DAVID'S VINTAGE
SNOWMOBILE PAGE.
RESTORING THE
SPORT ONE PIECE AT A TIME.
PAGE
7B - SHOWS
SHARK
SNOWMOBILE HISTORY
A
DIFFICULT BRAND TO UNRAVEL THE TRUTH.
TO BE
CLEAR, I AM NO EXPERT ON THIS BRAND.
I
AM JUST OFFERING MY OPINION FROM THE FACTS I FOUND.
THIS
ARTICLE IS FROM SEPTEMBER 1970.
1970 SHARK SNOWMOBILES DID
EXIST.
1970
SHARK SNOWMOBILE INFORMATION
&
1971
SHARK SNOWMOBILE INFORMATION
IN 2006
DAN PICKENPAUGH SENT ME SEVERAL CD-ROMS WITH PICTURES OF HIS SNOWMOBILE
COLLECTION &
SEVERAL
ARTICLES ON SHARK SNOWMOBILES WHICH WERE MADE
IN THE STATE OF COLORADO, USA.
MY
GOAL IS TO PROVIDE AS MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT EACH BRAND AND TRY FIND THE
TRUE HISTORY.
IT
IS UNFORTUNATE THAT VERY LITTLE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE FOR SHARK SNOWMOBILES
IN THE
NEWSPAPERS
BUT FROM WHAT I HAVE IN THESE ARTICLES AND FROM THE PICTURES THAT DAN PROVIDED,
PERHAPS
I CAN SHED SOME NEW FACTS ON THIS BRAND. NOW
LET'S START AT THE TOP OF THIS ARTICLE.
THIS
ARTICLE IS FROM SEPTEMBER 1970.
IT
CLEARLY STATES THAT SHARK SNOWMOBILES WERE
BEING BUILT FOR THE LAST YEAR.
THAT
WOULD BE FROM SUMMER OF 1969 TO SUMMER OF 1970.
THEY
WERE BUILT AT THE FIRST FACTORY
AT 1452 POPLAR ST IN DENVER COLORADO.
THAT
MEANS THAT BACK IN 1969, THEY WERE TESTING
AND THEN PRODUCING SOME 1970 SHARK
SNOWMOBILES.
THE
ARTICLE SAYS THEY THEY COULD NOT KEEP UP WITH THE ORDERS AS THEY HAD LIMITED
PRODUCTION CAPABILITIES
AT
THE PLANT AT 1452 POPLAR STREET IN DENVER
SO THEY LOCATED A NEW LOCATION IN AURORA,
COLORADO &
MOVED
TO A NEW BUILDING WITH A MUCH LARGER CAPABILITY
OF PRODUCING MORE SNOWMOBILES EACH DAY.
IT
THEN SAYS THAT DURING THE SUMMER OF 1970,
THEY WERE TOOLING UP FOR THE 1971 SHARK SNOWMOBILE
MODELS AT
THE
NEW
LOCATION IN AURORA, COLORADO. IT SAYS THAT
AS OF THE DAY OF THIS ARTICLE ( SEPTEMBER
1970 ) THEY WERE
NOW
PRODUCING ( 10 - 20 ) 1971
SHARK SNOWMOBILES A DAY.
I
BELIEVE THIS TO BE A
1970
SHARK PROTOTYPE
SNOWMOBILE.
OR
IT CAN POSSIBLY BE A
1970
SHARK PRODUCTION MODEL SNOWMOBILE
BUT
I FULLY BELIEVE IT IS A 1970 MODEL.
DAN
PICKENPAUGH LISTED THESE PICTURES AS A PROTOTYPE
SHARK
SS 292 SNOWMOBILE.
NOTICE
THAT THIS SHARK DOES NOT HAVE
A BACKREST.
THE
ORIGINAL PICTURE DAN SENT TO ME HAD 3 SNOWMOBILES ON 1 PAGE.
IT
SAID THESE 2 TOP PICTURES WERE OF A PROTOTYPE SHARK SNOWMOBILE SS 292
AND
THE BOTTOM PICTURE WAS A 1971 PROTOTYPE SHARK SNOWMOBILE.
ON
THE BROCHURE LISTED BELOW FOR 1971,
IT SAYS THAT ALL 1971 MODELS
HAD
A BACKREST.
I
BELIEVE THIS TO BE A
1970
SHARK PROTOTYPE
SNOWMOBILE.
OR
IT CAN POSSIBLY BE A
1970
SHARK PRODUCTION MODEL SNOWMOBILE
BUT
I FULLY BELIEVE IT IS A 1970 MODEL.
DAN
PICKENPAUGH LISTED THESE PICTURES AS A PROTOTYPE
SHARK
SS 292 SNOWMOBILE.
NOTICE
THAT THIS SHARK DOES NOT HAVE
A BACKREST.
I
BLEW THESE 2 PICTURES UP TO GIVE YOU A BETTER LOOK. SORRY
FOR THE POOR QUALITY.
I
BELIEVE THIS TO BE A
1970
SHARK PROTOTYPE
SNOWMOBILE.
OR
IT CAN POSSIBLY BE A
1970
SHARK PRODUCTION MODEL SNOWMOBILE
BUT
I FULLY BELIEVE IT IS A 1970 MODEL.
DAN
PICKENPAUGH LISTED THESE PICTURES AS A PROTOTYPE
SHARK
SS 292 SNOWMOBILE.
