The great Ski46 snow run | PH Dream Drive
How to do Retromobile, The Ice St Mortiz and The Fat International Snow Race - in one epic trip
Name: Robert Slomczynski
Where: France, Switzerland, Austria, Italy and France
Car: 2002 BMW E46 M3 Manual Coupe
Route: Shrewsbury, London, Paris, Strasbourg, St Mortiz, Innsbruck, Zell Am See, Innsbruck, Solden, Lake Como, Milan, Turin, Annecy, Val D’isere, Provins, Shrewsbury
There are three winter fixtures I’ve always wanted to tie together in one hit. On paper, it reads like the sort of trip you sketch out at 2am and never quite commit to. Until, suddenly, you do.
The events
Retromobile in Paris was the first. A vast, glittering reminder that the car world has layers far beyond what most of us inhabit. Roaming the relentless corporate stands honestly left me fairly glassy-eyed as everything on display was of such calibre it became a blur. My verdict was that it felt a little like the NEC but on steroids. Watching millions fall under the hammer at my old employer's sale inside the Louvre was a timely reminder that this hobby stretches well beyond classifieds and pub talk. Paris itself provided the usual automotive gauntlet, a lap of the Arc de Triomphe avoiding the multicoloured Picassos and dented Clios proved as exhilarating as anything that followed in the mountains.
Then came The ICE St. Moritz. If Retromobile is polished parquet flooring, The Ice is studs on frozen water. Our convoy into town said it all, a Pagani Utopia ahead, Shmee in his AMG GTR Black Series Behind. Blue chip concours machinery posed not on manicured lawns but on a lake, tyres studded, drivers braver than values would suggest sensible. It is a surreal thing to watch priceless metal drift across ice with champagne flutes clinking and figure skating to absorb. Entirely detached from reality, far exceeding my tax bracket and all the better for it.
The FAT International Snow Race in Zell am See was the highlight of the adventure. The atmosphere was electric, priceless machinery and modern supercars alike being flung at impossible angles across the frozen circuit, their drivers balancing bravery and physics in equal measure, before giving way to a door-to-door rally shootout that sent plumes of powdery snow cascading into the delighted crowd. Overhead, helicopters danced against the alpine backdrop, while down below the paddock buzzed with drinks, laughter and a surreal mix of enthusiasts and celebrities, with Ferdi Porsche himself casually making time for all. It all culminated in an unforgettable afterparty at Kaprun Castle, where things gradually got blurry as every good party should, out of sight behind the tall cobbled walls.
The drive
Three thousand miles in winter across France, Switzerland, Austria, and Italy sounds romantic, and it was, even on long stretches of grey autoroute. This wasn’t a greatest hits album of alpine passes, but an opportunity to experience the journey in full, long days, early starts, crisp mountain air, and an ever-changing forecast that kept every moment fresh. And yet, threaded through the slog were moments that made the whole thing worthwhile.
The first proper taste of snow in the Vosges mountains on our way to Strasbourg, a stretch of D road had snow-covered verges but vitally providing the familiar tackiness we have all mastered in damp rural England. Rowing the S54 between gears with buckets of barky rasp polluting the valley, and the odd switchback that had me dancing on the pedals and learning the parameters of winter tires. I will confess it did leave a few locals scowling at us between villages.
Departing St Mortiz, I found myself following a quick-thinking local driver, hustling his Skoda along the dark alpine roads extremely positively. With the window cracked I had a fantastic hour of playing between 3rd and 4th gear just where the induction snarl bounced off unseen rock faces. It became one of those rare, personal driving moments that stay with you long after the trip ends. It was only broken by the abrupt reality of the Austrian border, where both car and driver were reminded to behave.
We plodded on to 007 Elements in Sölden, a fitting homage to the Bond theme, before reaching a quiet, off-season Bellagio on Lake Como. Inspired by the museum, we crossed Como via ferry to Mr White’s house from Quantum of Solace, then Milan for a couple of days of work amidst the Olympics. Turin followed, tracing The Italian Job locations, no Minis this time, just rain and imagination, but it didn’t take much to picture it all.
