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When Arctic Cat re-entered the snow world from bankruptcy under the Arctco Inc. banner with 1984 models, snowmobile enthusiasts knew the Cat was back. Leading the charge for the cadre of Thief River Falls, Minn., risk takers was the El Tigre, a sports model with an illustrious past.
The original 1984 model year Arctco El Tigre was based on the 1982 model that never got to production due to Cat's bankruptcy problems. Producing what was essentially a 1982 model was a gamble, but it was Arctco's only viable option. The 500cc liquid-cooled El Tigre and a 440cc fan-cooled Panther were leaf-sprung models that Arctco hoped would tease Cat loyalists with the promise of a future for Cat that didn't exist the season before.
With only about 3,000 Arctic Cat snowmobiles produced that first re-entry season, Arctco executives knew that they had only bought time to reintroduce the Cat brand and that they would need something more to convince snowmobilers to buy its future Cats.
The next generation of CatsThat something more would be seen in the next generation El Tigre with its all-new Arctic A-Frame front suspension. AFS was new. It was different. It set Arctic Cat apart from the crowd. At the World Series snocross in March 1984, a prototype AFS-equipped El Tigre, ridden by current Arctic Cat product manager Joey Hallstrom, beat all comers, including Yamaha's V-Max and Polaris' Indy 600. The gamble worked. Cat's El Tigre earned bragging rights that could be marketed. And they were.
For 1985, the El Tigre was joined by an AFS Cougar, essentially a fan-cooled version of the El Tigre.
In 1986, Arctco was making money and stepped up production with more new 1987 models including the addition of an El Tigre 5000 with a 436cc liquid-cooled Spirit by Suzuki engine. In the mid-1970s, El Tigres were powered by Kawasaki twins with dual-plug heads. They were the El Tigres of legend, but it was that legendary lore that helped make the new El Tigre a bestseller.
Of course that first AFS suspension with 7 inches of travel helped too! Arctco engineering attracted the best of the previous Cat team. Being smaller and close-knit meant that this engineering crew was free to try more ideas and quicker to see those ideas put into the new breed of Cats.
What makes the early Arctco AFS El Tigres worthwhile as collector items is the evolution they showcase. These models went from the "old" Arctic Cat as leaf-sprung performance sleds, to modernized AFS models almost overnight. You'll note that other than the AFS and some other minor evolutionary changes, the early AFS El Tigres retained the wedge-style of the leaf-sprung models. As Arctco gained momentum, the El Tigre and the entire Cat line would evolve into the 1990s with a more rounded and softer edged look.
The El Tigre's 530cc was at the top of its game with the 1987 model. It was oil-injected and used dual 34mm Mikuni carbs. The dual exhaust pulled every available ounce of power from that Spirit twin. The El Tigre, like its 1970s predecessors, was quick, and as Arctco advertising said at the time: "El Tigre. It takes no prisoners." A pretty bold statement for a company trying to resurrect a legendary brand, but one that seemed to match the audacity of the sled and its builders.
Prior to - and since - no other snowmobile brand has gone belly-up and successfully returned. Credit the AFS El Tigres with helping to reinvigorate this legendary brand.