1972 Arctic Cat 303 Panther Wankel Rotary Engine and ELANS

[@ourtransportationheritage]

We used to ride all the time back in the early 90s. My buddy had a Wankel Panther. I'll never forget the sight of it going through the woods at night and every now and then a flame shooting out the exhaust pipe. The pipe would glow cherry red at the head after stopping and it was common for it to backfire 20-30 seconds after being shut down ..... always with another flame. The machine would actually jump when this happened. Great memories.

[@happyindeed6392]

Cat built such good sleds in those days. They were innovators and passionate about what they did and snowmobiling would not be what it is without them. They need to be in the game.

[@Erated78]

Had no clue that rotary engines were once in sleds. Runs and sounds amazing, thanks for sharing. Cheers

[@pinittowinit8481]

My dad has had 3 rotary snowmobiles lol

[@PowerModzOfficial]

Very cool!

[@whiskeytangofoxtrot9403]

The Dolmar KMS-4 is a wankel rotary chainsaw as well.

[@pseudocoder78]

Somewhat related is the rotary valve engine, which also had some cool engineering tricks. For instance the 76 Skidoo TNT RV. Happy sledding!

[@pinittowinit8481]

@@pseudocoder78 the formula MX had them as well

[@sum151]

I have a pair of 303s in my barn. My dad had several of them as I was growing up. He actually used one to log our property back in the late 70s. He cut white birch bolt wood 50 inches long and piled it on a sled behind the cat then would haul it a mile out of the woods to his pickup truck. Boltwood is used to make toothpicks, tongue depressors, dowels. There used to be several mills near us here in Maine but as far as I know there is only one left and its the same one my dad used to sell to way back then.

[@PowerModzOfficial]

That's some great old times right there e- thanks for sharing!

[@meca13b]

Always fun to hear stories like that . Still have the Wankle engines ?

[@Varulven18]

Holy shit. Engine sounds really great. And not getting stuck in the snow. Really nice!

[@PowerModzOfficial]

Worked well!

[@coreypruka5501]

She's a ripper, boys!! Cat hasn't had a commercial that looked this good in many a moon!!

[@dionnedionne2045]

I had an old e'lan 250 single. It was the ultimate for deep snow fun! It always stayed outside but it was so light, that no matter how much snow we got over night, by morning the e'lan was sitting on top of it. You could make it even lighter by removing the skis which I came to believe were only there to keep it from falling over when it was parked.... and perhaps because they didn't think people would buy a snowmobile that didn't have skis.

[@glenholmgren1218]

LOL! True

[@mitchcoop1]

When I was a kid I saw a Wankel Panther at the dealer. (My dad bought 1972 Panther 399 Kawasaki though) Great fun seeing these old sleds going thru. deepish snow ...Thanks

[@OilHist]

My uncle still has his 399 Cheetah he bought new. I doubt it's been out of his basement in 20 years.

[@cjjenson8212]

Yeah. We got our 1971 panther when my dad had an Aframe cabin built for 3500$ and an acre of mtn land. We went snowmobiling every wknd till the mid 80s. The wankle engine never failed! Our massey, our sno-prince, our john deere. All miserable failures. With mazda improving wankles, I this most people would be amazed if they were in sleds again 😁👍. Thanks for the memories.

[@PowerModzOfficial]

Very cool thanks for sharing. Louie

[@canopygardensgreenhouse9907]

My grandpa had one of these. Likes to tell the story about racing the 440s through fresh snow and stomping them all. All after talk smack about his little arctic cat

[@michaelfregoe5875]

I've got a 1975 295 Wankel Cheetah. It's a fun little sled with a unique sound.

[@mikebennett9356]

In the early seventy’s my dad was a cat dealer out of his gas station. He had a 1970 303 panther. He would put me, at about 8 years old, behind him on the seat. My mom and 6 year old brother, were behind us in a Cat Cutter. They would ride about 20 miles each way to a supper club they liked, with us.

[@garymittelstadt7821]

Our family had two of them in the 70s. Great torque, not the fastest, but would go for hours on the trail. Thousands of hours of winter fun!!!

[@josephjohnson8726]

My dad had a panther with the wankel, he also had a puma. First sled I ever rode was the wankel.

[@tdknut]

Arctic Cat needs to come out with a 2024 Heritage sled with a 600cc modern EFI Wankel.

