Page 211 - Wayne Carini's Guide to Affordable Classics

THE BACKSTORY
During the Bronco’s relaunch in 2019, Ford was quick to take credit that its 1965 namesake had originated the Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) segment, a claim it validated by referring to a contemporary press release that used that exact term to position the original Bronco as the charter member of an all-new vehicle category. While Ford might be able to make that boast on a verbal technicality, the idea of a vehicle that combined functionality and some measure of refinement into a lifestyle-enabling product had started to form soon after the Second World War, though not yet so sharply defined.
The nascent elements that would eventually create the SUV category started with former military Jeeps that were repurposed as civilian vehicles (and labeled “CJs”) as early as 1946. But they were really focused on pure utility without much sport involved – early advertisements referred to them as a “four-function vehicle,” with one ad showcasing as many as 16 different working
International Scout
applications. Land Rovers, which were first exported to the US in 1949, were likewise initially positioned as work trucks, with their gentleman farmer character emerging only much later. In 1948, Willys launched the Jeepster, calling it a “sports phaeton” and positioning it as a kind of hardy four-seat convertible with some Jeep-like characteristics. But without four-wheel drive, it really couldn’t check the utility box.
Although the idea of combining go-anywhere traction with a lifestyle that relied upon it hadn’t quite jelled in the public’s mind in the 1950s, Illinois-based farm equipment maker International Harvester learned in its market research that Jeeps were starting to show up as mechanical workhorses in rural settings. IH had a much different pedigree than a typical automaker – it started building light trucks in the early 1900s and by the late 1950s was offering its own “Travelall” four-door wagon with four-wheel drive available. The postwar boom was well underway by this time and IH’s leadership chose to pursue the idea of a smaller utility vehicle a step further, commissioning a study whose goal was a vehicle that could “replace the horse” (whether that was a draft horse or quarter horse was never clarified).
ABOVE: 1958 Travelall, which combined the comfort of a station wagon with all-wheel drive traction, was International’s first foray into the emerging sport-utility segment.
LEFT: Early postwar Jeep advertisements promoted their multi- functional capabilities.
The Jeep was certainly the primary benchmark and early concepts were envisioned as roughly the same size, with a similar four-cylinder engine, two doors, multiple top options and a small storage area behind the seats. After exploring the possibility of plastic body construction with Goodyear, IH settled on a simple steel shell with a minimum of curves to reduce stamping complexity and costs. Following a rapid two-year development cycle, the Scout was launched in early 1961 with a ladder frame using a 100- inch wheelbase, about 20 inches longer than the contemporary CJ. Overall length was 155 inches, compared to the Jeep’s 130 inches. At 68.5 inches, it was nearly five inches wider than the Jeep as well. Similar to the Jeep, Spicer 27 axles, mounted on
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