Scout Lost Chapter Part 11: IHC S-Line 1955-1957

The Second S-Line
post by
Jim Allen
Media Name: gulfstream_blue_1957_s-120_travelall.jpg
The Lost Chapter series is from Jim Allen and John Glancy's book, International Scout Encyclopedia; one so thorough it couldn't all fit into the final cut. Pre-order the second edition, coming August 1, 2020! Join our mailing list for pre-order specials and exclusive content.

For this series, author and historian Jim Allen is sharing extra material with photographs from John Glancy’s extensive collection as well as photographs from the Wisconsin Historical Society. 

Like the R-Line, the S-line got the Ornas Styling department “touch” but this short lived model didn’t get much else but a front new wrap to differentiate it from the R-Line. The availability of the 240 ci six was a plus. Its only full production year was 1956. It jumped in early to replace the R-Line in ’55 and in ’57 it was supplanted by the early introduction of the A-line. The S-Line panels are a rare bird today but there are a few, even some in four-wheel drive.  Below is an image of an S-120 with a military personnel carrier conversion by the Specialty Vehcile Equipment Company of Toledo, Ohio.

This is an image of an S-120 with a military personnel carrier conversion.

The S-Line had a very short run, lasting only from the 1956 model year (1955 intro) into 1957. The look was substantially different in the front wrap area but these International Harvester Company (IHC) trucks were substantively the same as the previous R and L models. Technical upgrades occurred in the form of a 12-volt electrical system and the addition of the 240 ci inline six as an option above the 220 ci. The big news was that the Travelall became available with four-wheel drive for the first time, but only in the S-120 three-quarter ton weight range. Generally speaking the availability of all-wheel drive trucks increased in this era, no doubt responding to market demand.

Previous Lost Chapter-Next Lost Chapter