In 2007, when Tim Walz was a freshman congressman, he told a reporter that his dream car was a 1973 Chevrolet Camaro, noting, “I'm a muscle car guy.” in fact Driving was a more serious option: a Dodge minivan.
But a year after that interview with The Hill, the self-proclaimed car enthusiast purchased a now-headline-making vehicle that came to define the vice presidential candidate's small-town, Minnesota-dad style: a 1979 International Harvester Scout II.
The choice impresses people like Brandon Ray, a 48-year-old Scout II owner from Phoenix. Ray said he was going through a divorce 15 years ago when a “tough” yellow Scout II caught his eye. The SUV had two decals on it: one said “Face Your Fears” and the other, “Live Your Dream.” He bought the Scout.
“It delivered on what it promised,” Ray said. “I faced my fears and lived out some of my dreams in that truck.”
The news that Walz owns a 1979 Scout II came as a surprise to Ray. “I can’t imagine a blue guy driving a Scout,” he said, referring to Walz’s Democratic affiliation.
Walz’s International Harvester Scout II has a license plate that references his political slogan, “One Minnesota.”
(Courtesy of Tim Walz)
Cars and politics have long been mixed. With exhortations to “buy American,” presidents have almost always favored cars from American automakers. That includes President Biden, who loves his 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray.
Amid Walz’s whirlwind journey onto the national political stage, his automotive credentials have become part of his story. Notably, a 2018 video of Walz berating Ford for a subpar headlight harness has resurfaced to the delight of car fans.
The teacher-turned-governor of Minnesota fixes cars and also goes to classic car shows. But the most obvious part of his pistons-and-pushrods personality is his Scout.
For years, Walz, 60, has taken to social media to share photos of his Scout, which is painted a striking glacier blue and has a license plate that reads “ONE MN,” an apparent reference to his political slogan “One Minnesota.” Of the many American classics still plying the road, the Scout is one imbued with particular meaning.
Minnesotans talk about vintage cars with the governor, right, standing over the engine of a 1978 Ford Pinto in 2022.
(Courtesy of Tim Walz)
The Scout was produced in Fort Wayne, Indiana, by International Harvester from 1960 to 1980 in multiple versions spread over two generations, known as the I and II. It is one of the more unusual classic SUVs that have become popular in recent years. The Scout was not manufactured by a well-known automotive brand: International Harvester was a Chicago-based agricultural equipment company that went out of business about 40 years ago.
That has made the Scout less recognizable to Instagram users and more appealing to enthusiasts looking for a bargain at a time when older Ford Broncos routinely sell for more than $100,000. The Scout, said Randy Nonnenberg, co-founder of the auto auction platform Bring a Trailer, “has always been an underdog.”
With its boxy body, chrome grille, round headlights and removable or soft top, it is practical, charming and not too flashy. “Scouts are very Midwestern, which is very brand-specific” for Walz, said Nonnenberg, whose company has auctioned off 285 Scout IIs at an average price of about $38,000. “It’s like a car version of him.”
Some other Scout owners agree.
This International Harvester Scout II was restored by Gary Brown, an Orange County resident who is impressed that Walz maintains one of his own.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
“Anyone who wants to maintain and preserve a ’79 Scout is not your average person,” said Gary Brown, a software engineer in Orange County who has restored and sold about 10 Scouts over three decades. “You need someone with a retro or older mindset… [who] “He knows how to do experiments.”
“I like guys like that, the ones who can fix things,” he said.
As for Ray, who is selling another Scout (a rare 1978 version priced at $59,999), he didn't want to talk politics, which he called “a difficult subject.”
But in a nod to the unifying power of automobiles, Ray envisioned a trip he and Walz could take to the wilds of the Southwest: “Maybe he and I can hit the dunes one of these days?”
There is no 'garage queen'
Walz appears to have a genuine passion for cars, but he also seems to possess a finely calibrated understanding of how his actions can influence voters, said Matt Hardigree, editor of Autopian, who has written about the politician.
Just look at the governor's social media posts that feature… Your Scout and another Scout — his dog. That, Hardigree said, “is an image that is not odious.”
“It’s Norman Rockwell transported 50 years into the future,” he said.
Walz, who worked on a car in 2018, has demonstrated a repair ethic that could resonate with some voters.
(Courtesy of Tim Walz)
Then there’s Minnesota’s right-to-repair law, one of several such measures passed by states in recent years. Signed by Walz in 2023 and called the Digital Fair Repair Act, it orders manufacturers of electronics and other items to give consumers access to information and parts so they can repair their own devices.
Although the law does not cover cars, Hardigree said it shows that Walz adheres to a repair philosophy that many older car owners can appreciate.
In the case of the Scout, maintaining it is no easy task, because parts are hard to come by. Still, Hardigree, who reviewed images of Walz's vehicle, approved of the politician's upkeep: “It's clean, but you can see it's been driven. It's not a garage car.”
Being a car fanatic is such a part of Walz’s political persona that he became the subject of a joke during this month’s Democratic National Convention. Television producer Ben Wexler, whose credits include “Arrested Development,” posted on X: “If Tim Walz comes out on stage wiping his hands on a greasy rag because he just fixed the transmission on the campaign bus, we will win all 50 states.”
Looking for votes
When Ray expressed surprise that Walz owned a 4×4, he was referencing a stereotype: trucks are for Republicans. It's an idea former President Trump has embraced, praising rugged American vehicles, even saying in 2019, “I love trucks of all kinds.”
“Even when I was a 4-year-old boy, my mother would say to me, ‘You love trucks,’” Trump continued. “It’s true. I always loved trucks.”
Hardigree, a former Texas political consultant, said a truck has long been a requirement for election in that state.
“The sense [in Texas] “The reality is that you couldn’t be elected as a Democrat or a Republican if you didn’t own a pickup truck,” he said. “But Republicans never had to prove they drove a pickup truck, and Democrats always did.”
Nonnenberg said Walz's Scout — and his ability to work on it — could help him find common ground with voters.
“This shows his connection to reality,” said Nonnenberg, who spoke to The Times from behind the wheel of his Rivian R1S electric SUV, whose styling is reminiscent of the Scout. “This guy is not out of touch with regular Americans.”
Car and Driver senior editor Elana Scherr went a step further: “Having a hobby and being genuinely interested in it is lovely.”
Could Walz’s ownership of a Scout convince some car-savvy Republicans to vote for Kamala Harris? Nonnenberg is dubious, believing it is little more than an “interesting contextual addition” that would hardly change opinions. However, it could raise the profile of a new generation of Scouts at an opportune moment.
In an unexpected twist, the Scout is making a comeback with a new model due in 2026. The 4×4 is being revived by Volkswagen, which acquired its trademark in 2021.
The new vehicle will have styling reminiscent of the original, but it won’t be like the Scout Walz drives in one important respect: It will adopt a technology whose proponents Trump has urged to “ROT IN HELL.”
It will be electric.
