Snow Goer's Vintage Snowmobiles Vol. 1
Snow Goer's Vintage Snowmobiles Vol. 1
ITEM E507
Memorable Machines and Highlights from Snowmobiling’s Golden Age
By David Wells
Snow Goer magazine has combed its comprehensive archive of articles from long-time contributor David Wells to assemble a collection of profiles of the most interesting machines that the sport has ever seen. There is an impressive array of machines, including sleds from the four surviving major brands—Polaris, Ski-doo, Yamaha, and Arctic Cat—and many other well-known names like Ariens, Bolens, Evinrude, and Johnson, and even some obscure names like Roll-O-Flex and Dauphin.
In addition to the profiles, there are background features on “Snowbikes” through the years, a look at “rebadging,” and an in-depth flashback to the fabulous factory speed run and stock racing wars of the early 1970s.
Softbound, 144 pages, 8.5x11 inches
What do many folks do for enjoyment after enduring the cold and snow of a Northern winter-based workday or week? Along with members of their family, they often go for a ride on their snowmobiles. Author David Wells, described as “a longtime snowmobiler,” has chronicled the sport since the early 1970s for Snow Goer magazine and other publications. As noted in the introduction, from the Vietnam War to the civil rights movement, the 1960s were a tumultuous era. In this period there was “another uprising—one centered around fun and enjoyment, and around winter.” While utilitarian “snow machines” had been around for decades, the recreational side was in its infancy. Arranged chronologically, starting with the 1967 Ski-Doo Super Olympique and concluding with the 1986 Ski-Doo Formula SP, Wells provides two pages with at least one photograph and a sidebar devoted to the manufacturer, powertrain, and chassis details for each of the 57 snowmobiles highlighted. Along the way, at learn about AMF, Wheel Horse, Suzuki, Arctic Cat, John Deere, Polaris, and Kawasaki. Three additional sections cover snow bikes, rebadging—Polaris also made Homelite and Montgomery Ward’s Riverside snowmobiles, for example, and finally the “Great Stock Racing War of the 1970s.”
Book Review by Robert Gabrick