[@PowerModzOfficial]

lol agreed!

[@2500vtg]

I hope Cat is still a player in 2024

[@quincee3376]

That would be very cool!

[@nomoremr.niceguy4778]

Too bad Textron who owns Cat now is far too concerned with paint jobs and dash board entertainment than innovation.

[@jlo13800]

I got a few OMC 530 rotaies, a rotron 600-xe 100 hp would go nice but not much low end torque though. TBO is 500 hrs.

[@stephenh5166]

I have one of these! It's a really fun sled and it's been very reliable since I got it back into full service. Theres nothing like the sound of a wankel.

[@seastacker8582]

Super cool. Can’t say I don’t want one. I think they had a 606 too that was a dual rotor model.

[@mflbikes1870]

Sadly they did not

[@nomoremr.niceguy4778]

Yes they did. Cat built 6 twin rotor panthers for 1968 model year. It was a prototype test deal. Sachs built the engines. About 35 hp but a ton of torque. Cost and heat output were what killed the idea. Search 606 Panther. A good friend built a clone about ten years ago.

[@glenmallory9982]

The big issue with the 303 single rotor was the cost verses HP. It cost the same new as a 399 Kawasaki Fan Cooled twin Panther. The Kawasaki was 32hp and super easy to repair. The Sachs was 20hp and it took some patience to learn. Hot Rod parts for a piston port two stroke twin were common in catalogs of the time. About the only part available for the Rotary was an adapter to upgrade the carburetor to an HR from the stock HL, and a hot rod kit for the Salisbury clutch. Like today, wankel fans were passionate, but a small group. Once the contract with Sachs was completed for the 1975 model year and the small group of 295cc KM 24 Cheetahs were built, that was the end. All these sleds have 17 inch wide tracks. The difference is length. Panther was the longest at a little more than 120-122 inches. ( Memory folks! I’m getting older lol.) Cheetah was about 112- 116? and the Tiny 1971 303 Lynx was a stubby short track probably less than 105. That short sled was based off the 1970 Puma Race sled. Real light chassis. Low power small engines. Great sled to Toss in a pickup for a backup sled. Even if you got that stuck it was light so easy to dig out and start again. Barely 300 lbs with fuel. About the size of a John Deere Spitfire or a Yamaha Enticer.

[@billallen4793]

​@@glenmallory9982I just found a 72 Panther 303 for $800.00 it looks and runs good! If you're interested! I was building a bike 🏍 to run at Bonneville with a goal of 200mph...from Wyoming USA 🇺🇸 👋🤠

[@L2FlyMN]

I started out with a 1973 340 fan cooled cheetah. Once you’ve learned on the old sleds, I believe your better off than those who never had!

[@andyc8454]

16.5 x 126.5 track. She was a long track before long track’s were cool! Glad you guys finally got some pow.

[@bige3477]

My 73 cheetah has 17" wide track. I love these old sleds.

[@eddarling1871]

My cousins had one in the 70s. Couldn't run it wide open continually without blipping the throttle. Fast for the time

[@patmcpherson112]

I have a 72 wankel as well, not a speed demon but good in deep snow and lots of torque

[@nomoremr.niceguy4778]

Cat built 10,000 303 single rotor Sachs air cooled Panthers for 1972 model year. I’ve owned three over the years. You don’t buy a 303 for racing big iron, you buy it for the head stopping ability when you flip the hood open. Like all old sleds they can be fickle and they have quirks. But when you get it running right on a day like this it’s a blast.

[@Endo-TAC]

Engine sounds so beautiful I wanna make a rally quad out of it.

[@PowerModzOfficial]

It is cool right!

[@billallen4793]

What is a rally quad?...from Wyoming USA 🇺🇸 👋🤠

[@user-gp1og6fn8k]

That's awesome, thing doesn't quit! Another great video as always Louis, thanks for sharing.

[@PowerModzOfficial]

Thanks for watching!

