Have you noticed that some sequels have been released decades after the original movies? “Top Gun: Maverick,” which came out 36 years after the first installment in the franchise (a third movie is coming eventually), is a great example of that trend. By the time “King Conan” comes out, it will be more than 40 years after Arnold Schwarzenegger starred in the previous film, 1984’s “Conan the Destroyer.” You can consider our Pick of the Day a long-delayed automotive sequel. You can find this 1971 International Harvester Scout II Traveltop listed on ClassicCars.com by a dealership in Lithia Springs, Georgia. It comes with maintenance records, receipts, and owner’s manual. The video below shows an exterior/interior walk-around and driving footage.
The first Scout (technically, Scout 80) was originally introduced as a competitor to the Jeep CJ in 1961. As I touched upon in my video profile of this Velocity Restorations 1973 Scout II build, International planned to release the X-Scout, a successor to the first Scout. That kept getting pushed back, but International did roll incremental changes into stop-gap models as time went on. It wasn’t until 1971 that the company finally released the X-Scout … as the Scout II, aka the “Wow Wagon.”
According to the Scout Motors (now an EV brand) website, “The Scout II model debuted with a powertrain lineup that started with the 196ci four, stepped up to the powerful 232ci six, a 304ci V-8, and finally, a big 345ci V-8 that beat Ford and tied GM for maximum cubic inches in the 4×4 SUV realm. Power steering, air conditioning, vastly improved ride quality, sound deadening, on top of a broadened array of styling, comfort and convenience options, put the Scout II model right back in the top tier of the growing SUV market.”
The 1971 Scout II you see here has the 304, which is connected to a column-shift BorgWarner T90 three-speed manual gearbox. It also seems to have received a sequel of its own in the form of newer bright blue paint on the body and removable Traveltop, and a black grille, brush guard, bumpers, mirrors, door handles, side stripes, and running boards. The wheels are also black, and come wrapped in Toyo Open Country all-terrains. Four-wheel drive and Dana 44 axles get that rubber rolling over challenging terrain.
The cabin shows a mix of that newer blue paint and patina. The dash and door panels, and the strip of horizontal gauges seem to have held up well, but the black vinyl on the front split-back bench seat is definitely showing its age (though there should be no shortage of automotive upholstery shops able to recover it). Power steering and front disc brakes will make a weekend drive to a faraway coast (or one of those specialists) more convenient and pleasant.
If you have a Scout, but want to follow it up with a Scout II, don’t wait a long time to make that happen like International did. Get this 1971 International Scout II Traveltop right now for $62,995.
Click here to view this Pick of the Day on ClassicCars.com
