#Wildcat1000

We’ve been lucky enough to flog the Arctic Cat Wildcat on some gnarly desert terrain, but not everybody has had the opportunity. If you want to get behind the wheel of this four-wheeled beast, Arctic Cat is hosting a series of Wildcat demos in Southern California’s Imperial Sand Dunes – aka Glamis.

“The new Drive Evolution Wildcat trailer display will be the epicenter of demo ride opportunities, as well as a place where Arctic Cat consumers can relax, and associated aftermarket partners can display their Arctic Cat off-road vehicles and product,” Arctic Cat says in a release.

Arctic Cat is inviting all Side x Side enthusiasts to experience a Wildcat first-hand on the following holiday weekends. More dates will be added in the future.

Something must be in the water in Minnesota. Just a day after Polaris announced its record sales numbers for 2011, Arctic Cat is reporting significant sales growth in its fiscal third quarter.

“We are very pleased with the company’s strong third-quarter and year-to-date performance. Arctic Cat continued to execute well during the quarter, producing double-digit sales and earnings gains,” says Claude Jordan, Arctic Cat’s president and chief executive officer. “Our focus on introducing innovative products and technologies, such as our extensive new snowmobile line-up and the Wildcat sport side-by-side, contributed to the strong third-quarter results and helped generate increased sales across all product lines.”

Jordan has a right to be pleased. Arctic Cat’s net snowmobile, ATV and UTV sales grew 36 percent in the third quarter to $179.6 million, compared to $126.4 million a year ago. Year-to-date sales (nine months ended Dec. 31, 2011) have jumped to $408.4 million, compared to $319.5 million the previous year. Add in Parts, Garments & Accessories and the sales number jumps to $486.8 million, compared to $391.2 million in 2010.

As 2011 comes to a close, the innovative minds at Arctic Cat have introduced four new accessories for the thrilling Wildcat 1000 UTV – a half windshield, spare tire carrier, bumpers, and rear trunk bag were all designed specifically for use in the Wildcat.

Half-Windshield

The all-new Wildcat Half Windshield (P/N 1436-740, US$159.95/C$184.95) from Arctic Cat aerodynamic styling that moves wind up and over the occupants to minimize dust from swirling in the cab. It’s made of polycarbonate, with snap-clamps that offer quick and easy installation or removal.

We in the off-road media are fortunate to get to ride the latest and greatest ATVs and UTVs as soon as they come out. As hard as we try to tell you about our experiences, the best way to get a feel for a machine is to ride it and Arctic Cat is giving you that opportunity with its new Wildcat Demo Tour.

Inspired by the unforgiving terrain of the Baja 1000, engineered to attack the gnarliest obstacles with precision and control, and crafted in America by a company dedicated to performance and quality, Arctic Cat says the all-new Wildcat V-Twin 1000 is the most potent pure-sport recreational off-road vehicle ever built. And now you can take a personal test drive from 9am-5pm at all demo ride locations.

Check out the complete Demo Tour Schedule below the jump. Also, be sure to visit the Wildcat Forum and check out our preview article on the big cat.