McLaren on Ice: The ultimate petrolhead winter break?

Supercars and snow don't mix, but ice-driving holidays are becoming more and more popular.

Porsche and Lamborghini both offer the chance to sample their cars on the slippery stuff. Now McLaren is the latest giving petrolheads the ultimate ski-trip alternative.

The Pure McLaren Arctic Experience kicks off in January 2017. It's based in Ivalo, Finland, some 200 miles into the Arctic Circle, and while guests only get to stay three nights, the carmaker promises to make it a trip to remember.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up

Visitors stay in Javri Lodge, the luxurious former home of Finland's longest-serving president, Urho Kekkonen, set among vast lakes and forests in the Lapland wilderness. Sightings of the Northern Lights are commonplace.

The trip also includes the chance to go on a husky safari or a snowmobile expedition, but it's the driving that will most attract guests and most of the three days will be spent behind the wheel of McLaren's £140,000, 562bhp 570S supercar.

McLaren has put together an assortment of snow-covered roads and ice tracks for drivers to get to grips with. A team of professional coaches will be on hand at all times to offer tuition and feedback on how to handle a supercar in such tricky conditions.

While Road & Track says the vast majority of those signing up for the £12,500 trip "will already have a Macca in their garages", the experience is open to anyone – even if you have no driving experience whatsoever.