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The poster for potential Muscaro dealers read, “Outdoor people demand an action snowmobile. Outdoor people ride MUSCARO and go where they want, when they want. Join them – Make your snowmobile a MUSCARO.” Manufactured in the small town of Forest Lake, Minn. just north of St. Paul, the Muscat Corporation aimed to produce all-terrain vehicles for both work and play. Perhaps better known for the Muscateer – an amphibious ATV – Muscat also tried its hand with snowmobiles in 1969 with the Muscaro, designed for work and play.
It’s ok to be different
Muscaro had many different ideas mixed into their sleds. The track width was advertised at 12 inches, but upon measuring, the one I have is closer to 13 inches wide. The track was luxuriously long for the time, with about 48 inches on the snow at all times. Also, there was a nice double drive sprocket rubber track material which they called High-Flex. Muscat company used three sets of bogey wheel assemblies for a good ride, but sometimes if you didn’t watch it they would go upside down so you had to bungee them together if you rode hard.
The machine length was about 97 inches long with a ski width of about 30 inches. The skis on my Muscaro are very unique – a different shape than I have ever seen in metal skis before or since. The sled’s total weight was about 250 pounds, and a narrow tunnel made it a nice maneuverable snowmobile. Muscat claimed the flotation of the Muscaro was “unbelievable” in its advertising.
It has a steel tunnel with a fiberglass belly pan and tilting fiberglass hood for easy excess for service. A center-mounted single headlight and single rear tail-light kept you visible on the trail at night. When they put in a larger 380cc JLO motor they had to install a small hood scoop and a hole in the top of the hood to get a larger motor to fit, with its spark plug setting up through the hood. The fuel tank held about six gallons and was center mounted with a plastic cover that was also on the dash, so it looked nice.
Muscaro had a distinctive look
Muscaro’s distinctive aqua green hood and tunnel was different than a lot of sleds of its time. The sleds featured a nice chrome rear bumper that looked like you could use it for a jack stand and was a nice lifting bar if you ever got stuck. The chaincase was an Apex aluminum using double roller no. 35 chain which was great for dependable fun. For brakes, a pad pushed against the stationary driven clutch sheave which was OK as long as you didn’t have to stop in a hurry.
It has a nice 5-inch-thick black seat with an 8.5-inch rear hump taking up the last 12 inches of the seat. Generous under-seat storage of several gallons is big enough that it would make any of today’s riders jealous. The seat and storage area helped you sit up nice and high, especially for a snowmobile of this vintage.
Mr. Marion Spurgeon, then president of Muscat Corporation, helped design and build between 125 and 200 Muscaro snowmobiles in 1969 – the one and only year they were produced. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Spurgeon left Muscat and went on to design and build both Diplomat and Rascal snowmobiles out of his garage in Excelsior, Minn.