WORDS Drew Perlmutter
IMAGES Scout Studios
Old trucks come with stories. That’s a given. Hallie Slade’s 1962 Scout 80TM, however, came with an entire family history.
fter years of searching the usual classifieds almost daily, Hallie started believing the perfect Scout® truck wasn't to be found. At the time, the West Coast offered few trucks that felt right. She and her husband widened the hunt nationwide, searching the Midwest, the East Coast, and beyond, hoping the right one would be discovered.
Then one Saturday morning, the search ended just a few miles from home.
“This Scout 80 popped up and it happened to be in the next town over,” Hallie said. “I was like, ‘What? This is too good to be true.’ We called them right away, went over the next day, took it for a test drive, and made them an offer right there on the spot.”
The truck she found was a blue Scout 80, purchased brand new by husband and wife, George and Janet, more than six decades earlier. George had driven it off the lot in 1962 for $2,776, looking for something that could leave the pavement behind.
“I wanted something that would go off-road,” George recalled. “Something that would do more over the years.”
And it did. It carried them through vacations. It was there while they raised a family.
“I don’t know whether I fell in love with him first or the Scout first,” Janet laughed. “I thought, ‘I think I’ll hang around this guy.'”
It carried them through vacations.
It was there while they raised a family.
Over the decades, the Scout truck quietly became what so many do: part of the family. Eventually, George and Janet knew it was time for someone else to write the next chapter.
“When we said goodbye to the Scout, we had tears,” Janet said. “But we knew it was going to a good home, and we were so excited that Hallie and her family were going to make new memories.”
And that was important to Hallie. She didn’t just inherit a vehicle. She inherited its history. For Hallie, it was never going to be just any vintage SUV.
“I’ve always loved vintage SUVs,” she said. “But the Scout is the most beautiful to me. It just feels like you own a historical piece of art. I like the history behind them—that they went from a tractor company to building one of America’s most recognizable utility vehicles.”
As it turns out, Hallie wasn’t just preserving the Scout brand’s history. She was quietly helping write its next chapter.
Hallie knows a little something about bringing people together. She owns Slaack Productions, a Los Angeles-based company that creates corporate events, brand activations, and pop-up experiences for clients around the world.
Coincidentally, her professional life and love of Scout vehicles crossed paths in 2022 during the early days of Scout Motors. Not long after purchasing her Scout 80, Hallie helped produce a private event in a Los Angeles warehouse where company leaders gathered for an early, top-secret look at what was being built. Her Scout 80 was invited along, displayed beside a Scout II™ as a tangible reminder of the history behind the new company. Her truck was also at the official reveal event in Tennessee, when the public got its first look at the new concepts, serving as a reminder of the vehicles that came before.
George and Janet still live nearby, and every so often they hear from friends who spot the old Scout truck driving through town. Hallie keeps them updated whenever something special happens, too. In many ways, the Scout truck never really left the family. Its family just grew.
Since bringing it home, Hallie has made only a few updates, including rebuilding the radiator and reupholstering the seats. Most importantly, she added something the truck never had before: a rear seat with seat belts for her son.
The Scout truck that once carried George and Janet’s family now carries Hallie’s. On weekends, it has become what she affectionately calls her “coffee car,” cruising around Los Angeles, heading to local car shows, or simply giving the family an excuse to slow down.
“It’s never really just been about the vehicle itself,” Hallie reflected. “It’s about the people it brings together.”
That’s something every Scout truck owner eventually learns. Ownership is temporary. Stewardship lasts much longer. Each caretaker leaves a few fingerprints on the story before handing it to the next. George and Janet preserved this Scout rig for more than sixty years. Hallie is making sure the next generation has memories of it, too.
“One of the most special parts of this journey has been getting to know George and Janet,” she said. “It reminds you that Scout has always been more than just a vehicle. It’s about the people, the memories, and the connections that carry those stories forward.”
Her son already gets excited every time they pull it out of the garage.
Someday, he’ll probably have stories of his own.
“It was part of another family’s adventures,” Hallie said. “Now somehow it’s become part of ours.”
Disclaimer: Scout Motors celebrates the legacy of Scout vehicles and the passionate community that keeps them alive. However, Scout Motors does not sell, restore, or provide parts or services for vintage Scout vehicles. Any modifications or restorations featured are the work of individual owners or third-party specialists.
