Sa__Mi Posted December 31, 2018 Posted December 31, 2018 Adding a set of studded snow tyres into the equation will get you further but the only way to truly venture off the beaten path in a cold, frozen landscape is behind the wheel – or joystick – of a snow machine. From luxurious, tank-like vehicles that cost millions to shrewdly home-brewed inventions, here are your best options if you need to drive from point A to point B this winter, even if a small mountain range separates the two. In the late 1930s, the Antarctic Snow Cruiser supported the US government’s effort to claim part of Antarctica. It was a mammoth, diesel-electric vehicle designed as a mobile living space for a five-person crew. Retractable wheels helped it crawl over the many crevasses encountered while driving across the most hostile continent on the planet and it was big enough to carry a Beechcraft plane on its roof. Field tests immediately revealed the Snow Cruiser’s gears weren’t low enough to propel it through deep snow. Researchers left it in Antarctica at the end of their mission, with plans to come back and swap in lower gears, but the American congress stopped allocating money to the project to focus on World War Two. The Cruiser never moved again. It was last seen buried under a thick layer of snow in 1958. It might still be there, but it may have been parked on a part of the ice shelf that broke away and floated out to sea in the 1960s. If that’s the case, it’s somewhere on the bottom of the ocean. Antarctica isn’t the most car-friendly continent on the planet. The short list of production cars that have survived a stint there includes the Volkswagen Beetle and the Lada Niva. But Hyundai made history by driving across Antarctica and back in a modified Santa Fe. Patrick Bergel, the great-grandson of intrepid explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, made the trip in 30 days. The Santa Fe retained its original 2200cc turbo diesel engine, transmission, front differential and driveshaft but a company named Arctic Trucks modified the suspension and installed low-pressure tyres. Designed and made in Russia, the Avtoros Shaman 8x8 is what we’ll drive if hell ever freezes over. It’s a monster of a vehicle that makes a Hummer H1 look cute and cuddly. Its eight wheels are independently suspended and its entire powertrain is enclosed to protect the mechanical components from damage. Power comes from a 3000cc turbo diesel engine provided by Iveco. It spins the eight directional wheels via a six-speed manual transmission. The Shaman seats nine or sleeps four depending on how it’s configured. The only part of it that’s more epic than its off-road prowess is its price. Avtoros charges nearly €9 million (about $10m/£8m) before buyers add options like a propeller that allows it to drive through water and a hydraulic winch that costs more than a Lamborghini Urus. Romania-based Ghe-O designed the aptly named Rescue as an all-terrain ambulance. The company boasts that its 400hp machine can outperform many sports cars while nonchalantly carrying 11 passengers. It looks unstoppable, and it was designed to be, but buyers worried about getting stuck can order a plow, inflatable pillows strapped to the wheels for flotation and tracks on the rear axle. The star of Nissan’s stand at the 2017 New York motor show wasn’t a rugged pick-up truck or a ‘Ring-bred coupé. It was a Rogue – one of the best-selling vehicles in the US – upgraded with a war-ready camouflage paint job and a set of tracks. Nissan explained that installing tracks on a family-friendly grocery-getter required modifying the suspension but it pointed out that the rest of the drivetrain was bog standard. It also clarified that we shouldn’t expect to see the Rogue Warrior Trail join the regular model in showrooms.
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