This B7 is powered by a Ford Flathead V8 with a swept capacity of 221 cu. It benefits from an older restoration and the woodwork all presents well – most original B7s haven’t survived to the rigors of their environment and the challenging jobs they were frequently asked to do. The 1940 Bombardier B7 you see here is a rare surviving example, largely thanks to the fact that it spent many years of its life in a museum. Today the aerospace division is a separate entity, however it remains one of the largest manufacturers of business and private jets in the world. Over the course of the company’s history it would produce everything from trains and planes to jet skis, snowmobiles, and motorcycles. Led by Joseph-Armand Bombardier the company began to pivot, in the early 1950s a new kind of personal snow vehicle was created by Bombardier to replace sleds with dogs – they called it the Ski-Dog but due to a mix up at the printshop creating the first brochures the vehicle became known as the “Ski-Doo.” In 1948 disaster struck for Bombardier when the Quebec government began clearing snow from secondary roads, this meant that many people no longer needed a snow-capable vehicle during winter and orders dropped off a cliff.Ībove Image: Joseph-Armand Bombardier with an early B7 – Image courtesy of the J. These were boom times for the company and even the outbreak of World War II hasn’t stopped production – customers just needed to prove to the government why they needed a snow vehicle. Soon the B7 was joined by the B12, a similar vehicle able to carry 12. The vehicles proved reliable and capable of tackling terrain that was sometimes impassable even on foot, as a result the demand for them was strong and the first Bombardier factory was established in 1940. The key to the success of the B7 was its clever tracked rear and its interchangeable front end – you could attach either wheels or skis depending on the surfaces you expected to encounter.ĭue to the weight of steel it was decided to build the bodies from nature’s carbon composite, otherwise known as wood, which would provide a cabin structure without being excessively heavy. His first design was completed in 1935 and patented shortly thereafter, he called it the Bombardier B7 because it could carry seven people including the driver. Joseph-Armand was heartbroken by this loss, upon realizing it was a tragically common event, particularly for people in more remote Canadian communities, he set about creating a vehicle that would “float on snow” – allowing freedom of movement all year long. The Bombardier B7 was designed by mechanic and self-taught engineer Joseph-Armand Bombardier after his 2 year old son Yvon died during the winter because no vehicles could traverse the snow and get him to hospital. In addition, ACI operates FBOs and charters and manages aircraft from three other California locations: Orange County, Paso Robles, and Oceano.It’s not everyday you get the chance to buy a restored Bombardier B7, these were the world’s first dedicated production “snow coaches” able to carry groups of people, and this one is powered by a 221 cu. “The addition of a parts depot featuring the most common and mission-critical parts and components for Bombardier aircraft means that their customers have a much wider net of support.” “Bombardier’s support network on the West Coast has grown to include full-service light and medium line maintenance and inspections through ACI Jet’s authorized service ,” said ACI senior v-p of maintenance Dave Jensen. The facility, which has more than 3,000 part numbers in stock, will serve Bombardier Global and Challenger owners and operators.ĪCI's parts depot complements its Bombardier-authorized service facility at SBP, where it also maintains an FBO and aircraft charter/management base. With a more than $1 million investment in parts inventory, along with additional stock inventoried by Bombardier Aviation, California-based ACI Jet has opened a 5,000-sq-ft parts depot at its San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport (SBP) headquarters.

Bombardier parts