The first Lynx snowmobiles were manufactured by Velsa Oy in the town of Kurikka in Finnish Ostrobothnia.
1967 - 1979THE BEGINNINGThe story of Lynx begins in the year 1967 in Kurikka, Finland. |
THE EARLY DAYSThe story of Lynx began in the year 1967 when a bunch of bold and perserverant people started prototyping the first AS50 in Kurikka, Finland. The first Lynx snowmobiles were manufactured by Velsa Oy in the town of Kurikka in Finnish Ostrobothnia. | Retro Lynx Velsa Oy's first snowmobile prototype was finished in 1967. The prototype's design was assigned to engineering office Järvinen by Velsa Oy's managing director Olavi Nordman. | Lynx AS 50 in the trunk of a Trabant ready to embark to Kiimaneva swamplands for testing. In 1969 Veikko Salovaara was racing in Kustavi with his Lynx AS-50. | Finnish minister of trade and industry, Grels Teir, trying out the Lynx40 in 1969. DID YOU KNOW?Off-winter, the first snowmobiles were heavily tested on Kiimaneva bog in Ostrobothnia, Finland, where the conditions were similar to riding in snow. | The front of a Lynx 20.  | DID YOU KNOW?A legend says, that the name Lynx was the idea of a young girl. Gone fishing. | Advertisement from 1970. | Lynx 40 pictured in an owner's manual from 1970.  | ARE YOU PART OF
|   | 70's flair in Jahorina, former Yugoslavia. Popular models from 1974. | The Finnish snow cat! | DID YOU KNOW?In 1977 the 10 000th Lynx snowmobile came out of the production line. Enthusiastic testing and challenging the conditions with the sleds has always been in the DNA of Lynx. | "Robust and made in Finland." | DID YOU KNOW?Lynx was the first in the world to introduce a durable gear wheel transmission in a snowmobile in 1978. Enjoy the view! | The Lynx 30S from 1969 in its natural habitat. |
1979 - 1985THE DEVELOPMENTThe birth of the European sports snowmobile. |
The legendary 635s and 535s can nowadays still be spotted in regular use. That's a sign of trustworthiness and timeless design. DID YOU KNOW?As Valmet bought Velsa Oy, its manufacturing of Lynx snowmobiles was moved to Rovaniemi in Finnish Lapland, where also the Winha sleds had been manufactured. | As the cover says, Winha 550 was strong in pulling stuff in the early 80s! | Lynx accessories from the early 80s. | DID YOU KNOW?The first time Lynx snowmobiles touched the ground of Antarctica happened already in the early 80s.  | GLX Finlandia as presented in a catalogue from 1981. Putting snowmobiles together in Rovaniemi back in the early 80s. | LYNX MILESTONE
The 20 001st Lynx snowmobile was handed over to the Finnish Border Guard on October 20th 1982. | Winha GLX 5900 pictured in a catalogue from 1982. Lynx GLX 5900 from 1984. | "Gubbe" DID YOU KNOW?The original Lynx mascot is known as the "Gubbe", meaning something like "the dude" in Swedish. It was created to give Lynx a more human touch and make it easier to approach for riders. | ARE YOU PART OF
| The Legendary Lynx 535 from 1984 Lynx GLS-3300 from 1985. | Juhani “Jussi” Tapio, Esa Kolppanen, Erik Ahmasalo and Pauli Piippola. Lars-Johan Edh, Frode Utsi and Pauli Piippola after a race on March 30th 1985. |
1985 – 1995THE INNOVATIONRevolutionary products have always been in the core of Lynx. |
TROPHIES, INNOVATIONS &
| The number 1 in this picture belongs to Pauli Piippola. | Promotional images of Pauli Piippola riding a GLS 3300. | “For people who like speed and the joy of riding.” DID YOU KNOW?In 1987 Lynx introduced the groundbreaking Syncro gearboxes. The innovation remains unique until this day. | CEO Pekka Ojanen hands over the 40 000th Lynx snowmobile to Metsähallitus. Håkan Stenman and Juhani Sieppi also joined the festivities held in 1987.  | ARE YOU PART OF
