The Scout Motors Traveler won’t be on sale in 2026, but the brand is still celebrating its home country’s big birthday. The VW Group-backed startup has revealed a Spirit of ’26 version of its upcoming South Carolina-built SUV.
The concept was inspired by the Spirit of ’76 special edition Scout II that was sold during the brand’s first iteration for the U.S. bicentennial in 1976. Scout was owned by International Harvester back then, but a series of acquisitions led to its intellectual property ending up with VW Group in 2021.
Scout sponsored the U.S. Olympic Ski Team that year and provided it with custom vehicles sporting a red, white and blue color scheme that was later offered on a limited edition production vehicle.
That model was a two-door 4×4 SUV powered by a V8 while the new one is a four-door with an extended-range electric drivetrain called the Harvester that is primarily propelled by its electric motors and battery, but includes a four-cylinder gas engine that can be used as a generator on long trips.
The Spirit of ’26 features a white body with red and blue stripes that aren’t identical to the original’s, but have a retro style. One big change is the replacement of the U.S. Ski Team logo with one that depicts a combine harvester plowing rows of crops.
Scout Motors is aiming to launch Traveler production in late 2027 and start delivering it to customers in early 2028 followed by a Terra pickup built on the same platform.
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The Traveler Harvester is expected to have an all-electric range of 150 miles per charge while the gas motor will extend that by 350 miles per tank. Scout had been targeting a $60,000 starting price for an all-electric Traveler it might now add to the lineup at a later date, but hasn’t yet said what the Harvester model will cost.
In the meantime, Scout built 384 Spirit of ’76 trucks and survivors sometimes show up at auction where they typically sell in the $40,000 range. If that’s too rich for your red, white and blue blood, Scout has launched a Spirit of ’76 collection in its merchandise store.
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