Finally! An use for a Smart Car
- Thread starter sdw
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Here's the original Bombardier snowmobile, notice how similar the concept is
Studebaker was building the Weasel for the US army in 1942
That is actually a '21, or so, Model T Ford. My father owned one, sans skis, for a few years in the early '60s.Here's the original Bombardier snowmobile, notice how similar the concept is
Studebaker was building the Weasel for the US army in 1942
I didn't realize the Weasel was a Studebaker product, not that I gave it much thought. It is odd that one rarely sees them in photos of WWII.
I think probably a 1926 Ford. The picture comes from Canadian Business Magazine courtesy of Bombardier Museum. It's on page 2 of this article http://www.canadianbusiness.com/innovation/ski-doo-timeline/ Bombardier's early snow mobiles were converted Ford cars. What made Bombardier as a company was it's buses, the B8, B12, etc.. They were used to deliver the mail, as ambulances, winter school buses, etc..
I think probably a 1926 Ford. The picture comes from Canadian Business Magazine courtesy of Bombardier Museum. It's on page 2 of this article http://www.canadianbusiness.com/innovation/ski-doo-timeline/ Bombardier's early snow mobiles were converted Ford cars. What made Bombardier as a company was it's buses, the B8, B12, etc.. They were used to deliver the mail, as ambulances, winter school buses, etc..
That is interesting to me, sdw. My family sold Bombardier industrial vehicles: forestry tracked vehicles, sidewalk snowplows, the buses, and snow groomers for many years. We also sold Skidoos, until Bombadier got smart and moved those vehicles to consumer products distributors. I did not know it used Fords as the base for the bus. The engine is in the back of those vehicles.
As a result, I drove one of the very first Skidoos, like the one below, in '59 or '60. It was fun to watch people stop and stare at this contraption. As I recall, it had less than 15 HP.
Other than the Skidoo, I don't think the company is manufacturing the industrial vehicles any more. I have been unable to find references to them for several years.
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According to the history, he started with converting Ford cars - but didn't have much of a market. Then he built his own chassis and the first ones used a Ford 6. When he needed more horsepower for the larger ones, he used a Chrysler flathead 6 behind an automatic transmission. The Ford engined ones used a standard transmission. There is a piece in the article on his business in the large snowmobiles suffering when Quebec started plowing and salting the roads. There are a lot of war surplus weasels around, that may have had an effect on the business.That is interesting to me, sdw. My family sold Bombardier industrial vehicles: forestry tracked vehicles, sidewalk snowplows, the buses, and snow groomers for many years. We also sold Skidoos, until Bombadier got smart and moved those vehicles to consumer products distributors. I did not know it used Fords as the base for the bus. The engine is in the back of those vehicles.
As a result, I drove one of the very first Skidoos, like the one below, in '59 or '60. It was fun to watch people stop and stare at this contraption. As I recall, it had less than 15 HP.
Other than the Skidoo, I don't think the company is manufacturing the industrial vehicles any more. I have been unable to find references to them for several years.
I also found this after a little googling. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowcat Apparently, the snow groomers were sold to John DeLorean in 1978 and changed its name to DeLorean Motor Company (DMC). DMC was later bought out by its management team and renamed Logan Machine Company (LMC). LMC ceased production in 2000.
Bombardier still continues in business but has radically altered its business model and product selection and sold its snow grooming division and no longer makes commercial snowcats. Bombardier sold over 3000 of its popular snow bus models which are still in use today and in popular demand by dedicated collectors; thousands of other Bombardier models were also produced as ski-slope and snowmobile trail groomers with the Bombi and BR100 to 180 series machines as notable units produced in high quantities. Bombardier Recreational Products still produces the SkiDoo line of open ridge single-tracked personal snowmobiles.
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Ah, the Bombi. What a cute little mchine. It was built specifically for sidewalks.
The SnowCat sold to DeLorean is no relation to Bombardier. Bombardier was still manufacturing its industrial line in 1983 when I lost contact with its operation. I don't know if they sold the industrial line, as they did the consumer line, or it simply ceased operation. I have tried finding out, without success.
The SnowCat sold to DeLorean is no relation to Bombardier. Bombardier was still manufacturing its industrial line in 1983 when I lost contact with its operation. I don't know if they sold the industrial line, as they did the consumer line, or it simply ceased operation. I have tried finding out, without success.
Some additional googling and I think I found it. Bombardier seems to have sold it's Industrial Equipment in 2004. The new owner was named Camoplast. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CamsoAh, the Bombi. What a cute little mchine. It was built specifically for sidewalks.
The SnowCat sold to DeLorean is no relation to Bombardier. Bombardier was still manufacturing its industrial line in 1983 when I lost contact with its operation. I don't know if they sold the industrial line, as they did the consumer line, or it simply ceased operation. I have tried finding out, without success.
Here is a link to Prinoth who now builds the equipment https://www.prinoth.com/en/company/
Here is a link to their products page https://www.prinoth.com/en/snow-groomers/products/snow-groomers/br-350-39/
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Thanks for that, sdw. Now I can go to my grave in peace, knowing that the line has carried on. Armand Bombardier would have reason to be proud of what he spawned.
