Yesteryear Collection

As the demand for 4X4 vehicles seemed to grow throughout the '50s and early '60s, International Harvester entered the market with its 1961 Scout. Few names were as well regarded for quality and excellence in its trucks as International Harvester. When the company turned to the smaller light duty 4X4 Scout, those standards of excellence were carefully maintained in the smaller vehicle. Indeed, International built the Scout as if it were a smaller version of its trucks with the same general truck design and engineering philosophy. For instance, the 4-cylinder, 152-cubic inch engines in the first Scouts were in reality, one half of the International's V-304 V-S engines used in the heavy-duty trucks. And the spunky 4-cylinder engine proved its worth with classic International Harvester durability and reliability. With a little under 95 horsepower @ 4000 rpms, the Scout could cruise at 65 mph down a highway with few reminders that one was in a light-duty truck. Various tops were offered as options, so the Scout could be used as a pickup truck or a panel truck/wagon-type vehicle without top, doors or wihdshield; or the windshield could be retained and folded down when desired. With a 100-inch wheelbase and a width of 68.8 inches, the Scout was comfortable enough and it came with a variety of seating options from a 2-passenger bench seat to bucket seats and a rear 2-passenger bench.

The two=tone paint finish offered red or metallic green with a white or yellow roof. The Scout 80 was a two-wheel drive vehicle with a four-wheel drive option and the 4X4 version was the most popular. Offering quality design and engineering and a spunkiness that appealed to the 4X4 off-road market, the Scout developed a dedicated following throughout the years. Its last year of production was 1980, brought about more by International's financial difficulties than by the Scout's lack of popularity.

Now, the original 1961 Scout 80 is brought to life in an authentic die-cast replica. Precision engineered in 1:43 scale and crafted with meticulous attention to detail, the 1961 Scout is produced by - and available only from - Matchbox Collectibles.