[@raydreamer7566]

I can hear your Ski-doos motors bogging out from lack of RPMs . The snow is never to deep for an Elan. After installing a new motor clutch spring knock out the split pin on the secondary clutch plate and put 1 to 2 complete turns making the secondary clutch plate spring ( driving the chain) so the clutch spring now has more tension and will help the motor to maintain higher RPMs at lower speeds which will keep those little Elans flying over that deep snow. This is tried and true and works for all of the older Ski-doos . Also keep the clutches lubricated on the motor shaft and the nylon slide pads. I am still stranded in the Philippines now and love watching this video ! ! ! Two thumbs up. The Artic cats do not like deep snow. I have drove one of those Rotary Artic Cats when I was in public school.

[@glenmallory9982]

I’ve driven my rotary thru a blizzard dump of four feet of powder about 1998. I had to get up my dad’s driveway that hadn’t been plowed to get to home. She was all restored, new big carb kit, fresh clutching, new track. New old stock ice stud kit. I just pinned the throttle and let her roar. Breaking trail all the way. No problem. 25mph throwing a rooster tail out the back.i had tears I was laughing so hard. Felt like 1972 all over again. Torque! Light weight. Big footprint. Wish I had never sold it.

[@glenmallory9982]

Ps and Ray. We used to spank The SkiDoos daily hill climbing in the Appalachians with these. Not fast, but she’d walk up a tree. This model and the older 300 and 372cc single Hirths. All torque, light, bigger footprint than the skidoos.

[@billallen4793]

​@@glenmallory9982there's a local fella who's got a 72 Panther 303 that looks good and runs well for $800.00 if you want to reminisce when you've got some snow!..from Wyoming USA 🇺🇸 👋🤠

[@sledhead78]

She's a unit lads, imagine what a little turbo and moon tune could do!

[@frankfenton9714]

I had a 72 with the 399 Kohler . Great machines. Called mine the Ark.

[@thehaze1972]

72.... Damn, I'm getting old...

[@PowerModzOfficial]

lol I hear ya

[@trustyetman1678]

Most World War One aircraft had radial engines which is cylinders arranged in a circle around a crankshaft ,whereas this is a rotary which has a triangular rotor on a crankshaft.

[@PowerModzOfficial]

Yes very true, radial engines.

[@MrNota500]

I was going to say the same thing when he said that. Its more like the RX-7 of sleds. Twin turbo time, lol.

[@OilHist]

Thanks for explaining this to the young guys. Here's the old Mazda commercial kzbin.info/www/bejne/pXndlnp7fbyAoNE

[@the4thj]

oooOOOWW! There are some old machines that were truly fun, when he took off I could truly feel that. But, there is now way I would ever do a 100 miles on those. lol!

[@glenholmgren1218]

You wouldn't have to worry about it. None of them could get close to that

[@johnoehrlein8379]

We had one when I was in hs. Along with the 399 puma, liking to get another rxl 650.

[@possibleproblem479]

used to have an old artic cat jag and that was a blast. stepmom sold it of course after i moved out but it was fun while it lasted

[@lexstantinople1st791]

Putting that “little yellow bomber” to work bud! Cool to see the old sleds out in some pow. You looked like you was on a snow cross corse there for minute. Impressive! 🙌

[@PowerModzOfficial]

LOL, they should make Elan snow cross course!

[@joshmatthiesen4552]

Louie I need some PowerModz stickers for my Arctic Cat haha. And to learn to hang on i got thrown off on Saturday. I hurt bad, but nothing is broken haha.

[@PowerModzOfficial]

lol, stickers coming this summer.

[@tomchrisfield7348]

The Wankels had that, Thud-Thud-Thud idle. Back when snowmobiles were the Wild-Wild- West.

[@OilHist]

That old Cat sure handles the deep snow and is way more stable than those Ski Doos!

[@PowerModzOfficial]

Sure does!

[@aydenbruce1830]

you could probably put a 13b from an rx7 in this with enough clearancing

[@Ethan-ck6iz]

Somebody needs to 20b swap one of these 🤣

[@aydenbruce1830]

@@Ethan-ck6iz that would be insane

[@reesewilliamson3346]

I'm actually working on a 12a swapped panther myself lmao

[@aydenbruce1830]

@@reesewilliamson3346 that’s pretty cool

[@reesewilliamson3346]

@@aydenbruce1830 13b's are fuel injected which means you need a battery and a lot of electrical bullshit you don't have room for, whereas a 12a is carbureted so it only takes 2 wires to run.

[@rtaskidoo14]

Yes you brought back my favorite intro!!!!

