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March 2026 35 division of Armco Steel in Ohio, which then moved Chaparral opera ons to an updated manufacturing facility in Denver, Colorado. With Armco's resourc- es behind them, Chaparral really took off, even- tually producing and selling more than 65,000 of their snowmobiles between 1970 and 1974 alone. Their mini-cycle lineup was introduced in 1968 and consisted of three primary models. Base product was the T-172, which featured a Tecum- seh 4-stroke engine, centrifugal clutch drive, and 15" wheels. Their "larger" machines were the T/ ST80 and T/ST100, both equipped with two-stroke, Fuji engines. The ST (Street Trail) models featured lights and were street-legal in some states, while the T (Trail) versions were the same bikes with- out the ligh ng setup. The 80's ran 16" wheels front and rear, while the 100's u lized a 16" in the rear and 18" up front. Both the T's and ST's came equipped with knobby res, and their Fuji engines featured 4-speed transmissions and primary kick. The 80's weighed 140 pounds, were rated at 7 hp, and revved to 7,000rpm. The 100s came in at 150 pounds, produced 8.5 hp, and could rev to 8000 rpm. Suggested retail prices were $385 and $399, respec vely. Despite their basic design and spindly suspension components, the Chaparrals' Fuji engines per- formed well. The li le bikes became quite popular, with dealers opening up and/or adding Chaparral products to their lineups, all over the U.S. With races dedicated to mini-cycles also becoming pop- ular during this period, 2- me State and Na onal Mini Cycle Champion Jackie Irons won the inaugu- ral World Mini Cycle Grand Prix aboard a Chapar- ral. Both Chaparral and ARMCO worked hard to pro- duce and market their products into the 1970's, with ARMCO expanding into six-wheel ATVs and recrea onal vehicles, while Chaparral began devel- oping full-size motorcycles, with prototype models under development in 125, 175, and 250cc dis- placements. Unfortunately, despite these efforts, a combina on of low profits, the absence of snow na onwide, which contributed to a decline in snowmobile sales, and the era's energy crisis led to Chaparral discon nuing all produc on as of Feb- ruary 1974. Chaparral was then sold to IMEX INC, which moved the company to Brainard, Minneso- ta. IMEX managed to keep things going un l 1976, when they too closed up.