Annecy surprised us with lively streets and excellent food, before a week of skiing in Val d’Isère with friends where a metre of snow fell within 48 hours. We closed the trip with a night in medieval Provins, in mild protest, and perhaps as a final act of defiance, I left a little more rubber than necessary on departure.
This trip was never a hunt for the ultimate road; we knew what we had signed up for, and always understood that winter alpine driving is rarely flat-out. It flourished into a beautiful tour, focused on linking the events and places I had read about for years, letting the adventure between them form the connective tissue.
The car
Of course, the thread holding it all together was the superb M3. A car many would tuck away the moment salt appears. Instead, it became the Ski46. There is a persistent myth that winter fun requires four-wheel drive. On a proper set of Michelin Pilot Alpin 5s, that myth dissolves fairly quickly. The M3 was playful when invited, neutral and dependable when required. Perhaps the most telling, handing the keys to a less experienced friend on snow, something I would rarely do. Confidence in the tyres, the setup and the car itself made it an easy decision.
As a complete package, the E46 M3 still feels remarkably well judged. The chassis has a natural balance that inspires confidence even on cold, unfamiliar roads, the steering remaining talkative while the car stays composed and predictable beneath you. The S54 has its adored personalities that make you instinctively chase the top end, and on the dull stretches it can still return over 30mpg, which I find frankly remarkable. At the same time it never forgets its GT side, with genuine comfort over distance and acres of space to carry everything a winter trip demands without compromise.
It really felt like the right thing to do with this particular car. A single-owner example that had clearly been adored throughout its life, cared for properly but never hidden away from the world. The sort of ownership where enthusiasm shows in the details, maintained fastidiously but always driven and enjoyed as it was intended. Taking it across mountains rather than tucking it under a cover felt more like continuing that story than interrupting it. The owner has since passed, but I would like to think he would have approved of the trip. His M3 still doing exactly what it was built for, stretching its legs and harvesting memorable miles rather than dust.
Why is it a dream drive?
Because right now, in my mid-20s, this is exactly what annual leave should be about for a PH employee. Not sensible, not relaxing, but spent chasing automotive events across Europe in a car I love, linking together places I’d grown up reading about and turning them into something real. It’s the same spirit as my summer trips, just with shorter days, colder starts and another epic story.
It also finally put to bed the myth that you need all-wheel drive to enjoy winter properly. The so-called doubters, usually said with the best intentions, couldn’t have been more wrong. On proper winter tyres from Michelin, the Ski46 proved itself to be the ultimate winter snotter, playful when you wanted it to be, dependable when you needed it to be, and all the more satisfying for it. There’s something deeply rewarding about using a car most would tuck away for winter exactly as it was intended.
The highs
- D roads - Selected carefully, what more does a driver want?
- Ice St Mortiz - The whackies concours on the Calendar
- Fat afterparty - Do it all and do it properly, officially my favourite motoring event.
- MPG - Satisfaction of covering huge distances at over 30mpg on the boring legs proved six-cylinder M power is bloody good.
The lows
- Alpine roads in winter - Wintersports definitely inhibit the playground you hope for. Traffic, weather and caution often dictate the pace.
- The distances themselves were vast. Next time, I’d break it up more and spend longer in fewer places rather than constantly chasing the next destination.
- Postcard locations in their most dramatic season, stripped of crowds and atmosphere.
If you go
- Michelin Snow Tires - Pilot Alpin 5’s genuinely left me staggered. They were nothing short of brilliant, gripping icy and snowy surfaces with a confidence that made winter driving genuinely enjoyable.
- Get your car properly serviced. Darragh at @everythingM3 gave me the confidence I needed to take an almost 25-year-old car on such an adventure.
- Respect the weather, because it can change everything in an instant. We were lucky with never being fully halted, but always have contingency plans or superb holiday insurance.
I did a similar jolly in my 530d whilst tailing my mate in his M2. We visited most of the same venues herin but did it over 21 days. Epic journey and holiday.
I must do it again them Swiss and Austria roads get under your skin.
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