[@b01tact10n]

That is crazy I heard of those wankels. That's pretty awesome sounding, and doesn't seem to bog out in that nice fluff I like that Elan.

[@Ticdaniel]

Seems you got the same snow as we have in sweden. Just powder straight thrue. I have an Elan myself (Tundra550LT) 😝😝

[@PowerModzOfficial]

Nice - snow is great!

[@glenholmgren1218]

Tundra 550 LT is FAR beefier than any elan!

[@Ticdaniel]

@@glenholmgren1218 yeah but its a modern elan 😜🤣

[@nybergsgarage]

I almost bought one of these once. Wish now I had. Very neat sled!

[@billallen4793]

There's a local guy who's got a 72 Panther 303, LQQk's and runs good, he wants $800.00 for it!...from Wyoming USA 🇺🇸 👋🤠

[@billallen4793]

I was building a rotary engine bike 🏍 for a run at 200mph at Bonneville when I got hurt 👨‍🦽 in 2003! I was adding a Garrett turbocharger and probably a squirt of giggle-gas to reach my goal! I still have 95% of my projects that I was working on! I have a hard time getting rid of stuff nowadays!...lol...from Wyoming USA 🇺🇸 👋🤠

[@heatherlozar2167]

I have a 1976 panther 5000 I’m twelve I love it

[@fouledplugsbluesmokegarage6585]

I have 3 rotary 295 km 24 Sachs Wankel engines. I have a 1973 skiroule rtw 300 Sachs Wankel sled that I’m fixing up soon so at least I have a couple engines to chose from. I think 2 of those 295 engines came from Arctic cats and the one came from my skiroule.

[@willyodell7802]

I rode with a buddy in the 70's that had the 303 Panther and it sounded similar to this, but much quieter. Does this one have a modified exhaust? I was on a 634 Rupp and I would swap sleds with him to warm up with the bright glowing red muffler under the hood.

[@robertbloomquist1843]

Fun fun fun I have had a few of the 303 sacks… ride at night… exhaust system from case to muffler CHERRY RED 😂😂 under hood is brighter than the head light….

[@PowerModzOfficial]

Oh ya we will try that!

[@welderteach]

I’ve been looking for one of those rotory cats for a while. Hard to find

[@ColdStoneRacing]

Hell Yeah!

[@thehaloguy9381]

Nice sounding hot cam in that thing.

[@PowerModzOfficial]

lol

[@ramsay4804]

Friend of mine had a old Evinrude with a rotary in it....for a big sled that thing was fast lol

[@glenmallory9982]

Panther rotaries weigh about 350 to 375 pounds dry. We sold them new. Now get that tunnel packed full of wet snow, yep. More like 500. You had to know how to set Cats up to work right back then. We had less problems with them than most 1972 era. However jump ahead six years and ill admit the Jags and Tigers were a lot more durable.

[@tritowns]

Just awesome

[@quincee3376]

Cool video!

[@PowerModzOfficial]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@111dr.kotovski7]

72-помню как сейчас,я родился в 71

[@riders.oregon4474]

My neighbor had one that would back fire a few seconds after you shut it off . Make you jump every time.

[@nilsbondaltveiten7828]

Were goin on a trip in our favorite rocket ship😂😂😂

[@nilsbondaltveiten7828]

Awesome sled tho🤠👌😊

[@mgcbesterclan925]

Ya baby were waiting for you on A group

[@PowerModzOfficial]

lol, awesome! I might be back....!

[@scottmacleod6301]

I had an opportunity to buy one of those in the early 80s from a guy up the road and I wish I had this is only the third or fourth I've ever seen. Also swampsiders club in Bigfork MN has a Yamaha 643 or maybe 633 can't remember but it has a tourqe converter instead of the secondary and primary I always thought that was kinda interesting.

[@PowerModzOfficial]

So many opportunities passed up over the years right...

[@inquisitive980]

Had a 303. Best description would be a “slow boat from China”

[@chrisbushnell2378]

You should put a 1” track on yellow bomber!

[@chrisbushnell2378]

335?

[@Basdator]

was this bought from junkyarddigs?

[@2StrokeSmoke544]

Man I thought the same thing. Except this one runs better haha

[@Basdator]

@@2StrokeSmoke544 haha way better 🤣

[@pfleeger2010]

I wondered the same thing. First thing I looked for was the nitrile glove fuel pump diaphragm.

