Home » Behold The SnoCoupe, The Coolest Snowmobile Ever To Go Out In The Cold: Cold Start

Behold The SnoCoupe, The Coolest Snowmobile Ever To Go Out In The Cold: Cold Start

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I feel like I haven’t really been respecting the “cold” part of “Cold Start,” so today let’s look at a machine designed for the cold, meant to thrive in conditions that require cold to even exist: a snowmobile! Specifically, what may be the coolest-looking snowmobile every crafted by the cold, shivering hands of a human: the 1970-1973 Innovar SnoCoupe. This thing could make me forget how much I hate being cold.

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Vidframe Min Top
Vidframe Min Bottom

The hook of the Innovar SnoCoupe was that it was a car-inspired snowmobile, and as such offered a lot of things most snowmobiles just didn’t, mostly revolving around the basic concept of shelter. You see, the SnoCoupe was enclosed, like a car, was possibly the first snowmobile to offer side-by-side seating (on a bench seat, no less), a stereo with a tape deck, and a heater, a glorious heater, so you could be warm and cozy under that fiberglass and plexiglass canopy.

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Sure, you could remove the canopy and have an open-top, cold wind in your hair experience, but the fully enclosed setup is really the appealing one, in this context, I think. There was even luggage space, which looks pretty roomy, and I like that special notice was given to the fact it had “dual ever-present tail-lights,” as stated in the brochure page above, and those ever-present taillights seem to have been borrowed from a Chevy Impala. Those really were known for being especially ever-present.

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Damn, look how ever-present those are!

As you can see, the body of the SnoCoupe was available in metal-flake finishes, like that fabulous gold up there, but other colors were available.

These things had a wide track of over 30 inches, making them quite stable, and could be had with engine sizes ranging from a 372cc JLO engine or a 488cc Polaris unit. The manufacturer claimed you could do 50 mph in these!

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Holy crap, look how cool these things were, with their sealed-beam dual headlights and remarkably car-like styling. Somehow, only about 200 of these were actually built, in Dunnell, Minnesota between 1970 and 1973, which seems to be a tragically low number.

Here’s a surviving one in action, getting around even while surrounded by a hard-to-ignore zero inches of snow:

It would be amazing to get one of these and put actual wheels on it and make it into a road-going little car, wouldn’t it? Why limit something this cool to snow?

 

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ScottyB
ScottyB
10 months ago

Okay, wow, I couldn’t even see the car until I took a few minutes to stare in awe of the model’s fabulous Dynel piled-up do in the first photo, color-matched to the car no less.

And wow again to the car itself. Anything painted in fair-ride sparkle paint and I’m instantly sold, and if not, the ever-present Chevy tails would have sealed the deal.

DriveSheSaid
DriveSheSaid
10 months ago

Beneath this snowy mantle, cold and clean
The unborn grass lies waiting
For its coat to turn to green
The SnoCoupe horn beeps the song he always sings
And speaks to me of drivers
That will hoon again in spring

Not The Ford 289
Not The Ford 289
10 months ago

WHERE. DO. I. GET. ONE.

Marathag
Marathag
10 months ago

The Raider Double Eagle was cooler in the mid ’70s

Scott Morrison
Scott Morrison
10 months ago
Reply to  Marathag

I agree, rode one of those in ’80. Cool, but there is a reason that layout didn’t take off.

ADDvanced
ADDvanced
10 months ago
Reply to  Marathag

Still dumb. Back destroyer.

Marathag
Marathag
10 months ago
Reply to  ADDvanced

most all of the pre-1980s sleds did that, from the tiny amount of suspension travel.

ADDvanced
ADDvanced
10 months ago
Reply to  Marathag

Yes, but you could at least push off the running boards and get your butt off the seat before a big “woop”. With the more car like positions, you just grit your teeth and compress all your discs. lol

Last edited 10 months ago by ADDvanced
08Jeepster
08Jeepster
10 months ago

The founder of Innovar went on to found Glasstite (fiberglass pickup toppers). My grandfather was heavily involved with the design and manufacturing of both.

