In December of 1967, Ski-Doo distributors received a bulletin regarding the Rotax 600cc engine. The bulletin stated that in the near future a limited number of Rotax 600cc engines will be available. It also stated that it was very important that the gear ratio be set up so that the 600cc engine would not turn higher than 6000 rpm's. Under no circumstances should the engine be allowed to rev. up to more than 7000 rpm's. Even if 6000 rpm's seems conservative, if you consider the actual torque curve of the 600 cc there would be no need to set the speed higher than 6000 rpm's. At first it was thought that they would just receive the engine and would install it in the chassis of there choice. The 600cc vertical twin was the first engine Rotax designed especially for Ski-Doo.
In a letter shortly there after, Ski-Doo set condition's of sale for the 1968 600cc race Ski-Doo's. The letter also noted that they will be shipped complete with engines. The letter quoted wholesale and retail prices for the 600 but never referred to the model as a T'NT. Bombardier was concerned about keeping the new machine out of the hands of the competition and the letter dictated the conditions. One condition was that "The dealer may only sell the 600cc to a retail customer for the duration of a race and the machine must be resold and returned to the dealer at the end of the race. This condition is to keep the 600 cc Rotax engines away from competitive manufacturers."
The earliest printed document that referred to this 600 was a parts supplement dated January 1968. This parts list refers to the machine as the "Track N'Trail-600."
T'NT stood for Track N'Trail, it described what Bombardier wanted the model to do, compete on the racetrack and be a fully equipped, hot performer on the trail. The introduction of the T'NT with the 600 could have not been more successful, as it dominated the unlimited class across North America. You had to be a recognized racer to climb aboard one, however, for only 125 of them were made!
The timing for the formal introduction of the T'NT series couldn't have been better planned. Snowmobile racing was growing faster than anyone could imagined and the T'NT 600's impressive showing in 1968, including winning the Eagle River World's Championship, had the new T'NT line sold out before the 1968-1969 snowmobile season arrived.
The T'NT legacy came to an end with the end of the 1978 model year. In its wake were some monumental advances in snowmobile technology and thousands of wins on the oval and cross country race tracks. Many concepts first presented on the T'NT models live on today. Eleven years of T'NT models produced a lot of "First"!
| 1968 T'NT | 1969 T'NT | 1970 T'NT | 1971 T'NT |
| 1972 T'NT | 1973 T'NT | 1974 T'NT | 1975 T'NT |
| 1976 T'NT | 1977 T'NT | 1978 T'NT |
| Click here for a parts break down for each year |
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