| Switch on the headlights and you’re almost ready to jump on the GLX 5900 Syncro. Snowmobile racing in Murmansk, Russia. | Bombardier-Nordtrac factory in Rovaniemi. BOMBARDIER & LYNXTogether with Starckjohann-Telko, Bombardier Inc. bought Nordtrac in 1988. From then on the company manufacturing the Lynx snowmobiles was called Bombardier-Nordtrac and by 1993 it was solely owned by Bombardier. | Lynx has played an important role for many Nordic ski resorts. This picture is from Åre, Sweden and features the GL 3900. Click the camera icon for the full image! The perfect spot for a break! This picture featuring the legendary GLS 3300 was shared by Marko Willig on Facebook. | DID YOU KNOW?The winter of 1989 made the world look at Finland, as the World Ski Championships were held in the city of Lahti. All service duties were taken care of with Lynx sleds. Lynx 250 - shared by Uska Maaninka in Facebook. | The trustworthy utility snowmobile GLX 5900 pictured in a brochure from 1989. | | European Champion Pauli Piippola ready to spray some champagne in 1989. | DID YOU KNOW?Lynx won its first European Championship title in 1989. Besides making slopes for amateur skiers, the Lynx 8000 also was the official sled for the 1991 championships in Saalbach Hinterglemm. | Pekka Ohenoja on the cover of Lynx model year 1991. | How do you like the look of the Lynx Rave designed by Pekka Mannermaa? If you are familiar with the Finlandia-series, you might recognize some elements of it in this Lynx Supra prototype. | Jyri Välikangas riding the Lynx Rave 643. For Lynx Cobra Racing it stated in the brochure: Fast, good riding qualities, durable. | LYNX MILESTONEOn November 28 in 1991, the 65 000th Lynx snowmobile was handed over to Finnish Defence Forces. In the early 90s Lynx Micra was the choice if your kid wanted to ride a snowmobile! | A familiar gesture from Janne Tapio. | In 1991 Lynx brought the new Lynx Telescopic Suspension (LTS) especially designed for utility sleds to the market. UNBELIEVABLE MOMENTS?What’s the most unbelievable story you’ve heard about or involving Lynx snowmobiles? Did someone make a surprise marriage proposal on a sled? Has a Lynx brought you to places you could have ever dreamed of? Be part of the Lynx story and share your memories with #Lynx50 ! |  |
1995 - 2008THE GROWTHInsightful and ambitious professionals and snowmobile enthusiasts |
GROWTH ON MANY LEVELSThe growth of Lynx runs on many levels during this time period. There are of course the growing number of victories on race tracks and the amount of snowmobiles manufactured. But when talking about growth, Lynx has always kept the coming generations in mind.  | The colors of 1995. | Lynx Cobra from 1996 DID YOU KNOW?In the mid 90s Lynx developed a snowmobile for the North American market based on the legendary 5900. The model was exported by the name Skandic WT.
| Cobra Grand Touring from 1996 - still looking good on the trails. | ARE YOU PART OF
| Lars-Johan Edh going BIG on his G-Type Lynx Rave 670 Big Pipe. Lynx Ultra from 1996. | Jyri Välikangas representing the April of 1996 on a Lynx Ultra. | Our former Lynx champion Emil Öhman has put down 300 hours of work to restore this race sled that belonged to another Lynx champion Janne Tapio! This is a handmade Lynx Cobra -96 with a Rotax 747cc Totaltek engine. Photo: Anders Westergren All the major parts in this sled are the same as back in -96 when it was out on the race track, and Janne has helped Emil to find the last parts that were missing! Photo: Anders Westergren | LEGEND OF THE LEGENDS?Who's the most legendary rider in your opinion? #Lynx50 It must feel like welcoming a new member to the family! @andrsjod shared this photo of his “new” 1997 Lynx Rave 150 on Instagram. Thanks! | Toni Haikonen a.k.a. The Flying Finn doing his thing on G-Type Rave 670 Big Pipe. Lynx G-Type Enduro modified for drag racing. | The fells became easy accessible with these Lynx Light Touring and Sport XR sleds as pictured in the 1997 Lineup Catalogue. | DID YOU KNOW?Lynx was the official provider of maintenance sleds for the Trondheim Nordic World Ski Championships in 1997. Lynx 6900 pulling a snow gun. |  Rave 670 Big Pipe. | The message on the back cover of the 1998 lineup catalogue. Don't forget it! LYNX MILESTONEThe 100 000th Lynx snowmobile was handed over to Mr. Santa Claus on March 14 in 1998. |  | Lars-Johan Edh representing Lynx on the cover of Swedish Snöskoter magazine in 1999. | There's no stopping for testing even if it's summer! Jyri Välikangas was testing the endurance of the track on asphalt in the summer of 1999. JANNE TAPIOJanne Tapio has been one of the most successful snowmobile riders of all time. World Champion 2004 & 2005World Cup Champion 2002 & 2003European Champion 1995, 1996, 1999 & 2000Nordic Champion 1995, 1996, 2001, 2002, 2003 & 2004
