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Was the 1961-1980 International Scout the First “Real SUV?”

classic offroad vehicle parked in a lot
Was the International Scout the First “Real” SUV?Mark Vaughn

122 years ago, International Harvester was founded as a maker of trucks, tractors, and all manner of farm equipment. Actually, it goes back farther than that, to the 1830s and Cyrus McCormick’s reaper, but the merging of McCormick Harvesting Machine Company and Deering Harvester led, more than a century later, to a line of SUVs knowledgeable collectors still prize.

When Volkswagen hosted the reveal of two all-new all-electric Scout prototypes last week, it was the culmination of decades of history that started on the farm and found its way to the modern SUV market. Dozens of loyal Scout owners brought their original models to the debut. I even got a ride in one. Click on the gallery to see some of them.

depiction of a historical farming scene with machinery and workers
International Harvester traces its roots back farther than the Scout 80.International Harvester Corporation

What most of us know as a Scout was only produced from 1960 to 1980. The assembly line cranked up in December of 1960 and ended October 21, 1980.

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“The first Scout, FC501… rolled off the line December 1, 1960, a 4×2 Cab-Top in Blue Metallic livery,” wrote brand historian Jim Allen on blog.scoutmotors.com.

At the time, both Scout and its dealers thought buyers would want the pickup truck version. But were they ever wrong.

“Planners biased initial production towards the pickup, many with two-wheel drive,” said Allen. “Orders coming in from dealers were overwhelmingly for a four-wheel drive Scout with the full top. If that wasn’t a clue to market preferences, many dealers ordered full tops and retrofitted pickups on the lot.”

a vintage blue pickup truck with large tires parked in a sunny outdoor setting
1973 Scout IIMark Vaughn

It’s those early Scouts with the tops, windows and back seats that lead some marque enthusiasts to say the Scout was the first SUV. Debate that point amongst yourselves, but it was certainly one of the first to show that a rugged, capable 4x4 could also be something that was comfortable enough, at least by the standards of the day, for family use.

That first model was the Scout 80, available as a pickup truck or SUV, in rear- or four-wheel drive. The top bolted on and the windshield folded flat. The base model had no top and not even any doors. You could go upscale with what was called the Cab-Top, basically a roof and sliding windows. That came with a five-foot bed and an 800-pound payload.

You stepped up from that with another bolt-on roof that went the length of the cab and bed called the Travel-Top and voila, you had a real SUV. The first models didn’t have a back seat but did come with a 93-horsepower, 152-cubic-inch slant four.

“Essentially half an IH 304-ci medium-duty truck V8,” said Allen.

By 1963 engineers figured out how to remove the rear bulkhead so they could put in a back seat. They added roll-up windows instead of the sliders that had been in place, a real heater, and you were talking Rolls-Royce Cullinan (almost).

In 1966 an all-new model called the 800 came out.

“The primary thrust was to make the Scout vehicles more comfortable, civilized, and, dare we say, carlike, but without hampering their ability to work,” Allen said.

In addition to comfort features the 800 had a padded dash, dual circuit brakes, seat belts, lighting improvements, and “anti-burst door latches” inline with coming Federal safety regulations. It also needed those improvements to compete with Ford’s all-new Bronco. There was even a V8 available in 1967.

Another all-new model came out in 1971, the Scout II.

“The Scout II model debuted with a powertrain lineup that started with the 196-ci four, stepped up to the powerful 232-ci six, a 304-ci V8, and finally, a big 345-ci V8 that beat Ford and tied GM for maximum cubic inches in the 4×4 SUV realm,” Allen said. “Power steering, air conditioning, vastly improved ride quality, sound deadening, on top of a broadened array of styling, comfort and convenience options, put the Scout II model right back in the top tier of the growing SUV market.”

But by 1980, red ink and a prolonged strike spelled the end of the Scout II. The nameplate lay fallow for 24 years, until the all-new, all-electric Scout Traveler and Terra debuted. Click on the gallery to see some cool early Scouts lovingly cared for by their owners, who had brought them to the launch of the newest models. Long live the Scout!