NOTICE
THAT THIS SHARK DOES NOT HAVE
A BACKREST.
BELOW
IS A 1971 SHARK
SNOWMOBILE
BROCHURE.
IT
SAYS ...........
FOLLOWING
IS STANDARD ON ALL MODELS FOR 1971,
A
BACKREST
IT
SAYS ...........
FOLLOWING
IS STANDARD ON ALL MODELS FOR 1971,
A
BACKREST
IT
SAYS ...........
FOLLOWING
IS STANDARD ON ALL MODELS FOR 1971,
A
BACKREST
DAN
PICKENPAUGH LISTED THIS PICTURE AS
A
PROTOTYPE 1971
SHARK
SS 338 SNOWMOBILE.
NOTICE
THAT THIS SHARK DOES NOT HAVE
A BACKREST.
QUESTION
?
WERE
THEY TRYING TO PRODUCE A 1971 SHARK SPORT MODEL WITHOUT A BACKREST?
BELOW
IS AN AD ( SEE PICTURE
) FROM OCTOBER 1970 FOR THE 1971 SHARK SNOWMOBILE.
***
SINCE THIS AD IS FROM OCTOBER 1970, THERE WOULD NOT BE ANY SNOW ON THE
GROUND
YET TO TAKE PICTURES OF THE 1971 SHARK SNOWMOBILE MODELS.
THESE
PICTURES WOULD HAVE BEEN TAKEN IN JANUARY,
OR FEBRUARY OR MARCH OF 1970.
SOME
OF THESE PICTURES APPEAR ON THE 1971 SHARK SNOWMOBILE COLOR BROCHURE.
THE
PICTURES IN THE B & W AD
SHOW
THE SHARK
WITH
A BACKREST.
IS
THIS PICTURE ABOVE WITH DAN A
.....
1971
SHARK PROTOTYPE OR A 1970 SHARK PROTOTYPE / PRODUCTION MODEL.
YOU
WILL NOTICE THAT THE AIR BOX HAS A ROUND COVERING
WHICH
IS THE SAME AS THE
SHARK
292 CC MODEL THAT
DAN
LISTED AS A PROTOTYPE SHARK SNOWMOBILE WHICH I THINK IS A 1970 MODEL.
1971
SHARK SNOWMOBILES
DAN
PICKENPAUGH LISTED THIS PICTURE AS
A
PROTOTYPE 1971
SHARK
SS 338 SNOWMOBILE.
NOTICE
THAT THIS SHARK DOES NOT HAVE
A BACKREST.
THE
1971 SHARK BROCHURE SAID ALL MODELS HAVE A BACKREST.
DAN
PICKENPAUGH LISTED THIS PICTURE AS
A
PROTOTYPE 1971
SHARK
SS 338 SNOWMOBILE.
NOTICE
THAT THIS SHARK DOES NOT HAVE
A BACKREST.
THE
1971 SHARK BROCHURE SAID ALL MODELS HAVE A BACKREST.
DAN
PICKENPAUGH LISTED THIS PICTURE AS
A
PROTOTYPE 1971
SHARK
SS 338 SNOWMOBILE.
NOTICE
THAT THIS SHARK DOES NOT HAVE
A BACKREST.
THE
1971 SHARK BROCHURE SAID ALL MODELS HAVE A BACKREST.
1971
SHARK SNOWMOBILE
THIS
BROCHURES SHOWS THE 1971 SHARK WITH A BACKREST.
1971
SHARK SNOWMOBILE
THIS
BROCHURES SHOWS THE 1971 SHARK WITH A BACKREST.
1971
SHARK SNOWMOBILE WITH A BACKREST
THERE
WAS NO DATE ON THIS AD SO I CHECKED INFO ON
THE 4OTH WORLD SHOOTING CHAMPIONSHIP AND FOUND
THIS.
THE
SHOOTING CHAMPIONSHIP WAS FROM OCTOBER
17 - 26, 1970 WHICH PROVIDES US WITH CONFIRMATION
OF THE
INFORMATION
THAT THIS ARTICLE WAS FROM SOME TIME DURING
THE SUMMER / FALL OF 1970.
1971
SHARK SNOWMOBILE
VERIFYING
INFORMATION IN THE ARTICLE SHOWS THIS IS
PERTAINING
TO THE 1971 SHARK SNOWMOBILE
FROM
SUMMER OF 1970.
DAN
AND BETTY PICKENPAUGH SENT ME PICTURES BACK IN 2006
OF DAN'S WONDERFUL SNOWMOBILE COLLECTION.
DAN
RECENTLY PASSED AWAY AND HIS COLLECTION OF SLEDS ARE IN THE PROCESS OF
BEING SOLD OFF.
I
WANT TO BE SURE THAT PEOPLE REMEMBER HIS INCREDIBLE COLLECTION SO I
AM
RE-POSTING THE PICTURES IN LARGE FORMAT.
BELOW IS THE TEXT THEY SENT
TO ME IN 2006
David
- Enjoying your web site. Such great information.
We
have 242 snowmobiles on inventory, but only about 150 restored completely.
Dan
certainly reviews your site and finds info. for some of the restorations.
Object
of my collection is to get as many different Mfg. as I can find and all
the different models of the major brands.
My
collection is open to the public anytime we are home and welcome visitors.
Thanks,
Betty
& Dan Pickenpaugh
Elizabeth,
Colo
THANKS
BETTY AND DAN FOR THE GREAT PICTURE!
