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Cat collectionTom became an Arctic Cat dealer in 1988 and besides his vintage El Tigre, he owns four other 1982 Cats and has a stunning collection of other vintage Cats. To him, the best thing about his '82 El Tigre is its oil injection system and the prototype's hood styling. This sled was an engineering model and not a photo shoot model so it was used primarily for testing, which may explain many of the miles on the odometer.
Not surprisingly the El Tigre looks to have begun life as a 1981 El Tigre, the seat cover coming from that model and its VIN being numbered as a 1981 model. For its day, the 1982 prototype was well engineered with 4 inches of rear suspension travel, the same as for its front suspension. The Cat's track was made of molded rubber and it was 15 inches wide and 116 inches long.
Chances are this 1982 prototype looks pretty familiar to veteran Arctic Cat lovers. When Cat started making sleds again in 1984 they were basically refined 1981 models, most likely due to financial considerations.
Naturally this sled's rarity is what makes it so special, not only to Tom, but in the vintage sled collector world. There are only a handful of 1982s known to exist. But thanks to Tom's restoration efforts this one looks like it's showroom ready.