TEXT BY: CHRIS HUNTER PHOTOS: CHRISTOPH ZIN
intage Scout® trucks tend to pop up where Wi-Fi® doesn’t. You’ll see them working on remote farms, rumbling down forest tracks, or parked up at backcountry campgrounds. One place you wouldn’t expect to see the boxy outline of a Scout II™ is around Düsseldorf, one of the biggest cities in western Germany. But that’s where this yellow 1973 Scout truck now lives; across the Atlantic more than four thousand miles from where it originally rolled off the assembly line in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
It’s owned by photographer Christoph Zin, a man with an eye for style and the little details that matter. For him, owning a classic vehicle is like shooting on film: slower, more deliberate, and deeply satisfying. And just like a good photograph, every mile driven in his Scout truck has a story—many of which he’s starting to collect for something bigger.
Christoph’s own story starts when he took a road trip through California in 2022. “I made a stop in Pasadena,” he recalls. “Visiting the Rose Bowl Flea Market had always been on my bucket list, but I never expected to end up buying a car and making new friends.”
While exploring the market, Christoph stumbled across a 1977 Scout—a vehicle that most Germans will never have seen. “As a vintage truck enthusiast and film photographer, I was immediately intrigued.”
Christoph struck up a conversation with Brian Lee, the owner of the Scout truck and asked him if he knew anyone who was selling one similar.
Just four days later, Christoph purchased a 1973 Scout II in Los Angeles from a man named Adam. The truck featured its original 345 cu in (5.7 L) V8 engine, authentic Sunrise Yellow paint, an automatic transmission, and a distinctive bikini top. Plus a hefty coating of patina, commensurate with its age.
Adam acquired the Scout truck from Neil, a local man who walked the neighborhood with two giant Leonberger dogs. “Neil had owned the vehicle for several decades. His kids learned to drive in it but when they went to university, it was used less and less.”
“It was parked in the driveway in 2011 and never moved until I pulled it out in March 2022. I found it underneath some pine trees, covered in sap and filled with a metric ton of pine needles. I’m fairly certain a family of rodents had turned the dash into an apartment complex—it certainly smelled like it!”
Luckily, Adam is a Scout enthusiast who knows how to resurrect these iconic rigs. He collaborates with the Scout specialist Dvf Custom Designs and cleaned up the truck beautifully. “It had seen better days,” says Christoph wryly, “but Adam did a great job bringing it back to life.”
While it was in his care, Adam also installed a swath of upgrades to help the truck cope with the rigors of twenty-first-century life: a Holley EFI fuel injection system, new brakes, springs, and wiring, and new seats.
He also fitted a new sound system with a retro-style modern radio and sealed the underbody.
Organizing the paperwork for relocation to Germany was easy. “I was helped by a buddy who has lived in Los Angeles since the ’90s,” says Christoph. “He owns a company that specializes in importing and exporting vehicles, and he arranged for the Scout to be shipped in a container.
“It took about three months for my truck to arrive—first to the Netherlands, and then on to Germany. My workshop handled the pickup and the historic vehicle registration, and it was surprisingly smooth, considering the strict TÜV regulations.” There was only one mishap during the whole process: the radiator blew during the inspection.
Since then, Christoph has been repping the Scout brand at car meetups in Germany. “Every time I roll into an event, the truck grabs attention, and people always ask what kind it is.
“That uniqueness is part of the charm,” he adds. “The Scout attracts a lot of attention, even just driving down the road. It’s been a wonderful way to connect with people.”
But the truck’s real charm goes beyond turning heads. It’s also a gentle reminder to slow down and appreciate the moment. If you’ve ever driven in Germany, especially on the famous Autobahnen, you’ll know most drivers don’t like to dawdle. “Driving the Scout here is like stepping back in time,” Christoph says. “While Germany is famous for its fast roads, the Scout isn’t built for speed.
“It reminds me of cruising through California, with the music on and my Leica by my side. You never know who you will meet. There is a phrase, ‘Always wear a camera.’ That’s my happy place.”
Currently, Christoph is working on a photobook titled Road Cowboy, which is scheduled for release later in 2025. “It revolves around the story of my Scout and the people I’ve met on my travels,” he says.
So if you come across a bright yellow Scout II parked on a sleepy European street, chances are Christoph isn’t far away. And if you say hello, you might just become part of his next story.
