Evolution of Polaris Snowmobiles
By: David DeArmond (May 19, 2010)
“I feel like a man standing in a forest with all the trees all cut down around me”
(Allen Hetteen). This quote was said by Allen Hetteen, a co-founder of Polaris Industries,
following a crucial time in the company’s early history; however, Polaris’ rebound was a
testament of their strength and reflects the legacy they left the snowmobile industry.
Polaris Industry’s first front engine model snowmobile changed and influenced many
future Polaris models that still exist in the market today. The timeline of Polaris
snowmobiles began in the 1960’s and takes its enthusiasts through the 1980’s. The
history involves changes that took place in the company and changes impacting features
of the sleds. Information on Polaris’ company history and some of their vintage line of
sleds will be explored. Though many advances have taken place, many people were not
aware that Polaris made numerous prototypes that never made it to the assembly line or
showroom floor. As a result of Polaris’ commitment to quality design concepts of
various Polaris snowmobiles, the influence of these vintage sleds can still be seen on the
market.
In the beginning, Polaris, a sister company of Textron Industries, started with
three founders, Edgar Hetteen who was the original founder, Allen Hetteen, and David
Johnson. Edgar resigned in 1959 and left his brother Allen, and David Johnson behind to
go on an expedition to Alaska. Edgar Hetteen founded Arctic Enterprises in 1960, which
made Arctic Cat snowmobiles.
The year 1964 came rolling around, and Polaris made their first front engine
model called the Comet, but it failed for production soon after. After Polaris’s first
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snowmobile failure with the Comet, the company faced bankruptcy; they had to sell
shares to keep going. In 1965 the first successful front engine model was made, the
Mustang. The Mustang was a free air motor, which means it had no fan or radiator to
cool the engine off. The only thing cooling the engine off was the air hitting the engine
from an opening in the hood, meaning the colder it was outside the better the engine
would run. Because the engines had less drag from a fan it has more horsepower, and
was faster than a fan cooled motor.
By 1966, the Mustang sparked the model called the Colt. The Colt was very
similar in many ways. For instance, the position of the engine and the shape of the hood
were the same, but the Colts’ were a little different by offering bigger sized engines.
Colts were marketed as “Mustang’s Frisky Stablemate.” However, after Polaris
Industries owner David Johnson sold the company to Textron Industries in 1968, things
changed. Textron kept the Polaris Name, and kept David Johnson as their vice president
so he could still have some input on what they did with the company. But the company
became stronger. The name still stayed the same with the addition of “A division of
Textron” under the name. Textron also changed the Polaris logo from a star with
“Polaris” in the middle of it to just saying “Polaris” and a star in the back ground.
In 1969, Polaris made a Charger, which was similar to the Mustang as far as the
body goes. Also in 1969, they made the first Playmate that was a look alike to the
Mustang and Colt. In 1970, Polaris expanded the Playmate by making the Playmate TX
(the first combination TX). The Playmate TX had a pop-out engine, which meant the
engine stuck out of the hood. By late 1968 many companies saw how snowmobile sales
were jumping and soon everyone wanted in on the sales. In 1970 Polaris was battling
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sixty three snowmobile companies and Polaris still maintained their position in the
market on top of all the new companies. Many of these companies only lasted the first
year or two of their production but dropped the snowmobile scene because they couldn’t
compete with Polaris or the top dogs.
By the year 1971, Polaris expanded the Playmate TX by making the Charger TX,
which was the same sled with a bigger sized engine. In 1972, Polaris further changed the
Playmate by taking the Charger TX look, and designed the first ATX, which stood for
Aluminum TX Racer. The ATX had a pop out engine just like the Playmates, and it had
two headlights on either side of the engine, just like the Chargers. From 1970 to 1972,
the TX became a universal name for Polaris but not an actual sled yet.
As the timeline continued, in 1972 Polaris made SS models which were part of
the Colt and Charger series. The Colt SS was heavier than the regular Colt but was faster
and only had one engine option. The Charger SS, which was like the Charger, was a little
heavier because of the engine but also faster than the regular Charger. The one difference
was that they didn’t offer the 294cc engine option for that model.
