To the true automotive enthusiast, the Concours d’Elegance which directly translates to ‘Competition of Elegance,’ indicates a showing inclusive of a wide range in craftsmanship, vintage coachwork and mechanical technical merit as designed by the now-collectible marquees.
With many regional concours events taking place, there is just a small handful to be regarded as the most prestigious. To that end, we give you The I.C.E.: The International Concours d’Elegance in St. Moritz.
Set on the most famous frozen lake of the Swiss Alps, the St. Moritzersee (St. Moritz Lake) played stage to over 50 incredible cars that captivated collectors and visitors from all over the world. The 2022 edition, back after a two-year pause, has also been listed as a Diamond Event by the Engadin St. Moritz Tourismus board, making it all the more exclusive.
With the snow-capped peaks of the Upper Engadin providing the backdrop against the frozen lake turned open-air art gallery, entrants arrived and slowly pulled their most-prized autos onto the track.
Unfamiliar to most, a fully snow-covered track is a magical opportunity and highly coveted piece of real estate to display and demonstrate some of the industry’s greats, or better yet - drive laps with them. Almost exclusively reserved for horse races and snow polo tournaments, Alpine lake ice tracks follow strict guidelines for weight allowance so as to not crack the ice.
Carefully selected automobiles thrilled spectators as they slipped, slid and spun past each other as they performed far outside of their normal closed-course element. There is something about seeing a 1965 Ferrari 275 GTB (that subsequently took home the Jet Set on ICE Class Title for 2022) ski past you or a 1968 Lamborghini Miura (that took home the 2022 Stars on Wheels Class Title) doing snow laps.
Enthusiasts standing track-side also enjoyed themselves in The I.C.E. Village, hosted by an extraordinary community of the event’s partners, notable brands and elitists from the automotive sector. With Badrutt’s Palace Hotel, IWC Schaffhausen and Maserati among some of the largest participants, Pagani Officina (with a surprise visit by Horacio Pagani) RM Sothebys, Persol, Pirelli and Moet Hennessy were proponents in creating the event’s atmosphere and hospitality that truly elevated the experience of guests as they perused shops and toasted champagne flutes in honor of their favorite cars.
The judges, on the other hand, had their hands full to expertly assess the most representative models of the golden age of international motoring, taking each entrant and thoroughly describing and detailing the unique features of each extremely rare collector’s item. The very high level of the attending competing cars, some being among the most significant representatives within the history of world motorsport, made judging extremely difficult. The three additional winners for 2022 included the 1967 Morris Mini Cooper S ex Works in the Vintage Road Racing Class, 1953 Jaguar C Type in the Barchettas on the Lake Class, and 1939 Maserati 4CL in the Vintage Grand Prix Class.
Should you find yourself wanting to stand on quite possibly the most impressive stage ‘on top of the world’ possible, within the presence of an elite selection of curated classic and racing cars performing – then The I.C.E St. Moritz is where you can have that passion met, en plein air.
Michael Snell Luxury Contributor Polo Lifestyles 2022