I don’t use my IH Scout for off-road adventures too often because, well, I’m too precious to spend consecutive hours in it. However, cruising around town in a classic truck with the V8 rumbling and the wind blowing around everywhere? Oh yeah, that’s the good stuff.
Car: 1975 International Scout Traveler
Location: Culver City, CA
Photog: Andrew Collins (it me)
Camera: Canon PowerShot
I’ve had this Scout since around 2016, and it took a fair few hours and dollars to get it where it’s at but now it’s these days it’s reliably ready to power up and putter down Venice Boulevard.
One of the coolest features of these Scouts was the modular body. You could put a short roof on it and make it a pickup, a long roof to have an SUV, or no roof at all (the best way) and basically have a land boat.
Unfortunately, the SUV roof I have is made of fiberglass and preposterously heavy. It took five dudes to remove it and as many to put it back on. I would have left it off permanently, but, I was storing the roof at a friend’s place, and when he moved he made me re-mount it or chuck it in the trash. Since I had to keep the matching set, back on it went.
Soon this vehicle will be getting shipped from California to the Northeast, where it will be hibernating for much of the year but at least it will be able to go roofless once again. It’s also getting a whole new look… but more on that later.