One of Polaris’s CEOs, Allen Hetteen, died in a tractor accident in early 1973,
leaving Johnson to run the company on his own. Edgar Hetteen went on with his
company, Arctic Enterprises. Other things that changed that year were the Colt hood;
instead of having the engine pop out of the hood, the hood encased the motor, and it had
an opening on the front for air to reach the motor. Also in 1973, the Colt SS adopted a
bigger engine at 335cc, and at that time it was the largest size offered for a Colt Model.
Later in 1973, Polaris took the Colt SS body style and turned the ATX into a TX. The
Polaris TX had more engine options available than any other model; the TX had five
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different engine options. These options varied from a 295cc twin cylinder engine all the
way to a 500cc triple cylinder engine, but most of the engine options were twin cylinder
engines.
The TX, like the sleds the Colt and the ATX, was a free air engine instead of
having the engine pop out of the hood like the ATX did. Polaris took the new Colt hood
and put it on the TX. The Colt hood had a big opening in the front with one headlight on
each side of the opening, like it did before. This model of TX was still considered the
ATX because it had an aluminum frame. 1973 was when the TX series was born.
Throughout the racing scene, which has been around for a while by this time, the TX
started to make headlines, starting with a brutal race in 1973, which the TX won. After
that race, the TX was noticed and soon everyone wanted one. Soon the TX took over the
racing scene. Enthusiasts couldn’t go to one race without seeing a TX competing. To
this day, the TX still dominates most vintage races. Many do not know, but even the
2010 snowmobiles evolved from a TX, which shows how much Polaris snowmobiles
have evolved.
Throughout the 1970’s, the Polaris TX revolutionized the racing industry by
setting the standards for handling and power. It was the most popular snowmobile in the
racing scene. It was the lightest racing sled Polaris had that was faster than any other
competitor out there. Another event in 1973 was that Polaris made the last Mustang and
Charger models (they had gone out of style because they were so bulky and heavy, but
they didn’t go without influencing other models.)
By 1974, Polaris’ Colt SS adopted another engine. This time it was a smaller
engine at 250cc for younger riders that couldn’t handle the bigger, more powerful
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engines. During this year, the Colt also sparked the production of the first Custom II and
Electra. The Custom II was a wide track, which meant it had a bigger track on it. It had
an 18-inch wide track versus the regular 15-inch wide track. The Custom II was also
geared very low, so it could tow others if they had mechanical problems and wouldn’t
start anymore or to put a sleigh on the back for kids to ride in, but wasn’t as fast as the
Electra. The Polaris Electra was literally the same machine as the Custom II; the hoods
and the chassis were identical, even down to the track. The only differences were that
they weren’t geared as low, and they didn’t offer the small single cylinder. In simple
terms, it was a faster sled that had more power behind it, but still having the ability to tow
sleds.
At the end of 1974, Polaris soon found out that the Custom II wasn’t doing so
well and they stopped the production to continue working on the Electra. In 1975, the
Colt dropped all of its old engines and stole the 250cc engine from the Colt SS, and
Polaris added a 336cc engine. The 1975 Colt SS dropped the 294cc and the 335cc
engines and stole the Colt 336cc engine. The 1976 Colt brought back its 175cc and the
244cc engines and also dropped the 336cc engine and made the 340cc, engine which was
a true engine. In 1976, Polaris also changed the hood on its TX and it changed to a
wedge type that was lower than the ‘75 hood. During the same year, Polaris took the TX
and made a Starfire TX. The Starfire TX was made with lighter parts, 11 lbs to be exact.
By using different types of metal and different sizes of parts, Polaris was able to make the
machine lighter. The Starfire TX looked identical from the ground up except it had a
different sized engine that had 4cc’s more, making it a true 340cc engine.
