Men's Journal

by Dacus Thompson

A group of Brits is planning a 3,000-mile trek across Antarctica with one of the coolest modes of transportation ever invented: the Lotus Concept Ice Vehicle. Powered by a supercharged BMW 1150 biofuel engine, the vehicle can hit up to 84 mph, and because of its independent suspension (a one-man cockpit balanced upon three skis) and light weight (less than 800 pounds), the CIV, as it’s known, can breeze over Antartica’s difficult-to-navigate ice dunes. With a ground-penetrating radar that can detect crevasses and thin ice before it’s too late, the CIV will head the Moon–Regan TransAntarctic Expedition, which hopes to raise awareness of global warming. Right now your only chance to man a CIV is as a member of the expedition, but with any luck, Lotus will make it available for weekend explorers down the road (transantarcticexpedition.com).

This article originally appeared in the December 2008 issue of Men’s Journal.