Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Classic SUVs next big thing for car collectors]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2013/04/18/classic-suvs-next-big-thing-for-car-collectors/http://www.autoblog.com/2013/04/18/classic-suvs-next-big-thing-for-car-collectors/http://www.autoblog.com/2013/04/18/classic-suvs-next-big-thing-for-car-collectors/#commentsFiled under: , ,

1967 International Scout 800 Sport Top

Hagerty Insurance seems to think vintage SUVs are going to be the next big trend in car collecting. The agency has already seen prices begin to tick upward at auction, with the number of classic SUVs insured by the company growing some 65 percent since 2008. That's about twice the pace of the overall market. All told, Toyota Land Cruisers have seen the largest jump with a swell of 202 percent, though 1970s and 1980s Jeep models are up by a more than respectable 93 percent as well. Likewise, Ford Bronco and International Scout SUVs are up by 86 and 85 percent, respectively.

Hagerty attributes the increase with the overall rise in the popularity of the SUV in general. As modern machines become more in vogue, so do their predecessors by extension. While these old bruisers haven't spent much time in the lime light at classic car auctions, Hagerty says recent events in Scottsdale featured 11 vintage Toyota Land Cruiser models, one of which sold for $88,000. That's quite a price for a 1981 FJ-40. You can read the full press release below.

Continue reading Classic SUVs next big thing for car collectors

Classic SUVs next big thing for car collectors originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Apr 2013 18:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>broncofordford broncohagerty insuranceinternationalinternational scoutjeepland cruiserscouttoyotatoyota land cruiserThu, 18 Apr 2013 18:31:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20545044/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2013/04/18/classic-suvs-next-big-thing-for-car-collectors/20545044/article-detail.xml 20545044 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/04/1967-scout-800-sport-top-1-628_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/04/1967-scout-800-sport-top-1-628.jpg <![CDATA[How to turn your hood into wall art]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2012/08/20/how-to-turn-your-hood-into-wall-art/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/08/20/how-to-turn-your-hood-into-wall-art/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/08/20/how-to-turn-your-hood-into-wall-art/#commentsFiled under: ,



I hadn't had my '78 Scout Terra painted for more than a week when I found myself plodding along a crooked farm road in the dead of night amidst a howling thunderstorm. Rain threw itself at the flat-pane windshield in violent splashes, threatening to drown out the static cough of the one-speaker AM radio in the dash. Soft green light poured from the gauges as I flicked through the dial, curious to hear what the low clouds would drag across the airwaves from the farthest corners of the state. The needle slid to a talk radio show with host and guest locked mid-debate on the merits of extraterrestrial visitation and the federal government's continued efforts at an ongoing cover-up.

The headlights did their best to shove through the deluge with decreasing efficacy. I dialed back the speed as the old International rounded a corner into a long straight. The radio began to speak in low tones as the guest carefully detailed his own personal visitation experience. There was talk of paralysis. Operating tables. The guest began painting a vivid picture of the cold, vacant eyes of his captors when the signal dropped into pure static. I began to reach for the dial when the countryside exploded in brilliant white light, flicking down the strands of wet barbed-wire on either side of the road and splashing across the Death by Stereo skull and lightning bolts I had stenciled onto a black field on the hood in my parents' driveway a few nights prior. The deafening clap of thunder that ensued a half breath later felt like a boot to the chest, voicing itself even over the low grumble of the truck's lumbering V8 and producing in me a primal urge to bolt for cover.

The radio sparked back to life before the thunder had ceased making its rounds down the valley, leaving me with the afterimage of that white skull etched on the inside of my eyelids. I can't tell you why, but that was the moment that made the truck mine.

It didn't take long for word to get around that I was the kid in town with a rusty old Scout slathered in matte black Rustoleum enamel with a skull on the hood and DTH PRUF vanity plates at each bumper. Through the years, the truck has been my most loyal vehicle, proving to be shockingly reliable and nie-unstoppable off road. So when it came time for a new batch of sheetmetal to replace the corroded bits, I had to find a suitable way to honor the hood that had pointed me toward the life I now lead. Rather than stick it in a corner of the garage or send it off to scrap, I decided to take a shot at hanging it my office. Odds are, if you've spun enough wrenches, you may just have a body panel or two itching for a spot on your own wall. Here's how to make it happen.

Continue reading How to turn your hood into wall art

How to turn your hood into wall art originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>auto artcar artcar hoodhang hoodhoodhow tointernational harvesterscoutscout terrawall artMon, 20 Aug 2012 11:57:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20304210/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2012/08/20/how-to-turn-your-hood-into-wall-art/20304210/article-detail.xml 20304210 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/08/15-scout-hood-opt_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/08/15-scout-hood-opt.jpg <![CDATA[Frankfurt 2007: ?koda Fabia Scout "Design Study"]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/09/12/frankfurt-2007-skoda-fabia-scout-design-study/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/09/12/frankfurt-2007-skoda-fabia-scout-design-study/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/09/12/frankfurt-2007-skoda-fabia-scout-design-study/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Skoda Fabia Scout
Click image for photo gallery

Based on the Fabia Combi (wagon) that's making its world debut for Škoda at Frankfurt, the Fabia Scout "design study" on the show floor is, in all likelihood, a lock for production. Škoda already offers an Octavia Scout and a Roomster Scout, both of which are dressed up allroad/Outback-style with unpainted lower cladding to give the cars a tougher, SUV-ish look. In the case of the Octavia Scout, it actually has 4WD, too, because that's an option on the regular Octavia. Don't expect the same from the Fabia Scout, as the car it's based on is FWD-only. We expect to see the Fabia Scout in European showrooms wearing the exact same duds as the very production-looking show car you see above. File it under "concept in name only."

