Rolls-Royce: Skids over 60 centimeters of ice and 563 hp

Posted on December 20, 2023 | Reading time: 5 minutes

WIs that just a quiet crack? I’m standing on a frozen lake right now. Below me and a cold layer of cracking: up to 20 meters of water. Next to me: the ultra-expensive Rolls-Royce Ghost. A sedan with a few extras costs more than 400,000 euros. Norwegian winter is upon us, it’s still really cold. Minus 20 degrees with ice sheets covered with a light snow cover. Coach Ola Bakke Pedersen assures that 60 centimeters of ice is enough to play on ice and snow with a luxury sedan.

Tisleifjorden is a lake at 819 meters above sea level near Tisleidalen (Oppland), the village of Ulsak and the resort of Hemsedal in northwestern Norway, three hours’ drive from Oslo. The water with a size of 13.54 square kilometers is used to generate electricity during the summer and as a playground for locals and tourists during the winter. The Tisleifjorden ice rink is a professional ice rink, a training base for emergency vehicles and professional drivers. The Norwegian company has been providing driver safety training here for almost 30 years, mainly for police officers, rescuers and the fire department, but also professional customers such as driving instructors and businesses. Groups of individuals are very rare.

Seven groomed ice rinks with a length of 16 km are available for driving, training and spinning. The thickness of the ice is measured by hand every day with ice drills, and every evening the workers prepare sheets and special equipment. The routes are designed so that pilots can take turns as rhythmically as possible, sometimes with sharp turns, but also with gentle turns and low snow walls to slow them down. Even in the event of insertion, no metal sheet should bend cold. It’s good to know, because for a Rolls-Royce that would cost several tens of thousands of euros quickly.

Rolls-Royce found the idea of ​​gliding with their cars very interesting – showing that cars can do more than look good and be comfortable. Of course, British cars also drive well and safely in snow and ice. What is surprising, however, is how easily a nearly three-ton vehicle can be balanced through an obstacle course.

What makes Rolls Royce successful?

But it takes effort. In the first few meters the ice cracks under the tire spikes. Ola Bakke Pedersen tries to calm you down after the theoretical introduction and gives tips on how to drive on slippery surfaces. “Try to drive easily, without too much movement, then driving on ice will be like an elegant dance,” explains the Norwegian. Luckily he doesn’t know how I play.

The 5.5-liter V12 with 563 hp can now accelerate the 5.5-meter-long Brit to 100 km/h in 4.8 seconds. But on slippery surfaces, the traction control reduces power as soon as you look at the accelerator pedal. Rolls only reaches 90 kilometers per hour with a lot of effort and more endurance. A few snowflakes blow over the slippery surface as Ola gives instructions to brake hard. And we see the weight. And ice cream. And wait. Wait. Wait. Rolls only stops after more than 115 meters. Lesson learned: When sliding, emergency stops take too long.

As we move on to the next exercise, the wind hits the side of the car, pushing it slightly to the side. Driving on ice always means being careful, gentle on the accelerator and driving smoothly. Compare the interior. Soft leather surrounds the body, the dashboard is made of finely carved wood, and the clocks convey their information gloriously. Shoes sink into the centimeter-high carpet, the seat heating is on the third level and the heating is 23 degrees. The rigid chassis embodies the stability and security of Windsor Castle.

After a few hours, the Holy Spirit feels like an armchair in front of the fireplace, while outside the wind whistles against the big body and cools the air to less than 5 degrees. The cold here lasts from November to the end of March. “Today is like spring, in winter we reach temperatures of up to 20 degrees,” says Ola. Then the ice cover swells up to 80 cm and carries up to a few tons. How to calm down. I alone sit around three tons. I no longer think about ice, snow or other blizzards, destructive gravity, and I no longer think about all the water under the tires when driving on ice.

The snow sprinkles sideways, I turn quickly but not sharply and just sit on the gas in the curve. At first it takes a lot of effort because I feel the urge to slow down. But the Rolls would slow down and even rotate on its own axis. “Instead of waiting for the slide without an accelerator, you have to accelerate at the apex of the curve with all-wheel drive so that all four wheels grip the ice and the car is stable in direction,” explains Ola after the first lap. and gives further instructions. “Keep calm, don’t rush, relax and enjoy the ride.” Again and again. From the fourth round onwards, Ola thinks it looks clean – and so do I. But: wasn’t that just another quiet crack?