Driving School Bentley Style: On Ice in Finland

If you thought driving a Bentley through the local hotspot was cool enough, try harnessing all that hand-built power on ice. Yes -- literally, ice. While sales may be a bit slow in Crewe, Bentley's PR department has setup a no-expense-spared retreat for its customers and well-heeled parties interested in driving the brand's Continental Series models on frozen water in rural Finland. Beginning next February, customers will be flown to the town of Ruka located 800 km (497 mi) north of Helsinki or around 60 km (37 mi) from the Arctic Circle. Temperatures there can reach minus 30 degrees centigrade (-22 degrees Fahrenheit), but those in attendance need not worry since Bentley has built its own additional self sustaining temporary village complete with first class luxuries and more importantly, heaters. After their arrival, they'll find the latest vehicles to test their skills in slalom, emergency avoidance, braking and high speed cornering on Finland's many ice lakes. Two guests per car receive instruction from a member of championship rally driver Juha Kankkunen's very own racing team. Last year, the Finnish driver set the world speed record on ice in a Bentley Continental GT and is a master of ice driving. But as expected, nothing from Bentley is at a discount -- even its four-day excursions. Packages begin at 7,590 euro ($9,889) and top out at 8,990 ($11,713) per person. If you can't get away from the little ones, you can bring them along too for the ice-cold family price of 24,980 euro ($32,548). For more information, check out the Power On Ice Web site HERE. Source: Bentley