[Source: Škoda]

Gallery: Skoda Fabia Scout

Continue reading Frankfurt 2007: ?koda Fabia Scout "Design Study"

Frankfurt 2007: ?koda Fabia Scout "Design Study" originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 12 Sep 2007 13:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>design studyDesignStudyfabiafabia combiFabiaCombifrankfurtscoutskodaskoda fabiaskoda fabia scoutSkodaFabiaSkodaFabiaScoutWed, 12 Sep 2007 13:33:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/986931/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2007/09/12/frankfurt-2007-skoda-fabia-scout-design-study/986931/article-detail.xml 986931 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/09/fabiascout_lo001_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/09/fabiascout_lo001.jpg <![CDATA[Paris Motor Show: ?koda Octavia Scout]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/09/29/paris-motor-show-koda-octavia-scout/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/09/29/paris-motor-show-koda-octavia-scout/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/09/29/paris-motor-show-koda-octavia-scout/#commentsFiled under: , , ,




As our man Alex Nunez said when he covered the preview press release at the beginning of this month, the Škoda Octavia Scout is based on the Volkswagen Golf Mk. V. It's a new small wagon derivative from Škoda that sits 16mm higher than the regular Octavia Combi 4x4.

It features unpainted bumpers, fender flares and side skirts, and skidplates front and rear, to make it look like its corporate cousin, the Audi Allroad. Not a bad start and the finish ain't bad either. The tail is reminiscent of the Porsche Cayenne, with a similar rear glass angle and tail lamps that look like 3/4-scale versions of those on the Porsche. Beefy tires on 17" five-spoke wheels add just the right stance to give this thing street trail cred.

Engines are the 140-hp 2.0 TDI or a 150-horse 2.0 FSI gas option. The Octavia Scout uses Škoda's version of VW's 4Motion system to make it at least somewhat trail-worthy. It should reach Škoda showrooms early in 2007. Similar in some ways to the newly announced VW Tiguan, hopefully the U.S. will get a Scout-like option package as smart as this Škoda.


(Paris and press photos, press release after the jump)

[Source: Škoda]

Continue reading Paris Motor Show: ?koda Octavia Scout

Paris Motor Show: ?koda Octavia Scout originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 29 Sep 2006 09:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>allroadaudioctaviascoutskodatiguanvwFri, 29 Sep 2006 09:28:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/676936/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2006/09/29/paris-motor-show-koda-octavia-scout/676936/article-detail.xml 676936 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2006/09/dsc07674_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2006/09/dsc07674.jpg <![CDATA[?koda Octavia Scout: Baby Allroad, Czech-style]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/09/02/koda-octavia-scout-baby-allroad-czech-style/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/09/02/koda-octavia-scout-baby-allroad-czech-style/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/09/02/koda-octavia-scout-baby-allroad-czech-style/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Skoda Octavia Scout
Click to enlarge

One upcoming Paris debut that caught our eyes is the new Škoda Octavia Scout. Based on the Volkswagen Golf MkV, the Octavia Scout is a small wagon whose ride height is 16mm higher than that of the regular Octavia Combi 4x4.

Its unpainted bumpers, fender flares and side skirts, combined with skidplates fore and aft, scream "AUDI ALLROAD," and if you ask us, that's a good thing. The rear view is very reminiscent of the Porsche Cayenne, thanks to a rear glass angle and taillamps that look like they were lifted from the Porsche SUV, shrunken down, and applied here. The thing is, they look better on the Scout. Beefy 17" five-spoke wheels add to the car's attractive yet commanding presence.

Underhood, a 140-hp 2.0 TDI with particulate filter or a 150-horse 2.0 FSI provide motivation. Power goes to the ground via Škoda's version of VW's 4Motion system. In keeping with its off-road theme, there's even a passenger grab handle in the cabin. This is a nice package all around, and we have to wonder if a Jetta-ized version would look nearly as good as its Škoda cousin. We'd take this car -- as is -- in a heartbeat.

(Rear view, press release after the jump)

[Source: Skoda]

Continue reading ?koda Octavia Scout: Baby Allroad, Czech-style

?koda Octavia Scout: Baby Allroad, Czech-style originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 02 Sep 2006 17:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>allroadcayenneoctaviascoutskodaskoda octaviaskoda octavia scoutSkodaOctaviaSkodaOctaviaScoutSat, 02 Sep 2006 17:56:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/662705/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2006/09/02/koda-octavia-scout-baby-allroad-czech-style/662705/article-detail.xml 662705 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2006/09/octaviascout_450_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2006/09/octaviascout_450.jpg -1 2