The ice-themed genre of classic car demonstrations and concours makes for a compelling case. With a backdrop, typically a picturesque Alpine location that creates an unexpected visual and and even driving experience, the basic concept is hard to resist and entirely on season. Amongst this small yet highly exclusive niche within the automotive lifestyle event space is the I.C.E. at St. Moritz.
The Swiss town of St. Moritz, located on the southern slopes of the Abula Alps near Piz Nair, is known for both its idyllic views and also its ski resort bonafides as exemplified in its hosting both the 1928 and 1948 editions of the Winter Olympics. Nearby Lake St. Moritz is also home to the I.C.E., an event conceptualized as far back as 1985 when several adventurous British participants in the long-held Cresta Run skeleton race hatched a plan for an extracurricular activity involving driving a few of their vintage Bentleys on the frozen lake.
Present on that day was Marco Makaus, a significant business man and car enthusiast in his own right who took in the spectacle of these incredible vehicles with their vibrant liveries contrasting with the white expanse of the frozen lake and snow-covered mountains beyond them. These growling and sliding automobiles offered an interesting bridge between icy winter weather of a winter in St. Moritz versus the summer attitude that goes along with more typical use of cars such as these were. The idea was quite literally laid out in front of him, and Makaus began to plot out his own course, imagining a controlled replication of the event that could grow to a larger scale while involving many more cars than those Bentleys or adventuresome skeleton race attendees seeking extracurricular activities.
Given the complexities of coordinating with venues and jurisdictions and corralling just the right sort of participants took decades to turn into reality, finalized when the town of St. Moritz and Badrutt’s Palace came aboard as partners.
Technically, the first abbreviated demonstration version of The I.C.E. St. Moritz took place in 2019. Subsequently delayed due to the pandemic, the first full full edition of The I.C.E. took place in 2022. Now, an annual fixture on the February calendar, The I.C.E. continues to grow with a record-breaking 2025. No less than 52 highly-exclusive classic and sports cars took to Lake St. Moritz as part of the event, while 20,000 visitors attended from all over the world.
The I.C.E. formula has been perfected to a multi-day event that goes something like this.
Day 1 (Friday, February 21)
On the first morning, The I.C.E. Village opens around the frozen event’s parc fermé, a display of these incredible cars on ice. The gathering gives attendees the opportunity to meet and examine the cars while a jury of experts selects cars across five concours categories. Winners are judged on elegance, rarity and history of each model and included: Ferrari 500 TRC Scaglietti from 1957 (Barchettas on the Lake); Bugatti 59 from 1934 (Open Wheels); Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 GS Aprile from 1931 (Concept Cars & One-Offs); Ferrari 275 GTB/4 from 1966 (Icons on Wheels); and Porsche 908/03 from 1971 (Racing Legends).
Throughout the day, dynamic sessions on the lake take part including debuts by new car manufacturers. This year’s event included reveals from Maserati and Pagani.
Day 2 (Saturday, February 22)
On the second day of the event, demonstration laps are performed on the lake by participants while onlookers enjoy the spectacle of these incredible automobiles circling the snowy surface. Later in the afternoon, a Best in Show award is presented to the ultimate event winner.
That Best in Show trophy, like the event itself and the cars that take part, is highly unique, a design by architect Lord Norman Foster. Foster joined Tilly Harrison of key event sponsor Richard Mille to award to a 1934 Bugatti Type 59.
Other awards included a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB “Sefac” winning Spirit of St. Moritz and a 1972 Lamborghini Miura SV winning the Hero Below Zero award that is chosen by the public in attendance.
Like other successful automotive events gaining traction as “must-see” participants on the world stage, The I.C.E. St. Moritz intentionally cultivates a schedule that includes additional automotive and cultural events in order to expand and diversify the draw for participants traveling in for The I.C.E. St. Moritz.
This year, this included Classic Driver Talks held on Thursday afternoon ahead of the main event on a stage located in downtown St. Moritz. Another event dedicated to contemporary sculpture with an automotive theme by Jörg Heiser for PARTICOLARE was also held for the first time. Other elements held on the lake or within St. Moritz proper included activations by Riva Classiche, Bugatti Rimac, Ruf, Meyers Manx, Totem Automobili and Lamborghini.
The growing atmosphere attracts even more luxury brands seeking to be part of the celebration. In addition to car brands, this includes Title Sponsor Richard Mille, RM Sotheby’s, VistaJet, Loro Piana, UBS and Vincenzo Dascanio, Bang&Olufsen, Blasto, Blunotte Eventi, Les Crêtes and Campari Group. From the automotive field, prestigious brands of the standing of Maserati and Pagani Automobili renew their attendance.
The ICE Show AG
Info: www.theicestmoritz.ch
Instagram: @theicestmoritz @stmoritz
Official hashtag: #TheIceStMoritz #stmoritz
