HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT CLONES?

arcticinsider

3 years ago

Any time I see a Cross Country Cat, or some form of Team Arctic race sled listed on Marketplace, my curiosity is peaked. This listing stopped me, and made me wonder what people think of clone builds?

Here was the start of my 76 Pantera. It was a great runner, but had its cosmetic issues. I think I paid $150 for it. Knowing I wanted to “restore” it, but not having much interest in the Catillac of snowmobiles, I decided to sex it up and turn it into a retro mod Cross Country Cat.

I myself have owned a few, and have even built a version of this Cross Country Cat from a 76 Pantera. I called mine a SnoCross Country Cat. Some of you may have seen it at Waconia or featured in the pages of Snow Tech magazine. I sold it several years ago, but know the owner, and it’s still being used and enjoyed which makes me happy.

This was the end product of my build. It was quite fun to ride, and once finished, it was brought into the Styling Dept of Arctic Cat to discuss the hot topic of building a “3/4 Sled” and what it should be. (2005?) The 3/4 sled discussion started before my arrival at the company (2004) and the long running debate/market evaluation ultimately lasted until introducing the Blast models in 2021.

Im a big fan of retro mods – especially if they are built to ride and enjoy. Later this week Ill share a pair built off the 78 El Tigre platform. They are pretty spectacular.

If you are interested in Tom’s Pantera, hit the link above to the Marketplace listing to contact him. Below is his description and photos that caught my attention. Enjoy. -Kale

Seller’s Description

This started out as a fun project back in 2014. This is a ’76 Pantera 500 F/A restored to look like a ’76 Cross Country Cat 340. I lost a family member in 2014 and kind of lost interest in the project. It needs to go to the right owner to finish it off. Would be great for fun runs or vintage racing. Almost everything has been cleaned, polished, redone, etc. Including a complete rebuild on the motor. Northern Crankshaft in Thief River redid the crank, bearings, and cases. The rear suspension has been converted to a coil-over with gas shocks. The tubs contain all the parts needed to finish this project, plus a whole bunch of extras. There have been some cracks in the enamel green paint from sitting in storage. I have no idea what this is worth, so if you think $1200 is crazy, make me an offer.