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By 1977, the Colt dropped the 175cc and the 340cc engines and maintained the
244cc and the 250cc engines. For the 1977 Colt SS, Polaris changed both engines, but
now, they finally had a 244cc and a 333cc engine. Polaris was never able to put the right
engine in the Colt. Polaris’ Colt series was the most unstable model Polaris produced
because they changed the engines around almost every single year. Additional changes
this year were that Polaris expanded the line by taking the Starfire TX and combining it
with the TX look and some parts to make the first TX-L. The 1977 TX-L was a liquid
cooled engine that was made the same way the TX was. It had the same body style; both
models were almost identical. If one just glanced and didn’t know what the sled was, it
could be mistaken for a regular TX. The only difference was it had one engine option
available, and it was a heavier snowmobile, and because of the liquid cooled engine it
had more horsepower and could outrun a TX because it had more HP than the TX.
In 1978, the Electra was dropped for the 1978 production line. The 1978 Colt
stole the 1976 Starfire TX’s seat design. In the end of 1978, they stopped making the
Colt snowmobiles because no one wanted them that much anymore. Also in this year,
the TX-L line was expanded by making the RX-L, which was the first race ready sled
made by Polaris. Faster, lighter, and better in so many ways, the RX-L was also Polaris’s
first independent front suspension model. It is more commonly known as an IFS. An IFS
snowmobile is a snowmobile that has no shocks or springs directly on the ski. Instead,
the shocks are mounted to the frame and then special mount/a-arm, then the skis get
attached to the mount. The Polaris RX-L was a race sled that Polaris made for their race
team in 1978, but after the death of one of their racers racing that sled, Polaris stopped
making the RX-L snowmobile for consumer uses. Polaris only sold them to the top
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racers after that. Polaris decided it had way too much power behind it to have it as a
consumer sled.
In 1978, Polaris took the old Colt SS look and redesigned it to make the S/S 340.
The new S/S 340 and the Colt SS had a new hood that had a screened vent on the right
side and a single headlight on the left side instead of the classical two headlights it had
for many years. Also in 1978, Polaris took the sporty look from the Colt SS and made
bigger engines for the first ever Cobra model. The 1978 Cobra and the S/S were the
same in almost everything, except the Cobra was a little taller. But by 1979, Polaris took
the S/S 340 and had turned it into the Apollo 340.
In 1979 Polaris made the Gemini from the Cobra. The Gemini offered a smaller
engine size but added a single cylinder to the options for younger riders. The Gemini had
two 244cc engines, the twin cylinder and single cylinder, and they were very powerful.
That same year, Polaris also made a TX-C from the TX. The TX-C was identical to the
TX, with the exceptions of a TX-L track, suspension, and the skis. The TX-C was pretty
much a TX-L, but instead of a liquid cooled motor, it had a free air engine and the hood
was the same as the TX. The 1979 TX-C was primarily a high performance snowmobile
that could be taken trail riding and racing. It later was known as the “Cross Country”.
Polaris also changed the TX-L hood from looking like the TX hood to a more rounded
hood. The hood enclosed the motor with a hole in the front, aimed right at the heads on
the motor to have a more aerodynamic sled.
Polaris borrowed the look from the TX-L and made a Centurion. The Centurion
was a liquid cooled motor just like the TX-L, but it only had one engine that was a triple
cylinder engine, the first of its kind. To top the fact that it had a triple cylinder engine,
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the Centurion had a 500cc engine. By 1980 Polaris redesigned the TX-L to fit the trail
scene by making a TX-L Indy.
The 1980 TX-L Indy was Polaris’s very first Indy snowmobile, and they brought
back the IFS from the 1978 RX-L after redesigning it. The IFS was brought back
because it provided the maximum handling for trails. Polaris also redesigned the look of
the TX-C by stealing the hood from the TX. Polaris put a different lower front end on the
TX-C and the TX-L Indy so instead of the old ABS nose pan, it was replaced with a RenFlex nose pan. An ABS nose pan is a nose pan that is made out of hardened plastic,
which is mounted by rivets. If a rock or tree stump were to hit the pan, it would shatter.
