The “Concours d’Elegance” formula was born in the 1920s and it was a sort of “Fashion Show” for automobiles: the various Coachbuilders were showing their creations to prospects and customers.
Today, they are a celebration of Automotive Style and Design, as well as conservation and restoration. The most important ones, like Pebble Beach, Villa d’Este and Salon Privé, to name but a few, have been going on for decades, establishing the world standard.

The I.C.E. St.Moritz was not created to challenge any of those, as its location, size and seasonality make it different from any other. It aims to offer an additional opportunity for those enthusiasts who like to show and exercise their cars in an unusual period of the year and environment.

For the public, it will offer the possibility of seeing the cars in a completely different setting. As Giorgetto Giugiaro, our Honorary Chairman of the Jury, said: “watching the cars over the snow, without any distracting element one would find on the road, recreates the effect a designer achieves by drawing an automobile on a white sheet of paper…”. The fact that everything takes place on a frozen lake has introduced an element of informality and sportiness, as everybody is aware of being hosted by Nature, and consequently needs to adapt to Her whims. The proceedings therefore follow a general plan with a good dose of improvisation, as everything has to be adapted to the temperature and the condition of the snow.

Driving old cars on the snow creates new (or old?) challenges, which make the day more interesting and fun as entrants try different ways to guarantee the vital contact between the tyres and the surface.