The orginal run of Sno-Coupes were on a stripped down Polaris chasis. There were a couple of prototypes that were a chasis of their own design, included coil over shocks ahead of any others (I have heard stories of when these were shown, the people from the competitors were all coping the design dwon in notebooks to take back).

I beleive the taillights are indeed from a 65 Impala.

EXP_Scarred
EXP_Scarred
10 months ago

And I, a 40+ year native of MN, learned where Dunnell, MN is thanks to this article…

Although, with a current population of 133 (and probably not much more in the 70s), it’s easy to miss.

Uncle Cholmondeley
Uncle Cholmondeley
10 months ago

I think there’s a sno-cone shaped car in my childhood copy of Richard Scarry’s Cars and Trucks and Things That Go. Probably with Goldbug driving.

Scott Ashley
Scott Ashley
10 months ago

My parents had Skidoos back when I was growing up about the same vintage as when this was made. I can tell you they both had “heat”. Raising the cowl you see ducts from the front air intake over the engine fins and out in front of the driver. These were touring sleds with large windshields so the blast of heat was welcome on a cold ride.

ADDvanced
ADDvanced
10 months ago

As a huge snowmobile and boat enthusiast, I must let you in on a secret: If a snowmobile or boat ‘looks like’ a car, it’s almost guaranteed that it’s a massive piece of shit. People who aren’t into boats or snowmobiles just LOVE IT when they look like cars, but … it’s bad design. I don’t care how attractive the form is, or how nice the surfacing is, but the overall approach is bad because it does not function well.

I went through this a bit in my 911 boat video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOnGCbRwM6s

For these things, the problem is quite a few things:

  1. Weight. Power to weight matters a lot on a sled, these will be really slow.
  2. Stability, that thing looks top heavy, and they can’t put the skis outwards of the body so it has a super narrow stance
  3. WIDTH. This is one of the biggest problems. Snowmobile trails are generally narrow, sometimes narrow enough for just two sleds to pass each other going opposite directions, sometimes even narrower for one way traffic. Just driving one of these on the trails seems like you’d be risking your life or the lives of others
  4. Body position. Snowmobile trails are not pavement smooth. “sitting in a chair” on a snowmobile is a good way to wind up with spinal compression/back problems. You want your LEGS to be part of the suspension in a snowmobile.

Anyway, thanks for coming to my ted talk. I love sleds and boats and cars, but they should not all look like cars.

Morgan van Humbeck
Morgan van Humbeck
10 months ago
Reply to  ADDvanced

Counterpoint: things are cute when they look like tiny cars

Clupea Hangoverus
Clupea Hangoverus
10 months ago

Glad to see the easy-to-tear backscreen (flap?), as one might doubt how the easy-to-open-canopy works when sideways, half buried in a snowbank.
Also, radio seems a bit optimistic, with the 70’s 2-stroke tech.
Negative comments are a bit pointless, because just look at the thing.. but then again, imagine it, in action: the noise, the smoke, the excitement?

Andy Individual
Andy Individual
10 months ago

I saw two of these buzzing around an ice fishing camp about ten years ago! They looked a little faded, but they were running. I didn’t get to talk to the riders (drivers?) to find out what they were. I thought they might have been some sort of kit or inventors prototypes.

Fuzzyweis
Fuzzyweis
10 months ago

Love that 70s molded metallic flake style body for ATVs and such. We had an Alsport Tri-sport with blue metallic flake molded body, thing looked awesome, but over 10 years old ran like crap lol.

Thomas Metcalf
Thomas Metcalf
10 months ago

Damn, they had STYLE in the 70’s.

Lew Schiller
Lew Schiller
10 months ago

Front end reminds me of a Reliant Regal. As for Tail Lights..yes..those Chevrolet lights were omnipresent as were Mustang tail lights.

