IWC Racing: Season opener on Lake St. Moritz 🎥
PREMIERE The IWC Racing Team celebrated the start of its fourth racing season. For the first time, it competed on snow and ice at The ICE in St. Moritz. Laura Kraihamer made a strong showing at the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL.
The participants of The ICE started in six categories and then dashed around the track with spike winter tires.
The frozen Lake St. Moritz, 1800 meters above sea level, is a popular venue for horse racing in winter. On February 26, 2022, however, classic racing and sports cars from all over the world turned their laps at the legendary venue with appropriate sounds at The ICE, the International Concours of Elegance. IWC supported the event as Official Timing Partner.
In her second outing for the team, Austrian racing driver Laura Kraihamer steered the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL "Gullwing" across the frozen lake. Laura Kraihamer, who has been a member of the IWC family since 2021, was already at the wheel of the "Gullwing" at the Goodwood Members' Meeting in the United Kingdom last October.
300 SLS Porter made from parts of a gullwing car
With the one-of-a-kind "300 SLS Porter" (vehicle on the left, upper gallery center), IWC brought a second unique racing car with a history to Switzerland. In 1956, American racing driver Chuck Porter bought a Mercedes 300 SL gullwing accident car for 500 US dollars, which he had converted into the aluminum "300 SLS Porter" roadster according to his own plans. Important factors were a significant weight reduction and a certain stylistic proximity to the Mercedes SLR.
After all, the entire body weighed only about 85 kilograms. The engine was virtually untouched. Only a different camshaft was fitted to the engine. All in all, about 5,000 hours of work and a financial investment of around 4,000 US dollars were necessary.
Longstanding connection with motorsport
Philippe Franke, Brand Director of IWC Switzerland: "Seeing these two legends from the 1950s compete on snow and ice for the first time together with other historic racing cars was a truly unforgettable experience."
IWC Schaffhausen has a long-standing connection with motorsport. The brand founded its own motorsport team in 2018. Since then, the IWC team has taken part in historic racing events such as the Goodwood Members' Meeting in the UK and the Arosa ClassicCar in Switzerland.
Photos: mathieu-bonnevie-print
stmoritz.com
theicestmoritz.ch
