Post by admin on Mar 10, 2012 8:06:11 GMT -5
Vintage Sleds, Vintage snowmobiles => Vintage Sleds 24/7 (ONLY) => Topic started by: JH71 on February 20, 2012, 05:50:28 AM
Title: Arctic Cat/Scorpion buyout
Post by: JH71 on February 20, 2012, 05:50:28 AM
Seeing the topic on here about the 79/80 Scorpions made me think about Arctic Cat buying Scorpion. Does anyone remember what Arctic Cat had in mind to do with the Scorpion brand. Was it bought for racing or to be used as a R and D type of thing, or just to get more product into the dealerships. I remember when it happened, but I guess I was too young to understand the details.
Title: Re: Arctic Cat/Scorpion buyout
Post by: palo on February 20, 2012, 06:22:32 AM
Heard once they wanted the paraslide suspension.
Title: Re: Arctic Cat/Scorpion buyout
Post by: sparcat on February 20, 2012, 08:29:16 AM
I also heard that they were interested in the engines that scorpion was producing, with possibly being used in future cats!!
Title: Re: Arctic Cat/Scorpion buyout
Post by: ruppfan on February 20, 2012, 09:27:05 AM
thats because the scorpions were faster then them cats any you forgot cat bought out rupp too
Title: Re: Arctic Cat/Scorpion buyout
Post by: JLOpower on February 20, 2012, 10:51:09 AM
While Scorpion had a lot going for it, including being able to produce their own engines, I have to believe the real reason AC wanted Scorpion was to gain market share, access Scorpion's dealer network and lower unit costs.
AC never really got very far with the Cuyuna or Brutanza engines and never did much with the ParaRail.
Arctic Cat did contract assembly for Rupp after Rupp filed for bankruptcy but I don't believe they ever owned a part of the company.
Title: Re: Arctic Cat/Scorpion buyout
Post by: scorp11 on February 20, 2012, 12:53:25 PM
Here is what I have heard from people I know who worked for Scorpion back then.
One of the big reasons Cat was interested in Scorpion was because Scorpion had their own engines. The "intent" as I have heard was to keep Scorpion going as the more family oriented consumer brand. They were also supposedly going to use the Cuyuna engines in the family / trail Arctic Cats as well Scorpion models.
My uncle worked in the engine department at the time and he said they built an insane number of engines in 1979 / 1980 time frame. They were to be used in Scorpions and Arctic Cat family sleds. He has no idea what happened to all of them as he said they built way more engines than what could have been sold in Scorpion sleds.
I have heard talk of them having interest in the rear skid, but nothing that I would say was ever substantiated. Also, Scorpion was pretty far along with testing of IFS stuff to. I don't think Cat ever planned to use the design Scorpion had. I know Scorpion was supposed to have a IFS sled for 1982, but no one knows what ever happened to the model(s) that were shown to all the dealers. I did see a video of it at one time, but it wasn't good enough to see what the design actually was.
I haven't heard anything to indicate that Cat ever intended on getting rid of the Scorpion line. According to a number of people at the time, if it hadn't been for Irwin "the liquidator" Jacobs, both Scorpion and Cat would likely have continued on. But his M.O. was to buy companies and liquidate their assets. He is still doing this today. All those who I have talked to who were involved at the time have some pretty dim opinions of him.
Title: Re: Arctic Cat/Scorpion buyout
Post by: JH71 on February 20, 2012, 01:51:17 PM
Lots of good information here. I never knew the details of the Arctic cat/Scorpion story. I enjoy reading about the history of the different makes.
Title: Re: Arctic Cat/Scorpion buyout
Post by: extman29 on February 21, 2012, 06:15:26 PM
The old Arctic Enterprises under Lowell Swenson was growing out of control, they sold 100,000 sleds for the 1972 model year, just unheard of today. I know because I was one of those 100,000, buying a new Puma for about $995. Trouble began when he began buying too many companies. If you are old enough to remember, they bought a boat company, I believe it was Silverline, then built those hideous pink lawn mowers, which are very collectible today, they had a bicycle line, mini bike line and just figured acquiring Scorpion would make them that much more powerful and keep abreast of Polaris, which I believe was owned by Textron Industries at the time. Arctic also built one of the first personal water craft vehicles. There is nothing wrong with diversifying your business, but Arctic grew too fast and then the gas crunch came and several years of no snow, like 2012, huh, and a recession and it was just more than they could handle. We all know they went bankrupt, but fortunately a small group of dedicated people brought it back from the dead in 1983.
Title: Re: Arctic Cat/Scorpion buyout
Post by: mthood on February 22, 2012, 06:36:42 AM
If Arctic Cat had returned from bankruptcy in '83 with an ATV they would have recovered quicker.
Title: Re: Arctic Cat/Scorpion buyout
Post by: GenuineNOS on February 22, 2012, 07:02:10 AM
Over building + poor winters + recession + SPIRIT OUTBOARDS = Done.
Title: Re: Arctic Cat/Scorpion buyout
Post by: Advance78 on February 22, 2012, 11:24:31 AM
It's too bad Scorpion didn't make it. Their F/C sleds from the 75 Whip on to the end were some of the lightest, quickest, best handling and best value sleds of the leaf sprung era. Today's snowmobile industry is shooting itself in the foot by not offering affordable entry level and family oriented sleds using the formula Scorpion practically perfected.
Title: Re: Arctic Cat/Scorpion buyout
Post by: zrtrc on February 22, 2012, 05:54:11 PM
I have a good customer here in northern IL who worked for Scorpion for years. I have tried to convince him to get on the this site many times. He has been out of snowmobiling since the end of Scorpion when he moved down here for work. His take on this is pretty interesting coming from an employee/management point of view. He claims Scorpion desperately needed A/C as Scorpion was on very shaky ground at the time of the buyout. He says himself and many others thought that A/C was going to save them from going belly up. He looks at as the buyout didn't make a difference as the end was certain and near and every Scorpion employee knew it.
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