EXCLUSIVE: Arctic Cat Snowmobile
This Exclusive is a bit different than our typical find. It might not be a classic car, but this vintage snowmobile is definitely a barn find and it has a cool story to boot! I’ll let reader Glewnn K tell you more about its history below. If you’d love to have this Cat, Glewnn is asking $1,800 and you can find it in Newcastle, Australia.
Asking Price: $1,800
Location: Newcastle, NSW, Australia
Title Status: Clean
VIN: 2022706
Seller’s Description: This Arctic Cat was originally bought by Honda as part of their plan to get into snowmobiles. They bought several and re-engined them and trialed them at the Perisher ski resort in Australia because they thought that there was a low risk of them being seen. Kerry Packer bought several of them at the end of the trial, and this one went to the second-hand car yard just outside of Cooma. My father bought it and operated it in the National Park for several years. It was then loaned to someone at Chalets Park where it ended up under the ski lift at the base of the mountain, non-operational. I then collected it and we got it operational and registered. We used it for several years at Perisher until our kids outgrew the need for it.
Body Condition: It requires some basic electrical work.
Mechanical Condition: It was operational. All parts are there and it is ready to have some basic work done on it to make it operational.
The link to Honda probably doesn’t add a ton of value to this snowmobile, but it definitely makes for an interesting bit of history! These Arctic Cats are rugged machines though and it shouldn’t be all that difficult to get this one back on the trails. A modern machine would be faster, but there is something cool about vintage snowmobiles. So, if you are ready for some winter fun, be sure to contact Glewnn via the form below!
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Comments
That’s one way to make it fit,,,right through the front of the trailer. I’ve never seen an Arctic Cat hood like this, although, it has Arctic Cat tunnel. I’ve never heard of an Arctic Cat/Honda snowmobile buy out. Arctic Cat was started by Edgar Hetteen in 1960 after leaving Polaris. Nothing is mentioned about a Honda buyout. They did go bankrupt in 1996, however. The only 2 Honda snowmobiles I know of, was the 1971 750 4 cylinder, and the White Fox, neither was marketed.
Early 1970’s Boss Cat?
Howard I think that you need to have another cup of coffee and read the write up again. Honda bought some Arctic Cats to study to try to develop their own snowmobiles. They did not purchase the whole company.
Happy 2019 to All.
Cheers!
Thank you Rock On !!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zANvYB93u2g
Howard, Honda bought the sled. Not the company ! Second of all. Arctic Cat didn’t go bankrupt in 1996. It was 1981,.they didn’t make sleds for the 1982-84 seasons . And made a small production run for the 1985 season .
Thats a 1971 Arctic Cat EXT chassis. I know because we sold them new. But the hood scoop for the two cylinder two stroke Free Air Kawasaki race engine has been covered with a lump of fiberglas. No doubt to cover the Honda engine. Looks like Honda played with several chassis. They stuffed a 750 four into a big Polaris for an industry show about 1970. That sent tongues flapping but it was just a show piece. Ive heard it barely moved under its own power. Using the 1971 snow equivalent of a Miata chassis made more sense. EXTs are small and light. Mostly aluminum tub. They turned on a dime and were easy to service.It would have sold. But Honda fretted like an old lady and came out with the God awful failure that was the White Fox years after the snowmobile bubble had burst. Their ship sailed off without them. Only Yamaha made money in the Snowmobile biz and is still in it today. They currently are partnered with Arctic Cat building their performance chassis in Minnesota. Kawasaki tried and failed after five years to make their own chassis. Sunk millions but only made a flash in the pan. Suzuki bailed after making a decent sled for five years and still makes one engine for the Arctic Cat Lynx. Arctic did go bankrupt briefly in 1981 not 1996. A group of ex executives kickstarted the company again and they are still in business today, recently being bought up under the financial safety of the massive Textron umbrella. They build some of their own engines and buy others from Yamaha, Suzuki, Kymco fir their full line of snowmobiles and ATVs.
Old snowmobiles becoming a permanent part of the backyard is a pretty common site here in the Northeast.
In Wisconsin as well Coventrycat. The guy up the lane has a handfull of junkers.
My dad still has an early ’70’s AC with a Wankel (232 on the cowl I think) and another with a 440 sticker on it – both burn gas/oil mix (440 is a 2 stroke)… Fun machines. The Wankel was a little underpowered for the size of the sled (I think 3 people could fit on that one) and was slow out of the hole but decent at speed.
The engine looked tiny under the hood. Good power to weight, just too much sled for it.
I rode a lot of snowmobiles growing up in upstate New York in the seventies. I havent kept up with values on “vintage” sleds but this seems pretty ambitious given how much work it needs.
Ah, great old Cat! Fond memories of my dad taking me to school on one when the car was a frozen popsicle and the roads were all snowed in. Brrrrrrrrr…..
Artic cat is in thwif River Minnesota and I know this for a fact.Twxtrin bought Artic cat and still make great products.Its basically Twxteon Specialized vehicles but we make great machines
Yes that is an old EXT chassis with a head light upgrade … same hood lines
Oh well my company bought Artic cat and I have been there to the their river plant they still make snowmobiles atc,s four wheeler motorcycles.And all those guys n gals up there are very cool to work with