This shot caught my eye because the Scouts are all red. But a closer look suggests that all of them except for the one on top of the tractor are 4×2 versions. Who’s buying so many red 2WD Scouts?
Car Carrier of the Day: A Load Of Red 2WD Scouts, Except For One
– Posted on May 15, 2021
Especially noticeable because red was a rare color for Scouts. At least in my memory, most were tan or yellowish.
IH tractors were officially red. Were these meant for dealer use?
I’m guessing a fleet order of some sort.
Are they being unloaded at an AMC dealer somewhere? That looks like the back of an early 70s Matador on the truck following the Scouts, and there is a tail end of a baby blue Javelin in the lot behind the trucks.
My money would be on the Scouts being part of a fleet of emergency/Fire Department vehicles ordered by some city that gets very little snow. Except for that one on the top row with the stainless trim along the side, they are all extremely low-trim vehicles. Most retail Scouts of my experience were higher trim versions, usually with stripe packages and maybe white roofs.
Fair weather, fire department fleet order was my first thought, as well.
Could be an AMC dealer. International was actively recruiting AMC dealers in the late 60’s and 70’s to take on IH light duty franchises. The plan meet with some success.
This is not an AMC dealer. It is the staging lot for Kenosha Auto Transport (KAT). They had a huge piece of land just west of town where vehicles were parked, awaiting loading and transport. Along with AMC cars, they also contracted with other manufacturers as a shipping hub; IH was one of them.
This lot is mostly empty now, as it is not exactly prime real estate.
Does the bottom left have the front locking hubs as well? Interesting that the one on the top has the side trim. Good looking little trucklets, haven’t seen a red one in a while.
Reminds me of a farm near me that had a fleet of maroon 2wd ramchargers back in the 80s.
Definitely surprising to see so many 2wds. I agree with Jim that the bottom rear also seems to have locking hubs.
With that grille painted silver and not body color it means it is a true 1972 when 2wds were a little more common but still not that common. (pre production prototypes had grey grilles while those produced in 1971 had body colored grilles)
It does seem like it was a fleet order but then one has the Deluxe exterior package with all the bright trim which very un-fleet like. I can see why one might upgrade the interior for the supervisor but surprised they ordered a purely dress up package.
I guess the one possible explanation was that they were what IH called Prototypes, which is a way of saying sales bank vehicles that were available for immediate shipping in a handful of basic configurations. So maybe someone needed them now and dealer took what he could get to make the customer happy.
Being hauled by a Ford Louisville. And ya, I thing the one on the bottom left has locking hubs too.
Ford Louisville truck were very popular in our part of the country. Still see them and the truck hasn’t been built since about 1996. The saw another ghost yesterday, a GMC General. Probably a 1987, its a bridge inspection crane, it was checking out the underside of our Cedar Ave bridge. Makes you wonder what lengths you may have to go to keep something like that on the road. I would guess finding parts would be difficult when the truck hasn’t been built in 30+ years and the business was sold to another company. I imagine Volvo probably didn’t provide much support.
Put me down as someone who until today didn’t even know they made 2WD Scouts. I thought it was 4WD-only, like the Bronco. But I guess IH thought they had to compete with the 2WD Blazer and Ramcharger.
I forget the actual number but when IH introduced the original Scout 80 they expected something like 2/3 2wd and 1/3 4wd but by the time the year was over it was the opposite with something like 1/3 2wd and 2/3 4wd. They did end up dropping 2wd near the end of the Scout II run.
The postal service ran some early-mid 1960s 2wd scouts if I recollect accurately. The Railway Express Agency I lived near in NY also had a few.
That color isn’t International Red which is a red-red like you would see on fire equipment. It is very orange, International offered Omaha Orange which is also known as Safety Orange, I think, They also had Flame Red which is an orange-red and looks closest to this, photographic reproduction anomalies notwithstanding.
Because they aren’t classic red-red I don’t think they are fire department equipment. Maybe for a fleet for a state agency like a highway department but I can’t think of any agency that used bright Flame Red 2wd scouts. Can’t remember the last time I saw a red Scout. Most I remember seeing were earth tone browns, tans greens, copper, bronze.
I agree that they are probably Flame Red, not International Red and certainly not Omaha Orange. My Cab Top is Omaha Orange and the parts truck that provided its current chassis was Flame Red. Note IH also offered Fire Engine Red in the extra cost fleet colors.
Luv it learn something every day I didnt know they came in 2WD as Ived never seen one they were competition for Landrovers and the early Landcruiser Nissan Patrols here so a 2WD probably never got imported.