Northerners, and almost all Canadians, will tell you that starting your car in -28 Celsius (-18.4 Fahrenheit) weather is a drag, but at least it wasn’t colder that morning.
With this in mind, the temperatures experienced during an expedition to the South Pole in that continent’s high summer aren’t outside the realm of personal knowledge. A good many of us have gauged the frostiness of the outside air by the speed in which our nose hair freezes.
Still, Hyundai’s recent stunt, which put famed explorer Ernest Shackleton’s great-grandson behind the wheel of a modified Santa Fe Sport, impresses. It’s not solely the distance covered, the conditions experienced during the 3,600-mile crossing of Antarctica, or the mechanical feat of turning a pedestrian crossover into the most rugged of all-terrain vehicles. It’s the historical tie-in.
If you grew up reading — and re-reading — Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage, you know what I mean. Hollywood writers could not have penned a better adventure, nor can any scientific-minded person believe that such a feat was even survivable.
Let’s start by giving credit where it’s due. The expedition organized by Hyundai led to a modified Santa Fe becoming the first vehicle to drive across Antarctica, taking 30 days to traverse 8,000 foot-high hard-packed snow and ice sheets that could crack at any moment.
Running on A-1 jet fuel and boasting a beefed up suspension, engine pre-heater, balloon tires and an extra-large fuel tank, the Santa Fe crossed the continent from Union Camp on the South Atlantic side to McMurdo Station on the South Pacific side. It then drove back, gassing up at aviation fuel depots all the way. Iceland’s Arctic Trucks was tasked with the mods, as well as leading the expedition.
For automakers, Antarctica represents a challenge and an opportunity. Want to prove a vehicle’s ruggedness and craft some great PR? Send your latest model way Down Under. Toyota does it regularly, usually sending a fleet of Hilux pickups for that all-important shot next to the South Pole marker.
This is where history makes things interesting.
Hyundai tapped Patrick Bergel, a British entrepreneur and software designer, to take the wheel. While his name might be unfamiliar, his great-grandfather’s probably isn’t: Ernest Shackleton. Hyundai’s — and Bergel’s — plan was to retrace the footsteps of a planned expedition that went pear-shaped on day one, and should have easily killed every man on the mission.
The Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914 was a disaster. The ship, crushed by pack ice, sank. No member of the crew ever set foot on the Antarctic mainland. And yet, everyone survived. Shackleton sailed home to England in May, 1917.
Shackleton’s plan was to sail the hardened expedition ship Endurance to the Weddell Sea, set up a base camp, then take dog sleds to the South Pole (which had already been reached by another explorer). For bragging rights, the team would then continue to the opposite side of the continent, where another ship and crew was waiting. Everything should have gone off tickety-boo, but nature intervened.
From January 19, 1915 to August 30, 1916, the crew of the Endurance was trapped. First, in ice, and later forced to find refuge on a deserted Antarctic island, using rocks and overturned boats as shelter. Shackleton sailed one of the open lifeboats 720 miles through notoriously violent seas to reach help at the South Georgia whaling station. Arriving on the wrong side of the island, his party was forced to scale 32 miles of previously untraversed mountains to find the station.
Shackleton then borrowed a ship and returned to save the trapped men. The UK later named a maritime patrol aircraft after him.
Bergel, driving a vehicle you’ll see littering the parking lots of your child’s soccer games, helped mark the 100th anniversary of the Endurance crew’s salvation. Good on him for honoring his great-grandfather by completing his journey. Also, good on Santa Fe and crew for beating the elements, and kudos to the company for calling attention to an amazing historical feat, albeit in a somewhat self-serving way.
Now, everyone go and read that book — it has excellent descriptions of the dangers of frostbite.
(Oh, one more historical fact: Shackleton was the first person to ever drive a car in Antarctica. The vehicle, a 12/15 Arrol-Johnston, took part in the 1907 Nimrod Expedition.)
[Images: Hyundai]
Nice piece. I see Hyundai is desperate to show how tough it’s not-tough products happen to be.
