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Lest you think that the recent past of wienie winters and overstocked dealerships is a new phenomenon, look no further back than the winter of 1992-'93. Sled sales were less than 160,000 units a year - lower than now!
Dealers held excess inventory and consumers were staying away from sled dealerships by the droves. The going was truly tough sledding.
Enter Ski-Doo's new head man, tough-talking, aggressive acting Tony Kalhok. He made the tough cuts in personnel and product. It was Kalhok who instituted Ski-Doo's blowout sales program of "Red Hot Deals." When that program didn't clean out enough product, Kalhok followed with the "Last of the Red Hot Deals."
He knew that dealerships had to be cleaned out of old product because his team was coming with something all new. He had brought aboard a cadre of professional branding and marketing specialists from non-snowmobile backgrounds that would bring packaging and consolidation to Ski-Doo's line. It would take a few years for sledders to see the effect, but Kalhok had a plan and began executing it with the 1993 Mach Z.
The new/old MachThe "Z" replaced the Mach 1, the top of the line Ski-Doo with greater power, more cylinders and all-new handling. The PRS front suspension was on its way out. The all-new Mach Z (and sister MX Z 470) came with a Direct Shock Action (DSA) trailing arm setup that proved to be lighter, less complicated to tune and much more competent on the trail. The new front end was a Ski-Doo version of Polaris' Indy design.
The C-7 rear suspension was carried over from previous Formula models, but upgraded with Kayaba gas-filled shocks. Other component variation reflected the difference in performance between the new Mach Z 774cc triple and previous Formula hot rods that maxed out at 669cc. The C-7 sat under a lighter weight aluminum chassis that would carry Ski-Doo up to the first REV models.
The Mach Z's highly styled black hood covered the first 800 engine to sit in a Ski-Doo since the 1973 Blizzard racers. At 774cc, the new Rotax triple used all the performance tricks of the day - RAVE valve exhaust, crankcase reed induction, triple tuned pipes and Mikuni flat slide carbs. While Ski-Doo never really owned up to power numbers, the 774cc was easily in the 140-horsepower range.
Because Ski-Doo dealers were still trying to unload backlogged product, Ski-Doo management held down production of the new Mach Z and MX Z. There were said to be only a few hundred Mach Zs produced that winter of 1992-'93. By holding down production, Ski-Doo engineering could iron out any potential warranty issues on the one hand and create a demand for greater production the following season.
Leaned to the maxIn the first season, the Mach Z earned a reputation as a powerhouse. There was some speculation that the first 774 Machs were tuned a bit too close to the limit, and they did see some failure in the field while earning their performance reputation.
With its speed reputation passed along by word of mouth, the Mach was an eagerly anticipated model in future years. But, it seems Ski-Doo dialed back the engine in future Machs to keep warranty claims at a minimum.
If you're looking for a "collector" sled, seek out a 1993 Mach Z with the early 774 triple. Those first ones should be the premium models for collectors. And keep your eye on this year's early REV-XP based TNT as a potential collector model! Ski-Doo and the sled business are about where they were in the early 1990s.