A wild snowmobile design concept, The Farouche, posted at charlesbombardier.com lights the imagination of snowmobile enthusiast all over the world and makes a statement about the direction that snowmobile recreation could go in the future.
Charles Bombardier tells us, “The Farouche is an open top snowmobile ‘trailster’ that looks like a vintage convertible muscle car. It would be equipped with a two-stroke Rotax triple cylinder 1200 cc E-TEC engine that would develop over 250hp.”
With a desire to keep mass to a minimum, a two-stroke engine and CVT drives a limited-slip differential to motivate the side-by-side tracks, suspended by an adjustable torsion bar.
“Back in 1974, Ski-Doo built a prototype vehicle called the Mirage. It looked like a Lamborghini meant to be ridden on snow, and it sparked our imagination for what was to come in the future for snowmobiles.”
Since the vehicle is an open top the custom designed seats would be heated by the engine’s coolant. The seats would even have their own suspension, where the driver and passanger could independently choose the comfort level.
What separates the Farouche from traditional sleds, beyond the obvious, is the designers vision of how the snowmobile would be used.
“The Farouche would not be designed to ride all day long on bumpy trails. It’s a vehicle that you would take you and a friend for a short but exhilarating ride during the weekend. It would make a sensation in winter events such as the Grand Prix Ski-Doo de Valcourt or any other snowmobile events.”
Charles Bombardier, an engineer and entrepreneur, is best known in the snowmobile world for his work at BRP where he managed the R&D Team for the Ski-Doo Élite and the Can-AM Spyder Roadster. He also writes for the Drive section of the The Globe and Mail.
Learn more and see additional photos at charlesbombardier.com
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