A Ren-Flex nose pan is made out of flexible plastic that keeps its shape better than the
ABS. Other changes in 1980 were that Polaris renamed the Apollo 340 “The Apollo, and
took the Cobra and turned it into the Galaxy. The Galaxy had the same engine options
but different decals. Polaris made the last Apollo and the TX snowmobiles, because like
other models, they either evolved or weren’t popular anymore.
By 1981, Textron Industries wanted out of the snowmobile business, so Textron
Industries sold Polaris to Wendel W Hall Jr. As a result, in 1981, the Polaris TX-C
changed from a free air motor over to a fan cooled motor, which meant it was cooled by a
fan attached to the motor. In 1981, Polaris expanded the Indy line by copying the TX-L
Indy body and taking the Centurion and turning it into the Centurion Indy. The
Centurion Indy had the same specs as the Centurion, but had a TX-L Indy front end.
Because the Centurion Indy had a 500cc engine, it was also known to some people as the
Indy 500.
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The next year, in 1982, nothing new came out that was connected to these models.
The Centurion Indy was known as the Centurion Indy 500, and the 1982 Polaris
production line dropped the Gemini and the Galaxy. The only changes on the models
were attention to details in decals. In 1983, Polaris brought back the Gemini snowmobile
for one last year then dropped it again. Polaris also dropped the Centurion Indy and the
TX-L from the production line. Because Wendel was new to Polaris, he couldn’t quite
figure the models out in ‘82 and ’83, but soon caught on. Polaris also took the TX-L Indy
and made it into the Indy Cross Country.
Later on, the Indy Cross Countries, with the favored front ends, were also known
as the Indy XC. It had the same style as the TX-L Indy, same engine, and options. The
next Indy Polaris made was the 1983 Indy Trail. It was made from the TX-C and was
meant for the trails because of its oil injected twin motor. An oil-injected motor is an
engine that doesn’t get its oil from mixed fuel; it has a separate tank for the oil. The only
way to lubricate the engine is to work the throttle. What is meant by “work the throttle”
is that you can’t hold it open for long times while riding it. To work the throttle, you pull
and let go of the throttle. It was also Polaris’ only Indy that year that had a fan-cooled
engine and the first Indy to have an oil injected engine.
Most oil-injected engines couldn’t go on long straight runs. They are meant for
trails because trails are winding, and have many turns that require slowing down, which
works the throttle to lubricate the engine. The Indy Trail also had a bigger Twin engine
in it, and the engine in the Indy Trail was a 432cc motor, also known as the 440 that later
became popular in the 90’s. Last but not least, Polaris made the 1983 Indy 600 which
had a 597cc engine. The 1983 Indy 600 was like the Centurion Indy, and it too had a
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triple cylinder motor that was liquid cooled. Polaris stopped the production of their Indy
Cross Country after the 1983 production line. Polaris didn’t make any new snowmobiles
for 1984 that were connected to any previous model in 1983 that is listed.
In 1985, Polaris extended the Indy Trail line by stealing the Indy 600 and
modifying the look of the snowmobile. This machine was called the Indy 600. The Indy
line was extended even more when Polaris came out with the 1985 Indy 400, which was
their first Indy that had a 400 motor. The 1985 Indy snowmobiles all looked alike, and
the only differences were the color of the hoods, the design on the seat, and the decals on
the snowmobile. The 1985 Indy 600 fueled designs for the Indy 600 SE, which was the
same exact snowmobile, but it had a chrome suspension and skis on the front with a few
chrome pieces throughout the sled. The Indy 600 SE had about the same decals as the
regular 600 model, but they were redesigned and had more details in the decals that
added to the snowmobile’s appeal. All of the new Indy’s Polaris made in 1985 had the
same designs on their seats, the hoods had the same decal designs, and the only exception
was that the Indy 600 SE was their first luxury model.
