Driven Speed Shop Reimagines a 1969 International Scout
Any long-term car or truck build is sure to teach you some life lessons. Justin Gray says he learned many during the eight-year journey of having this custom 1969 International Scout built. The most important? “If you don’t stay true to your personality,” Justin says, “the build will course correct those expectations for you.”
Justin’s custom Scout journey began shortly after he found a seemingly clean example of the vintage SUV in 2018. “The original resto began at a different shop that was not only not up to the task, but ended up going out of business during Covid,” Justin says. “At that point the build completely rebooted from a superficial, largely cosmetic restoration into a complete re-imagining of the Scout as ‘Scout III,’ the evolution of the Scout and Scout II lineage due to the partnership with Driven Speed Shop.”
It’s not hyperbole for Justin to say the Scout was completely reimagined once Mikey Dascoli and his team at Driven Speed Shop took over. After discovering substantial rust, the shop’s fabricators essentially decided to craft a completely new body from fresh steel, incorporating design enhancements like a stretched and widened front end, squared and flared wheel openings, and a functional roll cage instead of a removable top.
All that new steel was fitted to a Roadster Shop RS4 chassis featuring four-link front and rear suspensions, coil-over shocks, and 13-inch Baer disc brakes behind Forgeline 18-inch beadlock wheels wrapped in BFGoodrich rubber. The chassis supports a Wegner-built, Whipple-supercharged LS3 engine sending more than 1,000 horsepower through a Gearstar 4L80E transmission and breathing through a custom Borla exhaust.
When the Scout’s new body was ready, it was handed over to Arizona Street Custom for a finish coat of Porsche Ivory paint. That was complemented with custom-machined details like the grille, headlight bezels, taillights, and other trim, plus custom-fabricated bumpers and side steps, all finished in contrasting gray with gold highlights.
Inside, the Driven Speed Shop team crafted a custom dash fitted with Dakota Digital gauges, Vintage Air, a center navigation screen, and a Ringbrothers wheel atop a tilt column. Sew Cal Rods then worked its magic by stitching custom maroon leather over TMI seats and a custom console and side panels. LED lighting, custom trim, and other refined details deliver a look and feel of modern luxury.
Justin is understandably excited about the result of this stunning Scout project, and he’s reflective about the lessons learned. “There’s just no way to half-ass a resto,” he says. “Attempting to do so originally was simply a fool’s errand. The misconception that I would settle for anything less than the best of everything is just a painful lesson in knowing one’s self.”
Congratulations to Justin Gray and the crew at Driven Speed Shop for being named a Finalist for Goodguys 2026 Dakota Digital Truck of the Year!
Photos by: Terry Lysak
