Saskatchewan Snowmobile: Blasphemy or Brilliance?
So wrong... and yet so right.
This little gem appeared magically on my Facebook wall last night, courtesy of the incomparable Number_Six. Part of me is screaming “NOOO!“, while another part of me wants it so badly I can taste it.
Judging by the diamond-plate flooring, it was likely a car that was very nearly beyond the point of being salvageable without spending many tens of thousands of dollars to restore a car that would be worth a fraction of that when completed. Much as I adore these little Metros, they’re not exactly the kinds of cars that will draw hundreds of thousands of dollars in bids at Barrett-Jackson, even when restored perfectly.
So if you’ve got one, it’s not salvageable, and you have some bits lying about, what do you do? Specifically, what do you do if you live in Saskatchewan, one of the worst places on earth, and you have to contend with nine months of winter every year? Why, you rock a sled, that’s what you do.
I still haven’t decided if I love it or hate it, but let’s be honest, I have a hard time hating a Metropolitan.
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I'll come down on the "it's cute" side. It's only a Metropolitan after all. Save the Molotov cocktails for the MGA snowmobiles.
Cool, yah. But not quite a Raider Twin Track, now is it?
<img src="http://www.raidertwintracksnowmobiles.com/sitebuilder/images/Raiders_front_06-600×449.jpg" width="500">
Eugh! And thank heaven for that!
No, but if the heater works that would be a real plus for me. And it's much cuter.
Blasphemy and Brilliance! I'd take one, but I hate snow.
Maybe put some quad tires up front and run it in the sand? Nah. I'm with you, snow is overrated. Ask any Canadian Snowbird who's down here with us in AZ for the winter. The closest I want to get to a snowmobile is the Arctic Cat powered golf cart that this one maniac here in town built.
Hear hear. It might be a bit top heavy for sand thrashing though.
I love it. I would fill the continental kit with whiskey and blankets.
Genius!
Makes me want to buy a Metro and slip a 4×4 chassis underneath.
That's been done. Works great.
<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3403/3318550627_d62513ca22.jpg" width="350">
I like it, I just hope they upgraded the heater.
Met's look cute and awesome in any configuration. That one is in much better shape then ours. I do wish Dad wasn't so damn bull headed about his. It is still in the barn
<img src="http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i65/lilwillie_wi/Car%20stuff/met.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket">
That barn looks incredible… I love old shops/garages/barns.
It seems that the general consensus is brilliance, and I am inclined to agree. This person will have the last laugh when the next Ice Age happens.
My snowmobile can beat your snowmobile.
<img src="http://forums.aaca.org/attachments/f169/44257d1261695501-antique-vehicles-snow-photos-t-bucket-sled.jpg"width="500"/>
My Sno Train runs over your snowmobile
<img src="http://landtrain.net/images/images/let_4_136.jpg">
You have to catch me first!
Good thing Larry Shinoda's not around to hear you say that…
<img src="http://deansgarage.com/wp-content/gallery/shinodaford/90shinoda.jpg" width="500">
Bring him on!
<img src="http://www.oldstox.com/images/snow%20dragster%205.jpg"width="500"/>
You'd win. You'd be dead, but the winner.
Just because I've got this photo and the topic of snow dragsters doesn't come up very often (and not nearly often enough!)
<img src="http://www.tanshanomi.com/temp/sno-job-6.jpg">
And yes, that's a Triumph twin…
Is that two seperate vehicles, or the sidecar-snowmobile of death?
I hope it's a sidecar. I want to watch the snow monkey do his stuff in a race.
No, not at all. What I meant was "Works great for an MG." Sorry that wasn't clear from context.
He started well, but didn't go far enough. As others have said, why not a AWD, with
steering on the front (or possibly both)sets of bogies? Where is the heater, btw? And
does it come with the optional hardtop, or ragtop only?
Needs moar rally lights, a rollbar, the wheelarches filled in, continuing to a full belly-
pan, and storage compartments like those found on new truck beds, built into each
wheelwell.
I worked on one in college in bodyshop- that engine bay is very narrow and tall. Wonder
what mill he's got under there?
…and now my cartoon bubble is envisioning some sort of OHC inline with a tunnel ram.
Datsun L28et with paxton supercharger?
My choice would be a Bell gas turbine. Noise keeps the bears away, takes care of the heater,
and you can divert exhaust to clear any driveway in seconds…….
Kind of on topic: Kei trucks with tracks!
[youtube NsOOztVikFQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsOOztVikFQ youtube]
I must have one.
You can have one, if you're a farmer or Canadian.
I think anybody who's into Metropolitans (or any Nash/Rambler/AMC, really) has got to be so off-kilter that they can't not love this.
Being one of those people, I don't see how this car could be more full of win.
One possible improvement: It could've been badged as a Hudson.
If nothing else, the owner could then go around correcting people: "Wheels? Oh, you're probably thinking of the NASH Metropolitan. I guess the bodies do look kinda similar…."
I never would've pegged Weird Al for a sledneck.
Hell, what's not to love? Assuming it would otherwise have been junked, this is an infinitely better option. And this is Hooniverse – aren't we all about unholy mashups?
Excuse me? "One of the worst places on earth?" We Hosers beg to differ!
Ha ha, no hard feelings. I live in Saskatchewan, I've dreamed of building something like this to go cruising around the countryside in.
By the way, a heater is precious little use in an open car in winter here. Today, for example, it's something like minus 30 with windchill. We just wear Skidoo suits to go Skidooing!
The funny thing is, Deartháir's one of your (our) fellow hosers and he's slagging Saskatchewan from tropical northern Alberta.
Tropical Indeed! Positively Balmy! Might as well be Jamaica! Lol I spent the afternoon on the tractor blowing out four foot drifts.