated the manufacture of the 100,000 Scout models.

There was a camper model introduced in the early part of the 1960s. The roof was nearly double the normal height so people could stand upright inside. There were sleeping bunks with tents that folded out from the sides. The body at the rear was extended by a significant amount. The tailgate lifting door was replaced with a large door that resembled the door on an ambulance. There were several options when purchasing this model. It was possible to buy it completely stripped down, or fully kitted-out, complete with a dinette set and chemical toilet that was retractable into the wall. The camper model was not very popular and received only limited orders. As a result of this, the production was low and these models are quite rare today.

The next model introduced was the Scout 800. It was greatly improved in comfort and had better heating and instrument systems. There was the option of getting rear seats and the folding-down windshield was no longer part of the design. There was also the Scout 800 Sport-Top. The interior was upgraded and there was a rear roof that slanted. It also featured a fiberglass top that was unique. Soft-tops were also available. There were several more 800 series Scouts produced until 1971. The next model introduced was the Scout II. This was built from 1971-1980. All the Scout II models featured different front grilles when they were introduced. The 1971-72 models had three horizontal grilles between the headlights, while the 1973 version had 14 vertical bars in between the headlights.

International Harvester produced the 1980 RS as a special limited edition. Known as the Special Limited Edition RS Scout, it is one of the most rare models produced by this company. It was only available in metallic Tahitian Red. The interior was deluxe with a plush velour interior. It had tinted glass and chrome bumpers and came with an instrument panel that was made of wood-grain trim. There were several special edition models over the years and the company finally ceased production of the Scout in 1980.