Page 213 - Wayne Carini's Guide to Affordable Classics

Within its broad lineup of trucks and tractors (typically sold by dealers that were on the outskirts of town or in rural settings), IH had relatively modest expectations for the Scout. Priced at about $1,700, initial plans at the Fort Wayne, Indiana, assembly plant called for 50 units a day, but soon doubled and later tripled. By
ABOVE: 1965 “Champagne” series was one of many “Doll Up” models that IH developed to expand the Scout’s appeal beyond its functional roots.
BELOW: Scout advertisements often promoted a backwoods lifestyle that few other vehicles could support. The 800B model shown here offered a variety of new options, including six- and eight-cylinder engines plus an automatic transmission.
International Scout
mid-1964, IH had built 100,000 Scouts, which it commemorated with a “Red Carpet” edition that sported a flashy red interior and some legitimate creature comforts like extra sound deadening and full carpets. These limited-volume special editions were referred to internally at IH as “Doll Ups” and the Red Carpet model was joined by a similarly equipped Champagne Edition that also attempted to move the Scout a bit upscale. The following year, IH began to address requests for more power with a turbocharged version of the Comanche engine, boosting its output to 111 horsepower with 166 lb ft of torque. While it might have looked interesting in sales brochures, the turbo didn’t do much to the Scout’s performance, given that it still took a leisurely 13 seconds to hit 60 mph, and takers were few.
Scout 800
Around the time that the Bronco was launched in August 1965, IH announced an upgraded “800” Scout, which was built until 1968. Responding to customer feedback, IH incorporated several modifications into the 800, including improved front seats, better instrumentation and heating systems and an updated dashboard. Exterior changes were limited to an anodized aluminum grille with a rectangular “International” logo in its center; the IH badge was moved to the hood, the door handles became the button type, and the tailgate no longer included hooks. The fold-down windscreen of the previous generation was replaced with a fixed version, with electric wipers replacing the previous vacuum versions.
In a nod to the increasing suburban interest in SUVs, IH offered the Scout 800 Sportop in early 1966, which had an upgraded interior
Wayne Carini  Affordable Classics  211