| The champ leading the way with the Lynx Rave G-Type. Janne Tapio with the nr. 1. | Janne Tapio on the podium at Kärcher Grand Prix 1999 in Levi, Finland. | LYNX MILESTONELynx snowmobile number 150 000 came out of the manufacturing line at the Rovaniemi factory on October 29th 2003. | The 150 000th Lynx, a Lynx Enduro moving through the Rovaniemi factory. The employees at the factory celebrating the milestone. Do you recognize familiar faces? Tag your story with #Lynx50! | Lynx Ranger Mountain EVO from 2003. This time period truly showed how the entire snowmobile business was evolving. What ever your style of riding is, there's a Lynx for you. | Lynx 59 Yeti V-1000 as the cover of 2004. | If there's no snow, then you might get the feeling of riding a snowmobile on a go-kart track if you modifiy the car a little bit! Here's Jyri Välikangas with a Lynx Cobra go-kart in 2004. | In the beginning, the Lynx sleds were tested on Osthrobothnian swamps and bogs. In 2004 the Lynx Forest Fox respected this tradition. | The revolutionary Pauli Piippola suspension (PPS) was introduced in 2006. Here you can see the cooperation of generations with Pauli Piippola himself and Janne Tapio approving the innovation. | The Lynx Yeti model has been spotted on Antarctica several times. This one is from 2006. Janne Tapio riding an R-EVO based model in 2007-2008. | Lynx Rave lineup from 2007. | Lynx Yeti is a well-known workhorse for many reasons. Lynx Adventure V800s lined up in the mountains. | The Lynx sleds are widely used in the army and on border missions. |
2008 AND BEYONDTHE PRESENT & THE FUTUREWhat does Lynx represent today? |
Lynx moved to new facilities in Rovaniemi in 2008 to further build the most exciting snowmobiles that will help riders beat extreme conditions. DID YOU KNOW?The imaginary town called Lynx Valley, known from various advertisements and films, is actually located in Övertorneå, Sweden. | OPEN CALLDid you ride a Lynx from 2012 to 2014? Do you own a sled from that time period? If so, don't hesitate to send us your pictures including the background stories - they might be featured here on the Lynx history timeline! #Lynx50 Welcome to Lynx Valley! Established in 1967, with 1504 inhabitants and 3459 snowmobiles, it's the only place on earth where it's always winter! | A day in January on top of Luosto fell in Finland was so cold, the rider shortly used the engine of his Lynx Rave from 2008 to keep his hands warm. Shared by Mikko Huuskonen on Facebook. The Lynx X-trim 550F from 2008 took the father and son to explore the Swedish mountains. Shared by Kristoffer Grennberger on Facebook. | Thanks to Peter Larsson for sharing this photo on Facebook of him riding a Lynx RE800 in March 2009! Kimmo Kaltiokumpu told us on Facebook, that he created his on “powder machine” in 2009 based on the Lynx RS 600. The modified sled featured a Rotax 800 HO engine, 64mm 154” track, reverse etc. That’s enthusiasm! | Lynx Xtrim Commander crossover sled from 2009 enjoying the last rays of sunlight in the wilderness. | “This is where it all started!”, Lynx community member Aki Hautaniemi revealed on Facebook. The Lynx RE Powertek from 2010 seems to be pretty fast! Let’s have a little race! Thanks for sharing this moment on your 2010 RS 600, Fredrik Eriksson! | DID YOU KNOW?The Adventure LX 600 ACE model quickly became one of the best selling safari snowmobiles after its introduction in 2011. Lynx Adventure LX 600 ACE from 2011. | Janne Jurvelin representing Team Lynx at Ivalo Snowcross in 2011. | Petter