The vintage snowmobile collecting craze continues to grow and flourish, as folks of all ages are drawn to the unique character of the various sleds of yesteryear. And now, there’s a chance to get your mitts on one for yourself – whether you’re after a rare find or a more common cruiser.
The remainders of the famous Ed Webb collection are up for auction – with 119 sleds currently posted online for pre-bidding and a live auction in his hometown of Paynesville, Minnesota, on May 21.
The collection of Webb – the founder/owner/operator of Koronis Parts/Sno Stuff who passed away in December of 2020 after a battle with Parkinson’s disease – has long been the subject of fable. In fact, our former sister publication Snowmobile Magazine had a story on Webb’s collection way back in the late 1990s. The collection reportedly grew to more than 600 unique sleds – including many very rare and hard-to-find units, before Webb started paring it down late in his life.
Still, more than 150 sleds reportedly remain and are a part of the upcoming May 21 auction, along with other snowmobile toys and collectibles. Some of Webb’s collectible cars and a couple of his storage buildings were auctioned off on May 7.
The auction is bound to be quite interesting, but we know Paynesville, Minnesota, is exactly on the beaten path for a lot of folks. That said, even paging through the website is a joy. We counted 34 different brands of sleds listed – from the obvious (Polaris, Arctic Cat, Ski-Doo, Yamaha, Mercury, Moto Ski, etc.) to the “regular” collectable brands (Rupp, Chaparral, Sno*Jet, Alouette, Massey, etc.) to the rare finds (Sno-Blazer, Wheel Horse, Gilson, Sno Fury, etc.). Various quality of pictures are with each listing.
Most of the vehicles have been restored (back when we did the interview with Webb in the 1990s, he had a full-time employee dedicated just to restoring sleds), but others are in more authentic condition, with a few listed as “parts sleds.” There’s a AMF Ski-Daddler that’s still new – before final dealer assembly – in the original shipping crate, along with rare models like a 1970 Eskimo 290 and 1970 Ski-Kat Sport King. There are a few machines from the 1990s – including a couple of Ski-Doo Mini Z models – and a really popular Yamaha SRX that’s already received more than 20 bids.
We’ve got our own eyes targeted on a couple of very specific machines in the collection but, frankly, we’re not going to tell you which units – we may not be the brightest guys you’ll ever run across, but we are smart enough not to drive up the interest (and bidding) on those sleds! Either way, check it all out here.
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I sold my last 13 vintage sleds to Mr. Webb in 2001 when I got out of the vintage hobby. When the auction came around 21 years later, four of my sleds were still in the collection. I was fortunate enough to win one of them back! My 1974 Mercury 440 S/R is back home!