1972 Chaparral Firebird SS: Colorado Brand was Ridin’ High

Chaparral was definitely riding high heading into 1972. One of the more technically advanced sled brands of the day, the upstart from Colorado was beginning to be recognized as a builder of quality product that offered serious performance combined with above-average reliability.

After winning the 1970 Soo I-500 enduro race, “red bird” production had doubled to 6,000 machines for ’71, and it increased again to about 10,000 sleds for ’72. That had Chaparral knocking on the door of the industry’s 10 top brands.

Chaparral Industries liked to evaluate its products right in its own backyard, the Rocky Mountains. So, it had a quartet of non-professional riders take four 1972 early production models up to 12,500 feet. The successful safari resulted in the 1972 marketing theme “the snowmobile that conquered the Rockies.”

Choices Galore

For 1972, Chaparral offered 21 distinct models that fell into four series: the Firebird SS trail performance models; Firebird trail sport sleds; Thunderbird wide track machines; and price-leader Skylark snowmobiles.

The brand’s sled choices seemed almost endless, and most of them looked alike.

For enthusiasts, though, the Firebird SS series was easily identified by an off-center black racing stripe on the hood that led back to an air scoop that lacked the signature chromed T-bar grille of other ’72 Chappies.

SS variants also got a little more power from a twin-pipe exhaust system that was unique to these models for this one model year. Other added performance equipment included ski shocks, speedometer, low windshield and a small rear bumper behind a wedge “racing” seat instead of the standard seat with butt pocket and storage underneath.

Passenger handholds, standard on all other ’72 Chaparrals, were deleted.

Refinements for 1972 Firebird SS models included a new console, stronger bumpers, improved spindles for greater reliability and better handling, and reworked steering geometry that produced a tight 8-foot turning radius.

Easily the best handling mid-engine sleds that I ever rode, Chaparrals had a wide handlebar for good leverage, a wide ski stance and a low center of gravity gained in part by positioning the gas tank low in the chassis.

Like many brands, Chaparral’s 1972 power choices were overwhelming due to the rolling transition from multiple suppliers to brand-exclusive Fuji Light Industries engines. That transition would not be completed until the following model year. Firebird SS engine options included 292-, 340-, 400-, 440- and 650-class Hirth twins, 400 and 440 Fuji twins, and a 440 Sachs twin. And CCW engines were still available in Firebird and Skylark models, too.

A massive list of options included the torsion spring “Touch Bar” hybrid rear suspension. It features a two-piece slide rail on each side and eight wheels fixed to the rack.

Ice runners were steel plates to be bolted to the inside of the skis similar to the “pizza cutters” often seen on race sleds of the early vintage era. A tachometer, an ampere meter and a temperature gauge were available. Convenience options included electric start, cigarette lighter and passenger backrest. And a primer kit, high-altitude kit and “Rocky Mountain skis” were offered for high-country use.

ImpreSSive Performer

Snow Goer tested a ’72 Firebird SS 438 Hirth in the Rockies, and our riders at the time piled on the praise.

“Not only is the Chaparral lighter than most snowmobiles, it’s also rugged,” our editors reported. “We expected performance out of Chaparral in the mountains, and we got it.”

The sled’s ergonomics were more controversial.

“We liked the leg room, and the ride was like sitting in a rocking chair,” our testers reported, although room for improvement was noted. “Like most performance snowmobiles, the windshield was inadequate and we had the feeling we had to reach too far for the handlebars,” our editors complained.

My touring buddy Ted Perkins echoed that handlebar reach gripe. And noise tests of 1972 sleds by Invitation to Snowmobiling magazine showed the Chaparral 440s to be among the loudest of the brands tested.

Still, the final conclusion from our Snow Goer predecessors was, “Chaparral has all of the ingredients necessary to move way up in the snowmobile sales race.”

Indeed, based on racing results and steadily increasing showroom sales, Chaparral began to bill itself as “America’s fastest growing major snowmobile” for 1973. But a planned version with a new 488cc Fuji engine never entered production. The hot new SS/III model replaced the Firebird SS as the trail performance sled in the 1973 Chaparral line up, although the base Firebird remained.

Unfortunately, the Rocky Mountain red sleds that had been Ridin’ High (to quote their marketing campaign) were suddenly done-in by carry-over inventory and the 1973 Arab oil embargo. Corporate owner Armco Steel dropped its entire recreation business flat at the first sign of trouble.

Some of us in the industry thought Chaparral could have survived the manufacturer shakeout because its product and distribution were better than most other brands. Ultimately, it never got the chance. And the 1972 Firebird SS with its twin pipes remains one of its most interesting and collectable models.

Specs: 1972 Chaparral Firebird SS 440

Manufacturer: Chaparral Industries, Inc., a division of Hitco, Denver, Colorado

POWERTRAIN

Engine: 438cc Hirth 270R piston-port axial-fan-cooled twin with one Walbro WD diaphragm pumper carb, magneto & breaker point ignition, twin pipes into twin Donaldson mufflers

Lubrication: Pre-mix at 20 to 1

Power output: 40 HP @ 7,000 RPM

Clutches: Salsbury 910 drive and torque-sensing driven Chassis

Type: Riveted aircraft aluminum with extruded aluminum front bumper, chrome square tube steel rear bumper, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) hood

Claimed dry weight: 324 pounds

Front suspension: Triple-leaf springs with chrome hydraulic shock absorbers

Ski stance: 28 inches

Rear suspension: 15 bogie wheels on three trucks with eight torsion springs (Touch Bar hybrid two-piece slide rails with eight wheels optional)

Track: 15.5-inch-wide Gates PolyTrac (steel-reinforced polyurethane & rubber) with dual Gates internal drive sprockets

Brake: Mechanical disc with manual adjustment

Fuel capacity: 5 gallons

Standard equipment: Speedometer/odometer, Kelch gas gauge, kill switch, non-slip footrests, dual taillights, snow flap

MSRP: $1,249