The young event “The I.C.E. St. Moritz” showcases automotive classics in an extraordinary setting: A vast array of historic cars will be on show on frozen and snow-covered Lake St. Moritz on 24 and 25 February 2023. On the Friday, the stationary vehicles will be presented to the public and the Concours of Elegance jury in the “Parc Fermé”. They will then do fast laps on the ice on the Saturday.
Mercedes-Benz Classic starts with a C 111-II with V8 engine (1970) and a 300 SLS touring sports car (W 198, 1958). The drivers include former factory driver and current Mercedes-AMG brand ambassador Karl Wendlinger. The brand’s Heritage division is presenting a Mercedes-Benz 600 (W 100, 1963) to mark its sixtieth birthday and also a 300 SL Roadster (W 198, 1958), which will be on sale.
The history of the event goes back to the winter of 1985: At that time, a group of Scots and English discovered the staked-out racecourse on the frozen Lake St. Moritz as a track for their classic Bentleys. After more than 30 years, one of the spectators at the time took up the idea. This led to the successful trial run of “The I.C.E.” with sports cars in 2019. After a hiatus due to the pandemic, the “Ice Revue” has taken place with a full programme since 2022.
The name “The I.C.E.” officially stands for “International Concours of Elegance” and at the same time it refers to the circuit’s ice surface. The track only exists for three months of the year: When Lake St. Moritz has a layer of ice around 50 centimetres thick in winter. The oval course, including a covering of snow, is created on the lake. The venue is used for various events, including the sport of polo. At “The I.C.E.”, the vehicles compete in categories such as “Jetset on Ice”, “Vintage Road Racing”, “Stars on Wheels”, “Barchettas on the Lake” and “Concept Cars”. A winner will be chosen in each of the categories. The Mercedes-Benz C 111-II with V8 engine will compete in the “Concept Cars” class and the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLS (“Super Light Sport”) in the “Barchettas” class.
Karl Wendlinger born 20 December 1968 in Kufstein, Austria.
Mercedes-Benz Classic is happy to entrust the former racing driver with exclusive models from its collection of around 1,000 vehicles. The AMG brand ambassador has a driving style that is fast, safe and kind to the cars. In addition to this, the now 54-year-old is considered a great conversationalist. In 1990, Wendlinger was part of the Mercedes-Benz Junior Team in the Sports Car World Championship together with Michael Schumacher and Heinz-Harald Frentzen. As a team mate of Jochen Mass and Michael Schumacher, he scored several victories in the Sauber-Mercedes. In 1993, Karl Wendlinger switched to Formula 1, where he was a driver for the team headed by Swiss national Peter Sauber.