I remember a time back in late 1976, or early 1977, these 2 knuckleheads were in a bar on Wixom Lake, Michigan, talking loudly about how fast their new Z El Tigres were. A third guy heard them talking and debating which was faster, who was fastest, etc. 3rd guy speaks up and says he's got a Mercury that would kick both their asses. 1 thing led to another, and the first 2 guys with the Cat's got their helmets on,, and were out the door, already out on the lake trying to outdo each other. What happened next actually made me feel a little sorry for the loudmouth's. The 3rd guy, the one with the Mercury? He took that 440 Twister out there and absolutely skinned those 2 Cats' asses!!! After the 2nd or 3rd race, the Cat dudes just kept going, and didn't come back inside. Musta went home. Never saw any single snowmobile stand out so far from the others before, or since. Absolutely no comparison. Like an 800 triple of recent years racing a 440 twin. Just flat out ran away from those cats......
Used to race against a lot of these Mercs and they were fast! Had a couple of 76' Alouette Super Brutes. a 250 and 440. These were the same as the Rupp Magnums only re -badged as an Alouette. Very low production compared to the Mercs and Rupps and they weighed about 320 lbs also. The Mercs had a higher rpm which made them a bit faster coming off the turn. My 440 was rated at 88 hp (factory rated) tach only,lift off lightweight hood,no windshield,lightweight alum shorty ski's, light weight alum. frame with glass belly pan, etc. just like the Mercs. This is an AWESOME example of a 76' Sno Twister!!!!! Beautiful machine!!!!!
In the early 80's I had picked up a nearly mint '76 Sno Twister for $500. I only took it for a few rips on packed trails, and then traded it for a buddy's '74 'Cuda, which needed a bit of work. I never did get the 'Cuda on the road, and ended up selling it for $400. And what a shame, because either of them would have been worth having today. On a good note, my son and I recently picked up a '75 Merc 440SR for free. It ain't no Sno Twister, but it's in pretty good shape. We just filled the metal fuel tank with vinegar and let it sit for a few weeks, to clean out the rust and varnish. We replaced the primer, fuel lines, and did a bit of work on the primary clutch. Everything else is still complete and works fine. We took it out for a rip with my son's '76 Polaris Electra 440 (twin carb) and were both amazed that the single carb Merc was way quicker off the line, and had a lot higher top end speed than the nasty little Polaris. Once we find a proper new belt for the Merc (the one on it is glazed and squawking), I want to take it out with the kid's '80 Kawasaki Intruder 440, which is a lot quicker. That may be an interesting ride
76 snow twister best race sled ever built
We are still winning races on these sleds today
I remember a time back in late 1976, or early 1977, these 2 knuckleheads were in a bar on Wixom Lake, Michigan, talking loudly about how fast their new Z El Tigres were. A third guy heard them talking and debating which was faster, who was fastest, etc. 3rd guy speaks up and says he's got a Mercury that would kick both their asses. 1 thing led to another, and the first 2 guys with the Cat's got their helmets on,, and were out the door, already out on the lake trying to outdo each other. What happened next actually made me feel a little sorry for the loudmouth's. The 3rd guy, the one with the Mercury? He took that 440 Twister out there and absolutely skinned those 2 Cats' asses!!! After the 2nd or 3rd race, the Cat dudes just kept going, and didn't come back inside. Musta went home. Never saw any single snowmobile stand out so far from the others before, or since. Absolutely no comparison. Like an 800 triple of recent years racing a 440 twin. Just flat out ran away from those cats......
My neighbours who own a marina in Ontario raced MERC's. Great sleds! Loved the 440 Free Air Sno-Twister's and 440 fan cooled Trail-Twister's .
This guy this is better drag sled then anything I owned one
superb legendary snowmobile!
Used to race against a lot of these Mercs and they were fast! Had a couple of 76' Alouette Super Brutes. a 250 and 440. These were the same as the Rupp Magnums only re -badged as an Alouette. Very low production compared to the Mercs and Rupps and they weighed about 320 lbs also. The Mercs had a higher rpm which made them a bit faster coming off the turn. My 440 was rated at 88 hp (factory rated) tach only,lift off lightweight hood,no windshield,lightweight alum shorty ski's, light weight alum. frame with glass belly pan, etc. just like the Mercs. This is an AWESOME example of a 76' Sno Twister!!!!! Beautiful machine!!!!!
In the early 80's I had picked up a nearly mint '76 Sno Twister for $500. I only took it for a few rips on packed trails, and then traded it for a buddy's '74 'Cuda, which needed a bit of work. I never did get the 'Cuda on the road, and ended up selling it for $400. And what a shame, because either of them would have been worth having today.
On a good note, my son and I recently picked up a '75 Merc 440SR for free. It ain't no Sno Twister, but it's in pretty good shape. We just filled the metal fuel tank with vinegar and let it sit for a few weeks, to clean out the rust and varnish. We replaced the primer, fuel lines, and did a bit of work on the primary clutch. Everything else is still complete and works fine. We took it out for a rip with my son's '76 Polaris Electra 440 (twin carb) and were both amazed that the single carb Merc was way quicker off the line, and had a lot higher top end speed than the nasty little Polaris. Once we find a proper new belt for the Merc (the one on it is glazed and squawking), I want to take it out with the kid's '80 Kawasaki Intruder 440, which is a lot quicker. That may be an interesting ride
Awesome!
Love the snowtwisters! I could give them a bit of a run with my '78 Blizzard 6500+ 340 LC, but those Mercs were super fast!
Nice sample of these great sleds. Seen them take many checkered flags at the Kawartha cup in Ontario.
The headlight is electric also. They weren’t Mercury engines either. They won so many races due to not much competition.
I've got the 440 version. Still has the crazy handlebars on it. The tach is gone, but it is a running sled.
Fast, yes.
Nothing came close to the 76 SRX ...