Canopysaurus
Canopysaurus
10 months ago

Go-go boots and a miniskirt in the 70s? And that pantsuit? Not to mention 20-30 something male models dressed like they’re in their 50s with haircuts to match. This looks like outtakes from a first season Laugh In sketch. Oh, wait, it’s Minnesota, so yeah.

Black Peter
Black Peter
10 months ago
Reply to  Canopysaurus

So true, when me and my first wife separated, we were loading her U-haul, the neighbors walked up: “Are you moving?” My ex said “Nope, just me”. they looked at her, blinked, looked at me blinked. looked at each other, blinked.. “Oooo” and walked off.

Hoonicus
Hoonicus
10 months ago

Great grill, miss my 71 stang. Why did that nice couple pick the middle of a frozen lake to get into that serious socioeconomic discussion? At least the engine pre-warmed the hoods.

MaximillianMeen
MaximillianMeen
10 months ago

It would be amazing to get one of these and put actual wheels on it and make it into a road-going little car, wouldn’t it? Why limit something this cool to snow?

So you want an Allsport Tracker, just add a roof.

Shop-Teacher
Shop-Teacher
10 months ago

I have to assume they didn’t make many, because they were way more expensive than a regular snowmobile. That is really freaking cool though!

I sure hope that heater works well, because that nice lady is going to be VERY cold!

Captain Muppet
Captain Muppet
10 months ago

Imagine, there you sit, warm and snug in your minidress blatting through the snow, feeling smug because you are the genius who bought a snow mobile with a windshield, roof, doors and a glorious heater, while all your friends are in skiwear and draped over the outside of their skidoos.

Then you get a load of snow on your windshield and go to flick the wipers on.

Where’s the switch?

This thing has wipers, right?

Goddam it, now I’m going to have to stop, get out and sit on the front of it to wipe the snow off, and that pervert with the camera is going to try for an up-skirt shot again.

Dale Mitchell
Dale Mitchell
10 months ago
Reply to  Captain Muppet

grew up driving snowmobiles, the traditional kind, with no roof.
Never considered needing a windshield wiper – probably not necessary *unless* the passenger side of the glass was warmer than the outdoors.

Captain Muppet
Captain Muppet
10 months ago
Reply to  Dale Mitchell

The cabin is heated, so it should be warmer than outside.

Now I’m wondering if these things have demister fans too.

Flyingstitch
Flyingstitch
10 months ago

I recently moved from NJ to Delaware and apparently crossed the Golf Cart Line, south of which every subdivision is cluttered with those little conveyances. I’m now imagine my new neighborhood transplanted to, say, northern Minnesota, and crawling with SnoCoupes. I don’t understand why this never happened in real life. The SnoCoupe part, that is.

TOSSABL
TOSSABL
10 months ago

Want one—in Safety Orange, please. Having lived through the 70s, I’ve seen enough gold lamé to last several lifetimes

Jack Beckman
Jack Beckman
10 months ago

I like how many of the models don’t look even remotely dressed for the snow, especially Miss Mini Skirt in the second shot and Mr. Three Piece in the next one.

A. Barth
A. Barth
10 months ago

the 1970-1973 Innovar SnoCoupe

a 372cc JLO engine

Snoupe, featuring JLO

OCS-BN
OCS-BN
10 months ago
Reply to  A. Barth

Their greatest hit: Ring Ding Ding

OCS-BN
OCS-BN
10 months ago

Ah, ever-present taillights! Unlike the back then much more common pop-up taillights. Quite the smart solution, considering the common issue of rapidly wearing out pop-up taillight actuators. My dad had to replace the pop-up brake light mechanism on his ’65 Mercedes every other month. He did have long stop-and-go commutes, though.

Chronometric
Chronometric
10 months ago

That’s SnoCoupe, it’s an Innovar!

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