[@Basdator]

@@pfleeger2010 haha yea looks like it was missing or fixed :D

[@MCscarfacematt]

So where can I find a sled rotors to put in a golf cart?

[@davidmackenzie5403]

Siiroule sled had the same Sach engine in 1973

[@zxify-vibes6243]

That sleds mint

[@PowerModzOfficial]

Its very good for sure

[@419gates]

Was that a pistol I saw on your hip? If so, I didn't know you were a trapper. Very cool.

[@ctg6734]

So much fun!

[@georgef1176]

Hey Louie!! It’s called Dorito power

[@timmccomish1531]

Anywhere I can find parts for a 73 295 wankel? I just got my uncles running for the first time in 40 years

[@pseudocoder78]

2:40 "World War I"-era bi-planes, and many other early aircraft, use Radial engines, not Rotary engines. Radial engines use conventional cylindrical pistons arranged in a radial pattern symmetric around the crankshaft. To quote wikipedia, "The radial aircraft engines provided greater power-to-weight ratios and were more reliable than conventional inline vehicle engines available at the time."

[@PowerModzOfficial]

Yes I know - Im a pilot and have flown radials - it just reminds me of these old birds: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iIu4coKEj8uXmZY

[@pseudocoder78]

@@PowerModzOfficial old? check. slow? check. noisy? check. cool as heck? you betcha! OK I see the similarity.

[@TheCrookHook]

Just about done rebuilding my 1978 Olympique 340. Everything is installed but she dies as soon as I touch the throttle. Starts great, if I nail it & prime it she'll scream n go like a b... Once I let off the gas she dies. I rebuilt the fuel pump using your videos as well. New vacuum hose... Mikuni carb, 200 main jet, 20 pilot jet, washer is on 3rd notch of the metering rod... Any thoughts?

[@charliebailey2359]

Very cool!!

[@2007dalin]

you should mount a 600 or even a 550 fan cooled modern engine in those things.. could be fun

[@Tommytempo1990]

Mint

[@gillyOO7]

My dad had the artic cat wankel Did you buy it in Cedarburg by chance. If you run it wide open w the dash circle emblems removed you can see the exhaust pipe red hot when you run it wide open about 45 mph max

[@PowerModzOfficial]

Not sure where he got it.

[@likestowatch100]

There ain’t no deal, like a snowmobile…

[@PowerModzOfficial]

You bet!

[@Darkseb22t]

Nice wankel,almolt got one 2 month ago but it’s seem’s underpowered…cheers from Québec!

[@PowerModzOfficial]

Thanks for watching!

[@johnfarias7230]

I was wondering if anybody has any idea why my engine has absolutely great compression and I do have a little spark doesn't seem that strong I hooked up a drill so I can crank crank and crank but yet not even the littlest bit of starting it's like the spark plug is not even sparking inside the engine but when I take it out it's Sparks

[@williamconklin9882]

Deep? A bit maybe but biggest problem it's an Arctic Cat from way back...heaviest machines back then...other problem it's a rotary engine P.O.S.!! An old friend had one in '72...TOTAL JUNK!🤣 Give me a Ski Doo or a Sno Jet any day!!

[@glenmallory9982]

Just takes patience. I’ve had several and they aren’t that heavy. We sold a lot and never lost to skidoos.

[@glenholmgren1218]

What was the 3rd sled - a Scorpion?

[@PowerModzOfficial]

Elan!

[@murraytichborne9903]

sounding like a world war 1 airplane

[@jeromefarrar4476]

I'm surprised that you don't have a rotary sled of some sort!!

[@PowerModzOfficial]

lol, because I Don't have room for any more sleds!

[@jeromefarrar4476]

@@PowerModzOfficial that's reasonable...but rotaries are so much fun! My dad has an old lynx II with the 294 Sachs. I have an RX-8 and a spare engine that I'm looking for a project to use it for.

[@camdenbarker5522]

You guys gonna get a new mach z?

[@darryld9719]

Got a 1970 I’m restoring.....

[@WattersZ]

I saw one for $75, it sold on marketplace, then a few weeks later i see one for $400

[@fiberfritz8354]

A Kitty Wankel !

[@jaredwilley8311]

What are you packing Skebo?

