I Bought A 200,000 Mile Audi Just To Go Ice Racing And It Worked Out Way Better Than I Expected

If there’s one thing about me, it’s that I absolutely hate missing out on a good time. Whenever there’s an opportunity to have fun behind the wheel, I try to get myself involved. Track days, back road drives, snowy adventures, you name it. I’m there.

For about a decade, I’ve been participating in wheel-to-wheel ice races in upstate New York, where drivers go head to head on a road course plowed into a frozen lake. These races were great because 1) they are cheap to enter, at $70 per event, and 2) they’re incredibly accessible, requiring only minimal safety items and winter tires to run, without the need for roll cages or fire suppression systems.

For the past four years, no ice racing has happened in New York due to mild winters. I wrote off the possibility of it ever happening again, to the point where I sold my designated ice racing car, my Mazda MX-5 Miata, and replaced it with a Range Rover.

In a cruel twist of fate, this winter has been cold enough to freeze the lakes in upstate New York to the point where racing is now possible. Not one to simply give up and miss out on some thrilling sideways action on a frozen lake, I decided to impulse-buy a car and take it racing the very next day, just so I could get some seat time on the ice. It went way better than I was expecting.

An Extra-Truncated Timeline

Whispers of this weekend’s race actually happening had been going on all week, but it was only on Friday that the Adirondack Motor Enthusiast Club (AMEC) confirmed the race was a go at Peck Lake, a body of water that sits Northwest of Gloversville, New York.

I had lost all hope of buying a car and getting up there by Sunday until a friend sent me a Facebook Marketplace listing for a 2014 Audi A8 L that was listed for sale in Southwestern Vermont for a very reasonable price. Knowing it would be sold quickly, I hit up the seller and arranged to pick it up on Saturday.

I’m sure you’re probably wondering: Why an Audi A8? Surely a huge limousine weighing 4,400 pounds wouldn’t be a fun ice racer. It’s also a complex car, with air suspension and lots of electronics that could go wrong. With over 215,000 miles on the clock, this car wasn’t exactly a spring chicken.

Sure, I could’ve purchased the cheapest WRX I could find on Facebook, but I’ve owned several Subarus now, and wanted something different. I also wanted something with a proven all-wheel drive system, one that I’ve seen do well at these races in the past. Audi’s Quattro fit the bill perfectly. And because this A8 already had winter tires installed, I didn’t have to worry about installing new rubber before hitting the ice.

If I had more time to source a car, I probably would’ve purchased a smaller Audi, like an A4 with a stick shift. But remember, I had about 36 hours from learning there was a race to needing a car. So time was not on my side. Plus, the idea of sliding a huge executive sedan around a frozen lake seemed novel. That being said, I’m very happy with my purchase.

A Real-Deal Limousine

How is a 215,000-mile Audi A8 like to drive on the road? Pretty damn nice, actually. This thing competed against the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and the BMW 7 Series when it was new, and it still rides like a dream. The seats are soft, the stereo absolutely bumps, and the massaging seats work as they should. The sound insulation is excellent, too, but there’s a weird amount of wind noise coming from the sunroof, which gets annoying at highway speeds.

That’s not the only problem. There’s a sizable crack in the windshield, and a check engine light for a small evap leak in the fuel system. Bigger bumps in the road reveal a small clunking sound coming from the front left suspension. And there are a few dings, dents, and scratches throughout the body. But other than that, there’s not much wrong with this car. The 3.0-liter supercharged V-6 pulls well and hasn’t burned any oil since I bought it. The eight-speed automatic transmission shifts smoothly, and even has paddle shifters on the steering wheel for manual operation. And the infotainment screen, which comes up and out of the dashboard every time you turn the car on, works as it should. There are even soft-close doors, which, to me, is next-level fancy.

As for options, this A8 is pretty basic. The long wheelbase version is over 5 inches longer than that year’s Cadillac Escalade, and it unlocks a bunch of legroom for rear passengers. The only other upgrade I’ve spotted is the Premium Package, which comes with those aforementioned massaging seats and LED headlights (which work very well).

So, How Did It Do?

 

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After buying the A8 in Vermont, I pointed its nose straight towards an upstate New York hotel near the frozen lake, with my friend Aaron driving my Range Rover closely behind. We made it there without issue, ate some Applebee’s for dinner, and then went to bed. (If you’re wondering, yes, the O-M-Cheese Burger lives up to the hype.)

The A8 was put to the test the following morning before I even left the parking lot. According to my phone, the ambient temperature was -12 degrees Fahrenheit, but the Audi had no trouble starting. Victory number one.

I couldn’t say the same for my friend Mathias’s E30-generation BMW 3-Series, which refused to start after several minutes of cranking and fooling around with the injectors. He only managed to get it running because the A8 was nearby to lend its battery power for the E30’s starter. Despite all that extra load on the electrical system, the Audi didn’t complain. Victory number two.

After arriving at the lake, the big-body Audi had just one more obstacle to overcome: The actual racing. There are a handful of different classes that race at these AMEC events, including four “Street Legal” classes, divided by the number of driven wheels and whether your winter tires are equipped with studs. Being an all-wheel drive car without studs, the A8 was up against a couple of other Audis, a few Subarus, and a brand-new Toyota GR Corolla.

Just to make things clear: I did not show up to this race intending to fight for a win. The A8 was, by far, the heaviest vehicle to race that day, and I didn’t even know if I could turn traction control all the way off until I tested it on the ice (thankfully, it did go all the way off).

That being said, I’m incredibly surprised by how well the A8 performed. Like any big Audi, this one is insanely nose-heavy, meaning you have to drive it like a pendulum just to get it turned. But the Quattro system worked great, and the 333 horsepower from that supercharged V6 really came in handy for building gaps from competitors. Eventually, I was doing huge four-wheel drifts out of every corner. Out of the three races, I managed two third-place finishes (I think, the official results haven’t come out yet). Not bad, seeing as how I originally thought I’d be a rolling roadblock for everyone in the field.

Is the A8 the best car I’ve ever taken ice racing? No, that honor goes to my Subaru Impreza 2.5RS, a car I miss dearly and regret selling every time I see a snowflake fall from the sky. But! After driving three hours home from the lake in total silence, listening to music and some podcasts while getting my back massaged, I already have a soft spot for this Audi.

I thought briefly about flipping this car once ice racing season is over, but honestly, I’m leaning towards keeping it. Not only is the A8 competent on the ice, but it’s also just a really nice car to drive. At minimum, I’ll fix up what’s wrong with it, give it a once-over to see if there’s any disasters hiding beneath the skin, and go from there. Stay tuned.

Top graphic images: Brian Silvestro; Universal Pictures