In 1986, the Indy Trail traded their 440 motor for a 500cc motor, and the 1986
Indy Trail was later known as the Indy 500. The Indy 600 SE was renamed the Indy 600
LE, but was only manufactured for the 1986 production line and then discontinued. Just
like the 1985 Indy’s, the Indy’s in 1986 had the same seats and decal designs, except the
Indy 600 LE. The 1986 Indy 600 LE had different decal designs and a different seat
design for that year. The new Polaris Indy production line of 1987 redesigned all the
decals, seats, and the hoods of there snowmobiles. In 1987, Polaris made two new Indy
Trail models. The models were called the Indy Trail ES, and the Indy Trail 133 SKS.
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The new snowmobiles were almost the same exact thing in literally every way, but each
model offered one thing that was different. The Indy Trail ES came with an electric start
on the motor, the sub-name ES came from the electric start. The electric start added to
the stock Indy Trail made it 18 lbs heavier, with the electric motor and battery.
The 1987 Indy Trail 133 SKS had an extended track, which was 133 in. long, and
was pretty much a regular Indy Trail. The added extended track and the longer
suspension to the Indy Trail added 29 lbs to the snowmobile, which made the Indy Trail
133 SKS weigh in at a whopping 449 lbs dry. When dealing with any vehicle, the term
“dry” or “dry weight” means the weight straight from the factory, before any gas, oil,
accessories, etc. are added. Polaris Extended the Indy 400 line in 1987 by making a
smaller engine and putting it into a new snowmobile called the Indy Sport which had a
340 motor. The 1987 Indy Sport looked like the Indy 400, but was lighter and was a fan
cooled engine instead of a liquid cooled engine.
Polaris farther extended the SKS line in 1987 by making the Indy 400 133 SKS.
Like the other Indy SKS model, it had an extended track and an extended suspension to
accommodate the longer track. Polaris also added 29 lbs to the total dry weight of the
machine. In 1988, Polaris extended the Indy line again. Polaris made the Indy 650 for
the 1988 Production line. Polaris took the Indy 600, and turned it into the Indy 650. The
Indy 650 had a 648cc engine, which was also a triple cylinder liquid cooled motor like
the Indy 600. Polaris also extended its SKS by making a 1988 Polaris Indy 650 SKS
which had an extended track like all the SKS models.
Further changes in 1988 were that Polaris extended the Indy Trail line by adding
two more snowmobiles. The Indy Trail SP was a new addition to the trail line. Polaris
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also made an Indy Trail Deluxe, which came from the Indy Trail ES, because of its
electric start. By introducing the Indy 400 Classic in 1988, Polaris extended the Indy 400
line even more. The Indy 400 Classic was classified as an Indy 400 but had different
colors and an electric start motor. The 1987 Indy133 SKS models were renamed in 1988
as just Indy SKS; they took the 133 out of their name.
Vintage designs from earlier Polaris snowmobiles have directly influenced design
concepts of past and present snowmobiles. An obvious fact that most Polaris
snowmobiles with numbers in their name have that size cc motor in them or close to it.
From Polaris’s first front engine snowmobile in 1964, the Comet, Polaris was able to
mass produce many snowmobiles from the years 1965-1988 that came from each others’
designs. Over twenty-four years of production, and about forty-three Polaris snowmobile
models were connected cosmetically through their appearance. Polaris snowmobiles in
the 1980’s were the number one snowmobile factory in the world, and were pretty great
snowmobiles. If someone were to purchase a brand new snowmobile from Polaris today,
the chances of it being a descendant of one of the models mentioned is more than
probable.
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Work Cited
08SNOWMOBILES. Roseau: Polaris, 2007
Polaris Industries. Answers.com, 5 Nov. 2008. Web. 18 May 2010.
<http://www.answers.com/topic/polaris-industries-inc>.
Bassett, Jerry. Polaris history and heroes. Snowmobile.com, 30 Jan. 2008. Web. 13
Mar. 2010. <http://www.snowmobile.com/news/polaris-history-and-heroes593.html>.
Polaris Industries Inc. Funding Universe, 5 Dec. 2008. Web. 5 Mar. 2009.
<http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Polaris-Industries-IncCompany-History.html>.
POLARIS INDUSTRIES INC. Master Repair Manual. Roseau: Polaris, 1988
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