[@PowerModzOfficial]

Lighter for fires...bit of a joke for my buds

[@jaredwilley8311]

@@PowerModzOfficial savage!

[@durangointhebush7251]

Only on a real sled you have to lift the hood to start the engine

[@rickstevenmarchetti5425]

Had a 1969 Arctic Scrapt Panther with the Wankel engine. This sled was a piece of shit. Constantly in the shop. Weighed a ton and when it got stuck it was stuck.

[@ericlandry7520]

You ain't snowmobiling if your coat doesn't smell like gas.

[@PowerModzOfficial]

Darn right!

[@ericlandry7520]

The best intro out their

[@96Duelfuel]

Goes pretty good. #Biplane

[@upnorthvlogs]

This his first time on a snowmobile then he biffs classic 😂

[@acdatz6222]

17" track

[@PowerModzOfficial]

I figured it was something like that thanks.

[@tenlittleindians]

I get it that you were trying to compare the engine to a rotary biplane engine of the WW1 era but your off by a country mile. The Wankel is a rotary piston engine and those engines you referenced are rotary crankcase engines. There's really no comparison. A WW1 rotary crankcase engine is much closer to the later WW2 radial aircraft engines. Both of those aircraft engines had the cylinders sprouting out from the center in a radial pattern. The difference was the WW1 version mounted the crankshaft directly to the airplanes firewall and the crankcase spun around the crankshaft with the propeller mounted on the crankcase. The later engines switched to mounting the crankcase to the firewall and put the propeller on the crankshaft. One spins the inside of the engine and the other spins the outside of the engine. To get your snowmobile engine closer to the WW1 rotary radial engine you would mount the crankshaft to the snowmobile and mount the drive belt around the outside of the crankcase which would then be the spinning part of the engine. I suppose someone could make an engine case with a pulley shape on it's outside to do just that and we would both click on a link to watch it run. They switched from spinning the outside of the motor to spinning the inside for several reasons. It's easier to get fuel into a non spinning crankcase and also easier to figure out how to get the exhaust out of a non spinning engine. They also learned they could spin the inside of the engine faster than they could spin the outside because it was lighter and wasn't constantly trying to throw the jugs off the motor from centrifugal forces. Those early rotary radial aircraft engines had so much spinning mass that they created a huge amount of torque that effected flight. It was easier to turn in one direction than the other because of this torque. The enemy soon figured this out and could predict which direction an enemy airplane was more likely to turn and how sharp that turn might be and could get ready to shoot them down. Those early aircraft engines didn't use the kind of oils we use today in 2 stroke engines, they used castor oil. They chose this oil because it didn't burn with the fuel like our modern day 2 stroke oils. since it didn't burn is was better at lubricating the motor. They still use it today in those old motors. The castor oil engines don't smoke like modern 2 strokes because the oil doesn't burn. Have you heard about grandmother's giving their constipated grand children a spoonful of castor oil to fix their constipation? It worked! Those WW1 pilots were breathing in the castor oil as it was being expelled from their engines and it coated their airplanes and their clothes. They often crapped their pants before their mission was over and they were back on the ground. It was a side effect of breathing in so much castor oil while flying for extended periods. They learned to empty before they left the ground if possible and not to eat the night before. Another fact: Many model aircraft engines also use castor oil in their fuels. We always kept a supply of rags handy to wipe the castor oil off our airplanes after a flight. There's a very distinct smell when running a model engine that has castor oil in it's formula.

[@jtothefx]

Minty machine

[@whiskeybuilder6335]

Gentlemen, I have found an old cheetah that is a little rough but is definitely a 295 rotary. All original! I don't know what's it's worth but it would seem they are rare. Can someone tell me what I should do with this thing? It should go to someone that knows how to restore it. It shows 2775 on the odometer. Someone rescue this thing before its gone!

[@glenmallory9982]

The hard part is engine parts for the 24 hp 295 version are harder to get than the older 303. I’ve always wanted the last year rotary cheetah but unless the engine is mint it’s a money pit. They made so many 3O3s that you can usually find a good used engine somewhere. Even though the 295 is faster..

[@different2261]

"wankel or wenkle" "🦆kel"

[@andrews2203]

She’s wide open

[@PowerModzOfficial]

GIVIN ER

[@webwait316]

Love it!