You can keep your Jeeps, Broncos and Blazers, thank you very much.
Jeep's ushered in a new Wrangler (along with a Gladiator pickup version). Chevy's revived the Blazer. And Ford's bringing back the Bronco. There's even a new Land Rover Defender coming. All that's missing is the International Scout. With the marque long since gone from the consumer market (focusing these days only on commercial-grade trucks), we're not expecting the Scout to stage a similar comeback. But that's just as well, because we'd rather have this original anyway.
Coming up for auction is a '78 Scout II – or what eagle-eyed enthusiasts of vintage off-roaders might better recognize it as a Super Scout.
That's what International Harvester called the most hardcore version of its little truck, ditching the doors and roof in favor of soft, removable vinyl for increased exposure to the wilderness it was designed to traverse. Plastic body trim, special graphics, and wagon-style wheels with white-letter off-road tires rounded out the transformation, giving even the most ardent Jeep fanatics reason to consider jumping ship.
This example was actually converted to Super spec after the fact, but seems to have been carried out with an immaculate attention to detail, bringing it up to concours condition you'd expect of a classic Ferrari or Duesenberg.
The frame on this Omaha Orange '78 Super Scout II has been sandblasted and satin-black powder-coated. The 5.6-liter V8, Torqueflight automatic transmission, and transfer case have been refurbished and detailed. The original steel fuel tank has been replaced with a newer plastic one, the brakes replaced with modern discs, and the steering rack power-assisted.
RM Sotheby's estimates it'll go for about $80k when it crosses the auction block in Arizona later this month. If we had the cash on hand, we'd be very tempted to place a bid or two on this rolling throwback to a bygone era.
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