Nårsa flying high at the Mäntyvaara track in Rovaniemi. The occasion was the Snowstar Super Snowcross in 2011. Emil Öhman going for the win at the world championships in Tuuri back in 2011. It was the seventh world title for Lynx. | The Team Lynx has offered a great platform for talents. The technology combined with the Lynx attitude has brought in a multitude of titles and places on the podium. Who's your all-time favorite Lynx rider? #Lynx50 The first Lynx Commander of model year 2012 in the center of attention amidst the BRP Lynx factory employees. | | Enjoy the view. Thanks for sharing this Lynx moment on Facebook, Kimmo Koskenniemi! Lynx Xtrim shared on Facebook by Jani Nissinen! |  | When you take the young ones with you, they'll definitely remember it for a long time. Dan Rogers going wild with his Boondocker in 2014! | Freeride legend Dan Rogers. | The Lynx Boondocker sighted in 2014. Just like it should be. | | Emil Öhman's last race in the Swedish Championships 2015 in Arvidsjaur. How does a champ end a race? On the podium and in the center spot of course. | LYNX ADVENTURE?In 2015 Lynx introduced a new way of marketing communications by creating the Lynx Adventure concept. It is in the brand’s core to push the limits and challenge the status quo of the entire industry by putting the sleds to ultimate tests in the most challenging conditions and environments. Check out what the Adventure is all about: | In the first Lynx Adventure Sami Päivike and Martin Wickert rode the 1000km journey from Rovaniemi to Mehamn on the Arctic Sea. | DID YOU KNOW?The Lynx snowmobile #333 333was built on November 17th, 2015 in Rovaniemi, Finland. | FUTURE DESIGNSIn 2015 the second edition of BRP’s Design Competition focused on the millennial generation and challenged students of the University of Lapland’s Faculty of Arts & Design to shift existing snowmobile paradigms to become more attractive for younger snowmobile users. | The design proposal of Heikki Herranen, winner of the 2015 Design Competition. | Minna Silvennoinen's competition entry called "MOD". "Lynx Light" - Design entry by Rikumatti Jurmu. | HUNGRY FOR MORE VIDEOS?Lynx's YouTube channel has hours of exclusive Lynx material and features the latest and the greatest. To stay up to date with Lynx on film, don't hesitate to subscribe, rate and comment on the videos! | Sami Päivike and Arto Jauhiainen crossing the finishing line at Cain's Quest in 2016. They were the first European team to embark on the journey, held as the toughest and longest endurance race of the all. | Lynx 69 Ranger. Made for the toughest jobs in the snow. | Lynx’s own clothing lines represent the lifestyle of a rider, whether on the snowmobile seat or in spare time. | In 2017 Pata Degerman and his crew took on the major challenge of Lynx Adventure on Antarctica. Did you know that there's a mountain named after Lynx? It's on Antarctica ( S 71°43.216 E 010° 37.484 ) and rises 2053 meters above sea level. | The Lynx Club of 2017 was special in many ways. The new models were revealed and Tobias Hellström and Jyri Keskiaho offered the crowd quite a show with Keskiaho doing a backflip on the new Lynx sled. ARE YOU PART OF
| RADIENIn 2017 Lynx introduced the revolutionary Radien platform. The radical mass centralization is base for a solid riding experience and the bevelled tunnel together with a slim seat and gas tank provides a comfortable riding position and easy movement on the sled. The Radien platform - ready to elevate your riding experience to another level. | The attention to detail is key, whether you build sleds in the factory or at home with Lego bricks like Robin Moén did! Thanks for sharing the end result with us! The feeling of heading home with a new sled shared on Instagram with #Lynx50 by @jonaxelkarner |
IT'S IN YOUR DNAThis is the time our kids will tell their kids about when they reminisce over the past. Make the best out of it and go for a ride. It's in your DNA. |
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