Arctic Cat
Arctic Cat is an ATV and snowmobile manufacturer from America. Its roots can be traced back to 1954, when David Johnson, Edgar Hetteen and Allan Hetteen became partners in Hetteen Hoist and Derrick Shop in Roseau, Minnesota. They built a vehicle which was able to travel over snow, and the company became known as Polaris Industries.
Edgar Hetteen then broke the partnership with Johnson and started his own company in 1960. He named it Polar Manufacturing but later on, the name was changed into Arctic Enterprises. The first Arctic Cat snowmobile was produced in 1960 and the company soon grew bigger and bigger, starting to buy boat manufacturers like Silver Line, Lund and Spirit Marine. But after a while, in 1980, Arctic Enterprises faced some rough times because of soft winters without snow and over-production. The result was that one year later the company went bankrupt and production was shut down in 1982. In 1984, another company called Arctco was formed, a company meant to continue the production of Arctic Cat snowmobiles.
Things went rather smoothly and the company was officially renamed Arctic Cat in 1996. They carry on production to this day, their latest snowmobile model being the Jaguar Z1, which features a 1100cc, 4-stroke parallel twin. In 2009, the Z1 will have 177 horsepower, 20 more hp than any other snowmobile in the world. Arctic Cat was well known for the ZR series of snowmobiles: the 440, 500, 580, 600, 700, 800 and 900, most of them being replaced in 2003 by FireCat (F-Series) and in 2004 by the SaberCat which is now available on diamond direct drive. The company also manufactures a wide range of sport and utility ATVs, whose engines range in size from 90cc to 950cc, with 650cc H1, 700cc H1, and 950cc H2, this one being the biggest ATV of the time.
Now, excluding the 650 H1, all the gasoline engines are supplied by Suzuki, while the diesel ones wear a Lombardini signature. Arctic Cat ATV's feature four stroke engines and fully independent suspension, excluding the DVX youth and 250cc models, which have a solid rear axle. The company manages to market the products through a network of dealers in United States, Canada, Alaska, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and other international markets.