noise tests of 1972 sleds by Invitation to Snowmobiling magazine showed the Chaparral 440s to be among the loudest of the brands tested .
Still , the final conclusion from our Snow Goer predecessors was , “ Chaparral has all of the ingredients necessary to move way up in the snowmobile sales race .”
Indeed , based on racing results and steadily increasing showroom sales , Chaparral began to bill itself as “ America ’ s fastest growing major snowmobile ” for 1973 . But a planned version with a new 488cc Fuji engine never entered production . The hot new SS / III model replaced the Firebird SS as the trail performance sled in the 1973 Chaparral line up , although the base Firebird remained .
Unfortunately , the Rocky Mountain red sleds that had been Ridin ’ High ( to quote their marketing campaign ) were suddenly done-in by carry-over inventory and the 1973 Arab oil embargo . Corporate owner Armco Steel dropped its entire recreation business flat at the first sign of trouble .
Some of us in the industry thought Chaparral could have survived the manufacturer shakeout because its product and distribution were better than most other brands . Ultimately , it never got the chance . And the 1972 Firebird SS with its twin pipes remains one of its most interesting and collectable models .
1972 Chaparral Firebird SS 440
Manufacturer : Chaparral Industries , Inc ., a division of Hitco , Denver , Colorado
POWERTRAIN
Engine : 438cc Hirth 270R piston-port axial-fan-cooled twin with one Walbro WD diaphragm pumper carb , magneto & breaker point ignition , twin pipes into twin Donaldson mufflers Lubrication : Pre-mix at 20 to 1 Power output : 40 HP @ 7,000 RPM Clutches : Salsbury 910 drive and torque-sensing driven
Chassis
Type : Riveted aircraft aluminum with extruded aluminum front bumper , chrome square tube steel rear bumper , acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene ( ABS ) hood
Claimed dry weight : 324 pounds Front suspension : Triple-leaf springs with chrome hydraulic shock absorbers Ski stance : 28 inches Rear suspension : 15 bogie wheels on three trucks with eight torsion springs ( Touch Bar hybrid two-piece slide rails with eight wheels optional ) Track : 15.5-inch-wide Gates PolyTrac ( steel-reinforced polyurethane & rubber ) with dual Gates internal drive sprockets Brake : Mechanical disc with manual adjustment Fuel capacity : 5 gallons Standard equipment : Speedometer / odometer , Kelch gas gauge , kill switch , non-slip footrests , dual taillights , snow flap MSRP : $ 1,249 NOVEMBER 2024 / SNOWGOER . COM / 13