New Dream Truck Unlocked: 1-of-5 International Harvester R-140 Woody Wagon

Woody Wagons are always cool. It’s just a fact, like death and taxes. However, not all woody wagons are created equal. You have your everyday cruisers, those are superb. Then you have your custom creations that command admiration for the level of craftsmanship involved. Arguably at the bottom of the pile, you have those awkward vinyl appliques to more modern vehicles (like the Grand Wagoneer), and while we’re not always fond of those, the premise at least makes sense.

At the top of the hierarchy—and this is just coming across my desk, I’m making these adjustments on the fly and trust that you’ll fall into line accordingly—sits this behemoth: A 1954 International Harvester R-140 Woody Wagon. Hello, you magnificent beast. This one is slated to cross the block at Mecum’s Kissimmee sale this month, and boy howdy, am I intrigued.

According to the Mecum listing, this is one of just five 4×4 Woody Wagons specially ordered by the Army Corps of Engineers for the chief engineers behind the Minuteman Missile system in South Dakota. It would seem, based on that wording, that these were delivered as gifts for those engineers, or at least as a set of wheels to help you stand out on the premises. And stand out you would.

Of the five that were built, just three are known to still exist. This one, according to Mecum, is the only one that’s been restored. It already has a stack of awards to its name, including the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) National first prize and the AACA Special National Award.

International’s R-series pickups debuted in 1953 and came in a range of applications spanning from light-duty pickups to tandem-axle semitractors. The R-140 marked the start of the medium-duty line and was also the first model to come equipped with a true four-wheel-drive system straight from the factory. (Previous 4×4 models were conversions, either done by International after the fact or by third-party firms.)

Typically, R-140s shared the 220 cubic-inch straight-six engine from the light-duty models, but these specially-built versions grabbed the 240 cubic-inch six from the burlier R-160. This one also features a three-speed manual and a separate lever for the two-speed transfer case, as well as a lever to engage or disengage the front axle.

The restoration job on this one looks magnificent, with bright and beautiful wood paneling that contrasts with a sharp black paint job over a black vinyl interior. The wood panels were made using the original wood as the template, so it’s no wonder that everything looks tight and tidy. A photo collage documenting the restoration is included in the sale, as are a host of in-period operator’s manuals for the truck and even the burly Tulsa winch fitted up front.

You could have any number of cool muscle cars from the forthcoming Mecum sale, including a whole host of neat Camaros, plenty of Mustangs, a cadre of Cobras, and even a roadgoing Ford GT40. But if you wind up the lucky new owner of this behemoth, you’ll be one-of-one at pretty much any auto event you roll up to.