Thundercat

Thundercat is the name of a series of snowmobiles produced by Arctic Cat from 1993 - 2002, and subsequently from 2017 to present. When used, Thundercat denotes the most powerful model of snowmobile in Arctic Cats Line-up. Thundercat 900 (1993-1997) The Thundercat series was introduced in 1993, as Arctic Cats entry into the Musclesled category. These sleds feature extremely powerful engines placed in chassis derived from racing models. The first-gen featured a Suzuki-produced, counterbalanced case-reed triple cylinder 2-stoke 900cc engine, which produced 161.5 horsepower. The engines came stock with triple tuned pipes, 38mm VM Roundslide Mikuni Carburetors and forged pistons. This shared similarities with smaller displacement contemporaries, the Arctic Cat ZRT 800, Polaris XCR 800, and the Skidoo Mach Z 800. The sled also featured a Wilwood hydraulic Disc brake. Attaining a confirmed trap speed of 113mph while ridden by Jim Dimmerman, the 1993 sled set a then-current world speed record. These initial models were built on the AWS3 chassis, which had been introduced by Arctic Cat for select 1992 models. In 1996, the 900 was upgraded to the AWS4 chassis. Thundercat 1000 (1998-2002) In 1998, in an effort to maintain dominance in the Musclesled category, the Thundercat displacement was increased to the 999cc. They continued to use a Suzuki-produced, counterbalanced case-reed triple cylinder engine, but now had an output of 172hp. The machine was also notable for using many weight-cutting measures, such as plastic skis, aluminum spindles, and aluminum-stamped rails. These measures made the sled lighter than many other manufacturers 800cc-class snowmobiles of the same year. In 1999, the model was revamped with the AWS5 chassis. In 2000, the carburetors were changed to TM Flatslides. In 2002, reverse and Electric start were added.