Iowa Man Proud To Own Last IH Scout

Iowa Man Proud To Own Last IH Scout AG WORLD 30-2-21 After Mike Bolton, Gliden, Iowa bought a used IH Scout, he became fascinated by the early model SUV. When International Harvester Corp. came out with the Scout in 1960, it was the first utility vehicle available in 2 or 4-WD. It became the first popular SUV and prompted Ford to create the Bronco and GM the Blazer. In 1997, Bolton started looking for another Scout and learned that Stephen Garst, a businessman in Coon Rapids, Minn. owned a very special Scout. Garst's wife, Mary, served on the IHC board of directors. So the Fort Wayne, Ind., IH assembly plant made the very last International Scout II for her on Oct. 21, 1980. It had a Nissan 6-cyl. turbocharged 198 cu. in. engine. Accessories included a digital clock, AC, deluxe interior, tilt steering, special rims and elaborate decals and pinstriping. Her husband used it for hunting and fishing. "I wanted that vehicle," Bolton says. "But I knew he wouldn't sell it, so you could say I stalked it for 8 years." In 2003, Mary called him saying that her husband's health was failing and that the Scout II was for sale. By then it had 52,000 miles on it, along with rust spots, dents and scratches on its exterior. Bolton bought it and now plans to rehab the vehicle properly. "I want to make it look like it did when they presented it to Mary Garst back in 1980." He says the last Scout II is worth a lot. "To a collector, it's priceless because it represents the end of an era at IH." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Mike Bolton, 706 Colorado St., Glidden, Iowa 51443 (ph 712 659-2184; ihmike@ iowatelecom.net). Excerpted with permission from Iowa Farm News; www.farmnews-iowa.com.

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