In some locations, snowmobiles offer the most practical, and in some cases, the only form of transport when the weather turns nasty. Their greatest weakness is the fact that they don’t offer users the most comfortable traveling experiences. However, in the early 1970s, there was an alternative available that attempted to address this weakness. The Sno’ Coupe was a vehicle designed to offer road car comfort, combined with snowmobile versatility. They were not a huge sales success, and very few remain in existence today. This one is a clean and tidy example that looks like it will potentially need only some light restoration, but it has the makings of an interesting and quirky project. Located in Heron Lake, Minnesota, it has been listed for sale here on Facebook. The owner is asking $8,995 for this great little vehicle.

Manufactured by the Innovar Corporation of Dunnel, Minnesota, the Sno’ Coupe was marketed as a “gentleman’s snowmobile.” It was an attempt by the company to offer snowmobile versatility, with a touch of comfort and style. It was available in three models, being the Executive, the Ranger, and the Sportster. The fiberglass body and enclosed top of the Sno’ Coupe offered occupants all-weather protection, but it never really was a sales success. A large part of this revolved around the price, which was perilously close to that of a small road car. This one looks to be in pretty decent condition for its age. The fiberglass is showing no signs of any obvious fatigue issues, and while the paint has faded on different sections over the years, it still looks quite reasonable. It’s worth noting that for a vehicle this expensive, potential buyers were only offered a Sno’ Coupe in three basic colors. These included Red, Gold Metalflake, and Blue. It appears that all of the glass, trim, and lights are present, and all seem to be in good condition. The coolest feature of the Sno’ Coupe is undoubtedly the sliding top, which offered easy access in and out of the vehicle for its two occupants. It appears that this one has no damage, and judging by the photos, it does at least slide backward and forwards, although just how easily it does this isn’t clear. In fact, there isn’t a lot about this particular vehicle that is clear, because the owner offers no information about it beyond its location, price, and the photos that you see here.

When you dig below that stylish body, what you find is a Polaris Voyager chassis. Buyers were offered a choice of two different engines. The most powerful of these was the 488cc Polaris Fuji, producing 32hp. In the case of this one, what we find is the base 372cc JLO engine, with a power output of 23hp. Power found its way to 30″ wide cleated track via a Borg Warner transmission which included reverse gear. Typically, the engine offered a pull-start, although many buyers, including the original owner of this one, chose to have them fitted with an electric start. Once again, we have no information on the mechanical condition of the Sno’ Coupe, but the saving grace with these is the fact that the vast majority of mechanical components are available through Polaric dealerships.

Sliding back the top, we discover what made the Sno’ Coupe so special. The vehicle provides two-abreast seating, carpet, roll-over protection, limited luggage space, and even an optional heater and demister. Overall, the interior condition of the Sno’ Coupe is quite good, with only the carpet showing any real wear. However, this should actually be easy to address. The black vinyl upholstery on the seat looks to be free of tears, while the painted surfaces appear to be quite good. The heater/demister unit fitted to this Sno’ Coupe isn’t original, but I suspect that it would be quite effective. The woodgrain section on the top of the dash also isn’t original, as this area should be painted to match the rest of the dash. So if a full restoration is to be undertaken, this would need to be addressed. Having said that, this does only appear to be vinyl adhesive, so should be easy to remove. One interesting little feature of the Sno’ Coupe is the fact that it was only ever built in right-hand drive form, which seems odd for a vehicle that was exclusively destined for the US market. I guess that is just one more thing that could be considered to be quirky with this vehicle.

For all of its promise, the Sno’ Coupe wasn’t the success that Innovar had hoped for. Built between 1970 and 1973, only about 200 vehicles eventually found buyers. Just how many remain today isn’t clear, but the consensus seems to place the number at around 70 vehicles. For me, the real sticking point with this one is the price, which is pretty high. A figure of between $4,000 and $6,000 seems to be around the ballpark for one of these in need of restoration. Having said that, these rarely come onto the market, and this one does appear to be in better-than-average condition for a restoration project. So, if a really unusual vehicle is high on your wish list, then maybe this is one that could be worth a bit of a look.