RE: SOTW: Arctic Cat EXT 550/Panther Snowmobile

RE: SOTW: Arctic Cat EXT 550/Panther Snowmobile

Friday 24th December 2010

SOTW: Arctic Cat EXT 550/Panther Snowmobile

Shed suggests something novel and impractical - it must be Christmas...



Never one to let a spot of the cold, white stuff get in the way of the endless quest for sub-£1k motoring gems, Shed has been looking for ways to keep mobile in the arctic conditions.

And one of the best ways to keep going when the roads turn white is to replace tyres with tracks and wheels with skis. Which of course means that Shed has been on the look-out for snowmobiles in the run-up to the Holiday Season.

And while we do know that you can't (legally) go rocketing past stranded lorries down the snowbound outside lane of the M25 on one of these things in search of that next great SOTW bargain, why should we let reality get in the way of a good story?


Anyhow, Shed's search for snowmobiles has returned good news and bad news. The good news is that you can pick up a snowmobile for less than the magic 'bag of sand'. The bad news is that you're unlikely to be able to find one in the UK at that price.

So our first stop is Norway, from whence comes this magnificent-looking Arctic Cat Panther. With its fetching colour combination of maroon, brown and black, this 1982 machine would surely be the envy of your friends and family.


Aside from the slightly odd fact that a spot of web research seems to reveal that US-based Arctic Cat was not actually a going concern between 1981 and 1984, this does seem like a fine vehicle. And as well as what appears to be a sheepskin rug on the seat, it's even got a place to keep your chainsaw - a sentence we never imagined we'd write in an SOTW article. (Have you seen the price of Christmas trees..? Ed.)

The seller has this up for £917, which isn't bad, but if you're prepared to go a bit farther afield we reckon we can do a little better...


...This is because we also spotted - on the pragmatically named sellmysnowmobile.com - a rather more modern beast. Again made by Arctic Cat, this time it's something called an EXT 550 EFI from 1993.

Now, we know next-to-nothing about snowmobiles, but we assume that this means a 550cc engine, and so consequently a fair ol' turn of speed. But exactly what sort of performance is rather beyond our ken.

For $1400 - which we reckon works out at a Shed-friendly £900-ish - with just 3000 miles beneath its tracks, we imagine you'd get quite a lot of performance fro your money. The only problem would be getting the thing from Maine and over to Blighty. And finding somewhere to ride it once the snow has melted...


Arctic Cat Panther ad (translated from Norwegian):

Arctic Cat Panther (1982)
£917

Ok Panther, quite pretty to look at. Everything works out. Registered. Hook, storagebox (no lid), hold for chainsaw. Some minor edits can be corrected if one wants it, it is after all an old snowmobile (tears in the seat, etc.)

Advert for EXT 550:

1993 Arctic Cat EXT 550 EFI
3000 Miles
Maine


GREAT to mint cont. $1400.00 gets you a sled that is ready for most anything.
New track (1.25") new drive line bearings, new idler wheels, new plastic Cat skis.....
Great starter or second sled.

Join SOTW on Facebook

Author
Discussion

g7jhp

Original Poster:

6,958 posts

237 months

Friday 24th December 2010
quotequote all
Quad bike would be more useful!

Noe

81 posts

282 months

Friday 24th December 2010
quotequote all
Shed or Sled ? Of the week

80quattro

1,724 posts

194 months

Friday 24th December 2010
quotequote all
Ooh I like that

Award for smallest engined shed?

iain1970

239 posts

161 months

Friday 24th December 2010
quotequote all
I might just want one of these coversions to a 'ped.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeLTHmh9apk

GarryA

4,700 posts

163 months

Friday 24th December 2010
quotequote all

ninos

65 posts

204 months

Friday 24th December 2010
quotequote all
Very funny guys, so where's the real SOTW?

Maybe a nice 4 x 4 would have been more appropriate.

carinaman

21,214 posts

171 months

Friday 24th December 2010
quotequote all
I friend of an ex-colleague had one of these. The cambelts go, and the head gaskets are pretty flaky so you may as well do the head gasket at the same time. They're also really sensitive to incorrect wheel alignment.

A Scotsman

1,000 posts

198 months

Friday 24th December 2010
quotequote all
Could have done with one of those in Scotland this week!

mxspyder

1,071 posts

164 months

Friday 24th December 2010
quotequote all
All that’s missing is Roger Moore and a Union Jack parachute!

Jaz300CE

29 posts

183 months

Friday 24th December 2010
quotequote all
what about a 90s Shogun / Pajero for a grand? - bargains to be had!

youngsod

267 posts

181 months

Friday 24th December 2010
quotequote all
I'm just back from honeymoon in Iceland and we had a snowmobile trip on Langjökull Glacier. Oh dear god these are fun. Never has 56 km/h seemed so terrifyingly fast. Mind you the conditions on the glacier were frozen icy snow, which meant that any steering output was strictly of the 'suggestion' variety.

Goodfella 555

199 posts

167 months

Friday 24th December 2010
quotequote all
Come on shed don't let me down this'll be 4 weeks in a row that the shed is no good...

Faust66

2,028 posts

164 months

Friday 24th December 2010
quotequote all
Maybe this week's shed should be emailed to the big man up at the North Pole?

I hear tell he's got a busy night of deliveries coming up...

g7jhp

Original Poster:

6,958 posts

237 months

Friday 24th December 2010
quotequote all
doogz said:
g7jhp said:
Quad bike would be more useful!
They're not.

I have one.

If the snow's deep enough that it's higher than the bottom of the plastic wheel arch/splash guards behind the front wheels, you're stuffed. Had to push mine up a snowy hill last week when it got stuck. It weighs quarter of a tonne frown
Mate's dad used to import Polaris Quads used to race them around his farm in the mud, snow which was great fun.

When we have a lot of snow they'd come and pick us up in this.........



The Argo was far more upto the job and would cross lakes as well!

vetteheadracer

8,271 posts

252 months

Friday 24th December 2010
quotequote all
This is a much better idea......


carinaman

21,214 posts

171 months

Friday 24th December 2010
quotequote all
Aren't they much cheaper in the summer?

_g_

741 posts

200 months

Friday 24th December 2010
quotequote all
iain1970 said:
I might just want one of these coversions to a 'ped.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeLTHmh9apk
These are what you want smile..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaTPn_2Z8tg
Those may well use standard mx engines, but for more off-piste stuff I believe they use stuff like a turbocharged Husaberg - 550/650cc single making up to 100hp or so with turbo, yet still only weighing 120kg (+ snow bits).

Shaw Tarse

31,543 posts

202 months

Friday 24th December 2010
quotequote all
vetteheadracer said:
This is a much better idea......

I want this biggrin
And an Argocat.
SOTW like it, bit of fun for Christmas.

Alicatt1

805 posts

194 months

Friday 24th December 2010
quotequote all
And in the summer in Nova Scotia they drag race them smile

alexmckie

118 posts

240 months

Friday 24th December 2010
quotequote all
I think these would be great....