(Lead photo: Chris Castoldi) It isn’t every day that I find a vehicle that I know exactly nothing about, one that I have never heard of in my lifetime, one that even according to die-hard fans is somewhere between a miracle and a myth in real life. And rest assured, that the likelihood that you will ever see one of these out and about cruising around is almost fantasy at this point, for many reasons that as adults, you should be able to figure out on your own.
International Harvester’s reputation regarding their trucks and Scout line of utility vehicles was simple: take the durability of farm machinery and work it to where you could slap a license plate on it. We’re talking engines better suited to running a pump than running the tach around the clock, just enough comfort to not bitch about the spartan outlay, and an almost overbuilt chassis attached to a body that was a bit prone to rot. And we’re talking about a special edition that even back in the day might raise an eyebrow or two, never mind modern times.
Finding a realistic production figure is difficult, but less than 500 is certainly agreeable for the International Harvester 1010 “Johnnie Reb” edition pickup truck. How many of these still exist is a serious unknown, but more than fifty would be a very generous guess. Effectively, the “Johnnie Reb” kit was a dress-up for the 1010. The engine lineup was the same as the rest of the Light Line series. Which meant that you were going out of your way to celebrate the Confederacy buying this truck. You make the call on what that means.
Too Eff’in cool! I’d put a cattle-catching front bumper on it, a steering brake, and head to Portland…
Thanks, Gary! I just spewed coffee all over my keyboard.
I’m sure the snowflakes in their Prius’ will be waiting for you.
Interesting, I was a service manager for IH in the late 70s and I have never
heard of the “johnie Reb” edition. Oh well, I guess that we learn something
new every day.