tomorrows vintage

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I was thinking the other day, what are we (or maybe our kids) going to be collecting over the next 30 years, presuming a lot of the pre-1980 “vintage” machines have already found a home, except for the occasional “barn find” that pops up. What has the industry turned out the last 25 years or so that will be considered worthy of collecting? Predictably, I decided to put together a list of sleds in no particular order that I would want to own. They may not necessarily be considered collector’s items by some people’s standards today, but 10 years from now, who knows?

1. 1991½ Polaris XC400 (440) – Polaris was well-known for half-year releases, which were, basically, trial balloons released to gin up sales. This buggy started it all for Polaris’ much vaunted XCR lineup, dominating cross country racing in the hands of guys like Jack Struthers until someone named Hibbert woke up a sleeping Tiger. FOX shocks, chrome moly trailing arms, and, best of all, a 440 even though it only says “400” on the hood… Sneaky!
2. 1984 Yamaha Phazer – The launch of one of the best-selling snowmobiles of all time. Dead-on reliable 485 fan cooled engine that had some boogie too, a generational shift in styling, and a new concept: great ergonomics. The best part was when you pulled the wraps off, it didn’t look like it was built in someone’s Quonset!
3. 1990 Arctic Cat EXT Special – The “Special” part of this sled was it put Cat back on the cross country map, with Kirk Hibbert’s win in the Thunder Bay-to-St. Paul I-500. Under a microscope this thing was pretty trick: different engine porting, lots of special bits and pieces, and the first production sled to sport FOX gas shocks.
4. 1989 Ski-Doo Mach 1 – What made this sled legendary was a (relatively) small 583cc, rotary valve, R.A.V.E., Rotax twin that would blow the doors off a lot of bigger machines. Even more impressive was this thing was lugged around about 100 more pounds than most muscle sleds due to its overweight chassis features.
5. 1992 Yamaha Vmax-4 – Even though I like the refinements of the ’93 version better, this was the machine that cast the ’90s muscle sled die. An adaptation of the dominant TZ750, inline-four, 2-stroke road racing engine jammed in a, then, totally new TSS chassis, with the white napkin fit and finish Yamaha’s are known for.
6. 1992½ Polaris XLT – Another one of Polaris’ scheming mid-year releases took a bunch of Indy 500s and barely camouflaged them by slapping on some conservative (read: ugly) “XLT” graphics. What really mattered lurked within: an all-new, monoblock 580cc triple that turned the world on its ear, at least for a few minutes. Rumor has it some were prototype 500cc triples and rumors are always good.
7. 1993 Arctic Cat ZR440 – Welcome back Team Arctic, your podium is ready! This Brian Nelson-designed chassis helped school the industry on razor sharp handling and the ability to bang ditches at warp speed. It was the template for about 10 years of total terrain racing dominance, whether man-made or Mother Nature delivered.
8. 1990 Polaris Indy RXL – Turn the key, wait for the light and give it one pull. Ladies and gentleman, welcome to electronic fuel injection. Finally a rocket-fast three banger with a fuel system that bred confidence, not abject fear. Plus, this thing had an exhaust note as sweet as Vin Scully calling a Dodger game.
9. 1997 Yamaha Vmax 600SX – Yamaha’s attempt to answer 10 years’ worth of “when ya gonna…” questions all in one package. Lightweight chassis, killer graphics and a set of gold piggyback Ohlins shocks you wanted to take off and put under your pillow every night. Too bad Polaris had to ruin the party…
10. 1997 Polaris XC700 – This sled wrecked a lot of product developer’s (and non-Polaris dealers’) days in ’97. After pushing triples for years, The Midnight Blue Express delivered the ultimate “take that”: a brand-new, U.S. made, twin cylinder engine. With torque most triples could not muster, the motor became an instant hit. Nestled in the Controlled Roll Center (CRC) version of the familiar wedge chassis, like so many other Polaris models, this machine marked a turning point in modern sleds or, at least, what powered them.
11. 2003 Ski-Doo MXZ 600 REV – Speaking of “take that,” I don’t even know what to write here. Easily one of the top five most significant sleds ever to hit the business. The rider-forward REV chassis became a benchmark for every sled to come along after it. What makes me chuckle is that this machine came from a brand that looked like it took about a decade off in the late ’80s and early ’90s. I guess now we know what they were doing.
12. 1993 Ski-Doo MXZ 470 – The wakeup call for one of the most historic brands in the business. This was really the coming out party that led to the previous sled’s 10 year evolution. Mercilessly hammered by Toni Haikonnen and Todd Wolff in cross country and snocross, this machine single handedly proved racing can develop better machines for everyone.

There you go, I’ve lit the fuse. Now, let the debating begin! Let’s hear your picks for tomorrow’s vintage sleds on my comments section at www.amsnow.com.