1) All automakers do these b.s. stunts.
2) Hyundai isn’t desperate.
3) Its.
4. 3 Cases of Eggs
5. 2 pounds of Ham
6. 10 Pounds of Salt
Homer’s shopping list?
Part of Shackleton’s food list? If so, he omitted the final protein source. Which Shackleton seemed pretty upset about in his book. I still think every dictionary entry for “stand up guy” should be illustrated with Shackleton.
Agreed.
Why not use a Sonata then?
Had it and changed it.
Clarkson and May did this in a Toyota, but at the other end of the planet, where there was no sign, or buildings.
Is Hyundai up to a slightly more challenging trip (especially since it would now require an amphibious vehicle, what with climate change and historic polar ice melts)?
They however from what I have read, actually only went to the Magnetic North Pole, not the geographic one. If I am incorrect in this then please let me know.
Still after accomplishing this feat and with the budge the Grand Tour has, I do not know why they did not think of doing this first!
Minor point, but that feat was accomplished on Top Gear, not the inferior fake program Grand Tour.
Oui, yea Grand Tour, I’m just glad I never payed to watch it. It deserves its own article someday.
Perhaps in “QOTD: Which generations got worse” I should have put Top Gear.
The point was that Grand Tour actually has a higher production budget per episode than Top Gear had. And since Clarkson and May were able to make the magnetic North Pole trip on the Top Gear budget, then why did they not attempt the crossing of the Antarctic when they had more money?
Top Gear has much higher production values and a lot more money. They’ve managed to make every place they go look nice except for India.
The North Pole episode ended very close to a former military airbase so everyone could fly home.
“From January 19, 1915 to August 30, 2016, the crew of the Endurance was trapped.”
So they just got free last year…
Hahaha.
Time passes slowly in Antarctica! I’ve corrected that whoopsie. (Sea voyages are hard on 143-year-old men)
An achievement, no dourbt. But the article glosses over a lot.
They did not “cross” Antarctica, they sort of did one corner.
There is a prepared packed snow road to the South Pole from McMurdo base. They used this in both directions. Even people riding bicycles have done this.
Arctic Trucks have been active in Antarctica for years, including a real traverse crossing.
The team included at least one 6-wheel drive pickup as a support vehicle. Probably several.
The vast amount of fuel used for this and other such stunts will of course speed up the warming of Antarctica.
This is not an impressive feat compared to the parties who do real crossings of the continent on foot and unsupported. Did you know that due to global warming self propelled parties can no longer reach the North Pole?
If you’ve not read the books or watched the programs about Shackleton, do so. Ernie was THE MAN.
The only sad part is a bunch of the guys who survived this ordeal promptly got killed in WW1.
Just as a number who died attempting Everest were survivors of that war. There has been a number of books/articles written based on the thesis that after experiencing the War, they were inured to the concept of death.
Agreed.
I’ve read “The Endurance”. We’re all pansies compared to his 1914 crew. Their resourcefulness, navigational skills, bravery, and toughness are unmatched.
All I’m seeing are those marvelous tires. I’d love to let some air out and drive those around here.
Die Rimz; Hail Peak Tire!
Even though the average speed was something like 27kph, the motor and transmission operated normally because each wheel hub contained reduction gearing. Custom subframes and suspension supposedly rounded out the modifications. Must have been some bodywork also.
They ran on jet fuel because that’s the only fuel available in Antarctica. Fuel caches were set up by aircraft.
Drivers drove up to 20 hours per day. Probably to stay in a window of suitable weather and snow conditions. Not much other information available on the Internet.
Jet fuel is all that is available and I also believe that it has a lower gel point.
-28 C isn’t all that cold so operationally I’m not all that impressed.
Thanks for reminding me. As a Fahrenheit Monkees in Upper Mexico, I glossed over the conversion in the first paragraph. Only -18 F, beautiful Panguitch, UT often sees 20 degrees colder. I hear North Dakota is worse. One of these years I’ll visit Montreal six months after the F1 race and watch experts deal with cold.