Yes, it’s true: We are posting this week’s Vintage Snowmobile Ad Tuesday story on a Wednesday. With Christmas Day on a Tuesday, we accidentally let the day go by without celebrating a classic snowmobile ad. But, since we’re still in the holiday spirit, we decided to give you a good one — an ad that looks holiday festive all on its own.
The Ski-Doo Lights ad for the 1986 Ski-Doo Formula SP and Citation LSE models launched in the early fall of 1985, but its look was pure holiday spirit. With the two sleds parked on fake snow, and the work “Lights” in a font that somehow beckons the spirit and joy of St. Nick, this ad somehow tied together a performance snowmobile with a entry-level discount sled. The two sleds were said to be “light as a cloud on the snow; lightweight; light, bright white; and, most importantly, light on price. As a matter of fact, the only thing that’s not light about them is their power.” But we’re not sure each snowmobile fit the full criteria.
The Citation LS had an impressive spec dry weight of just 295 pounds, or 324 pounds for the LSE which featured factory-installed electric start. The two models were priced at $1,649 and $1,899, respectively. Yes, light in both categories, indeed. But the fan-cooled 248cc Rotax one-lunger that the Citation models shared with the Tundras certainly wasn’t going to scare anybody off of the lakes. So yeah, maybe a little bit light on power.
The Formula SP, meanwhile, had a claimed dry weight of 434 pounds and an MSRP of $3,499. The Formula SP more than held up its end of the ad when it came to power, though. The 462.8cc liquid-cooled, rotary valve twin hit hard. Originally introduced in 1985, the Formula SP benefitted from a high-quality rear suspension that offered more travel than most competitive models, yet was a shorter travel version of the tall long-travel setup used on the Blizzard 5500 MX. It featured outboard shocks that poked through the top of the tunnel.
To see this ad in its full glory, simply click on the photo below and it will blow up to a larger size on your screen, uninterrupted. To subscribe to Snow Goer magazine, click here. And here are links to past Vintage Snowmobile Ad Tuesday features.
