Make more horsepower, and use significantly less gas. It’s a promise that defies logic and chemistry, yet it’s been made over and over again in every form of motorized transportation – including of course the snowmobile industry.
This ad for the 1975 Evinrude Skimmer 650 starts out talking about raw brawn of its alternative-firing twin – “50 horses of high-torque power” set in a lightweight chassis. Count me in. Yet, one paragraph later, the ad brags about a new accelerator pump carburetor that “delivers maximum ‘go’ while still giving you the best possible fuel savings: up to 58% better mileage than last year’s models.”
Knowing that you need a proper mixture of fuel and air to create horsepower, and knowing that this mixture is a fixed constant (it is science, afterall), we can think of only four possible reasons this could be happening:
1) Either the previous year’s model had to be inefficient as hell; or
2) That previous year’s model was running unbelievable rich; and thus also wasn’t making much power while it bogged along; or
3) That previous year’s model must have been spitting unburned fuel out somewhere; or
4) This new model had its own secret science going on, which hadn’t be tried before or duplicated since!
Truth be told, the new carburetor probably did allow the sled to be dialed in a bit better, and the fuel mileage claim likely wasn’t comparing wide-open throttle to wide-open throttle. But, nonetheless, we’re guessing the marketing guys took information from the engineers, placed the data on the stovetop for a little bit, cooked and seasoned the numbers to their liking and then – voilà – the end result is a big claim for a new product. Yeah, we’re sure that’s the only time that has ever happened, in this or any other market!!
Either way, the Skimmer was a rather memorable sled with a rather memorable name, and it gave buyers a choice of rear suspension style. Enjoy the ad, and check back every Tuesday for our Vintage Ad Tuesday post of the week. Here are links to last week’s post, the Brut, and the choice the previous week, the 1974 Boa-Ski.
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Or, it could have either weighed a loot less or had a much more efficient drive train. Both would have resulted in the engine working less to move the sled at any speed, thus improving the fuel economy.
In ’84 I bought a ’74 650 Skimmer. It was my first sled. I loved it!
I picked it up from an old farmer near my home in rural W Michigan. It was a little beaten and a lot faded but it started right up and seemed to run well.
I brought it home and then spent 2 months cleaning her up… I took it entirely apart then cleaned, lubricated and repaired her as needed. (The engine included!) I finished it off with a brand new paint job and painted my helmet to match. We were quite a sight to see!
Because I put so much time and personal effort into it… I think I liked it more than the ’80 John Deere 440 Liquirefire I purchased the following year. 🙂
I have a Evinrude skimmer 650 and it is heavy in front but very powerful. fun to ride . A 1976 I alway had a problem on icy roads it would not take off go cause the track could not get traction. A nice sled I have never given up on. I saved it from a junk yard in Demotte ,IN went I worked there. Had to pay scrap price for it at the time. Had it running soon after I got it home. Just need a battery and new gas and a cab cleaning.