When the mountains in France begin to cover with snow, posh people from all around descend on places like Tignes-Val d’Isere, Portes du Soleil and Grand Massif to show off how great they are at skiing. But snowsports aren’t the only thing you can do on a snow-capped alp — you can also go racing. The perfect car for this kind of cold-weather motorsport is probably a Lancia Delta or Ford’s incredible hybrid rally monster. But I’m pretty sure you could have just as much fun in a Citroën 2CV on the snow, especially if this film from the Late Brake Show is to be believed.
The Citroën 2CV has just 25 horsepower thanks to its tiny two-cylinder engine. That might not sound like the perfect car to take racing, but it turns out that if you throw in some ice and freezing temperatures then 2CV racing can become the happiest motorsport out there. In the Late Brake Show film, which you can see for yourself below, a plucky troupe of 2CV drivers from the UK drove across the Channel and to the Alpe d’Huez ski resort in France to take part in a spot of ice racing.
Over the course of ten races on a specially cut out ice track, the field of aging Citroëns struggles to get above 15 miles per hour — even on the straights. Instead, the cars slide all over the track, pirouette over the packed snow and really do their utmost to put the fun back into motorsport.
As part of the 10-race series, there’s even a night race that pushes the old Citroëns’ ancient headlamps to their limit. It’s during one of the evening sessions that Late Brake Show host Jonny Smith confesses “honestly, I think this could be one of the most enjoyable motorsports I’ve ever done, because you’re skidding and you’re trying to get ultimate car control.”
I’m inclined to agree, as it looks like an absolute hoot! Whenever the next round of this incredible motorsport is, and no matter where it meets, I want to field a Jalopnik team to see just what it takes to win a Citroën 2CV ice race.