Polar Challenge: Transglobal Car Expedition Blends Extreme Adventure with Environmental Exploration”
Driving a Ford Super Duty through the streets of Transglobal Car Manhattan is a rare and nerve-wracking experience, especially when it’s equipped with six-wheel drive and massive 44-inch tires. Built by Arctic Trucks North America for extreme conditions, this Super Duty, piloted by Andrew Comrie-Picard, is part of the Transglobal Car Expedition (TGCE).
Transglobal Car
Comrie-Picard, known for his roles as a stunt coordinator for Top Gear and a rally champion, aims to drive this modified Super Duty to both the North Pole and the South Pole in an epic journey spanning thousands of miles.
Arctic Trucks, a subsidiary of the Icelandic parent company, has prepared a fleet of Ford vehicles for this ambitious expedition. The Super Duty we drove, the Arctic Trucks AT44 XDS, will be accompanied by an AT44 F-150 hybrid and several AT35 Expeditions. The vehicles underwent extensive modifications to handle various terrains, including desert treks in the American Southwest and a 1400-mile journey over tundra and sea ice from Yellowknife to Resolute Bay, Canada.
The expedition’s goal is to drive through Northern Canada, touch the magnetic and geographical North Pole, cross the Greenland Ice Cap, and eventually reach Antarctica. The fleet of Fords will face challenges such as polar bears, sub-zero temperatures, and the risk of driving over thin ice. The vehicles will not only serve as transportation but also as scientific research platforms. Geophysics professor Christian Haas, part of the TGCE team, plans to use the vehicles to tow ground-penetrating sonar, providing real-time data about the polar ice.
The expedition, underwritten by Goodgear, focuses on the impact of climate change on polar regions. The team will collect data on cosmic radiation, light pollution, and physiological changes to humans in extreme conditions. The project has been sanctioned by the Explorers Club as a Flag Expedition, and the team aims to complete the journey by reaching Antarctica and returning to New York City, covering both poles in the process.
