July 2, 2007
Arctic Cat today offered the slightest of slight glimpses at its 2008 Sno Pro race sled. A release that includes a silhouette image and a few vague details about the machine got us thinking about what Cat’s finished product will be this fall.
According to the release, the “all-new” sled is built on a “featherweight” chassis with a 600cc engine that runs on 92 octane fuel. It has a 15-inch-wide track and the vehicle has a “2 inches shorter spindle to rear axle length.”
The blacked-out drawing casts an image of a machine with updated Firecat-esque styling that includes sharp, modern edges and an elevated seat. New spindles indicate yet another version of the AWS front suspension and hollow bogie wheels in the skidframe save weight.
A look at the rear end makes us wonder if Cat engineers have brought back the ETT tunnel or a revised version of the technology that was first used on the 1995 ZR 440.
We can’t help but speculate that the new Sno Pro, or a version of it, will be available to consumers for trail use, but we don’t expect the platform to infiltrate Cat’s lineup for another year or two. Arctic Cat spent boo-koo bucks to develop the Twin Spar lineup, and the company will need to recover some of those expenses before it can move on to something new. On the other hand, Cat has always been one to push its latest and greatest technology to market ….