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Hailing from the small town of Crosby in Minnesota's Cuyuna Iron Range, Scorpion snowmobiles were a comet streaking through the snowmobile world in the 1960s, only to burn out in the early 1980s.
Glen Gutzman joined forces with fiberglass experts Eugene and Richard Harrison to form Trail-A-Sled Inc. in 1959. The firm started making fiberglass parts for sledmakers, including Polaris. They chose fiberglass because it was easier and quicker to create molds and parts. It wasn't long though before the trio got it in their heads to make their own all-fiberglass Scorpions.
Scorpion starts, stutters, stallsStarting with Air Sleds (featuring an airplane prop in back and a Lycoming 125-horse engine) and then developing what would become more traditional front-engine machines, Scorpions were a hit by the 1965 model year. Fueling that success was an industry first - a durable molded rubber track, which was more flexible than previous models made from steel links.
By 1969, the owners sold their stakes in the firm to Fuqua Industries and by 1970 had moved on. As the market consolidated, Scorpion was sold to Arctic Cat in 1978, but remained a separate brand. Sadly, when Cat went belly up in 1981, Scorpion sleds disappeared. When Cat came back in 1983 with 1984 models, Scorpion was gone.
However, in 1979-80 as it was aiming for the future season, Cat and Scorpion sled designers developed a gorgeous new model, known within the R&D department as the RD4. Only four prototypes were made and then one pre-production model, just before Cat closed up shop.
A short time later, as former Arctic Cat assets were auctioned off, all the prototypes were put on the block and a Minnesota dealer bought the RD4 pictured here, now part of Les Pinz's Scorpion collection.
The RD4 livesLes reports the sled, which had been stored at Cat's mostly shuttered plant before being auctioned in August of 1982, was in good shape when he bought it. But he did do some touchup work on the RD4, as he likes to take his sleds to shows and vintage rides once in a while.
He likes this one for its rarity and is aware of only one other prototype still surviving. That one is located in southern Minnesota. He also appreciates the RD4 as being close to what the factory was capable of making at the time and because it was the basis for the 1981 prototypes that would have come out as 1982 Scorpion models. That idea was shelved when Cat closed and then re-formed in 1983, only offering Cat models for 1984.
Les says the RD4 is a good rider with its independent front suspension, but he notes that its direct drive system, which replaced the chaincase, wasn't a great system. It doesn't have a low enough gear ratio, so it tends to burn up belts," adding that it feels "sort of like taking off in third gear in a car."
The engine was a Cuyuna (named after the iron range) 440cc with CDI ignition and twin Mikuni carbs from Japan. Originally, the engine was designed and built by JLO, a German firm, later bought by Rockwell Mfg. in Pittsburgh, Pa. However, Scorpion bought the tooling and brought it to Crosby to build the engine in Minnesota. Its carbs were different from production models at the time, its Mikuni carbs used a slide design unlike the former production Walbro butterfly carbs.
"Scorpions," says Les, a former Scorpion racer, "were always pretty durable sleds. They had a reputation for bringing you home."
And what of that Scorpion name? That was chosen by Gutzman, a member of the National Guard who saw the name on one of the unit's big artillery pieces and thought it would be a good name for snowmobiles.
Les adds that the first model featured a steering wheel attached to cables for steering, but the system didn't work well, so Scorpion went back to handlebar and tie-rod steering.
Still showing wellWant to see more Scorpions? You could head to Crosby, Minn., on Feb. 7 where the Scorpion Homecoming has become an annual event, drawing more than 100 sleds each year. More info:
www.trailasled.comLes Pinz is American Snowmobiler's senior test rider, vintage expert and an avid collector. He was a Scorpion racer in 1970 and 1976 and also a dealer. Each issue he'll share some of his collection or show us other significant vintage sleds he finds at vintage and antique shows.