We find it amusing that in London where no one puts ice in their drinks, two different luxury automakers promoted their designs using frozen water, aka ice. Lexus showed an NX with acrylic and ice wheels that rode out of deep freeze while Jaguar showed a an F-based frozen sleigh.
The Coolest Coldest Ride on the Planet?
Lexus commissioned a team of ice sculpture specialists to explore how ice could be used in 
place of conventional alloy metal and rubber, instead of popsicles, they made tirecicles. After three months’ research, design and testing, the finished ice wheels were fitted to a Lexus NX. The car itself was deep-frozen, stored for five days at -30°C (it started first time) before being driven off down a London road. The addition of in-wheel LED lighting added an extra dramatic dimension to the cutting-edge contemporary styling of the NX.
The project was undertaken by Hamilton Ice Sculptors. For the Lexus commission – the first of its kind – genuine NX wheels and tires were laser scanned and replicated using computer design and numerical control techniques. The result was an unprecedented fusing of art and engineering.
The ice was made from softened water taken from a moving flow to ensure it was perfectly clear when taken from the freezer. Acrylic inserts were added to ensure the wheels could take the load of the NX.
Ho Ho Ho Santa is Driving a Jaguar F-SLEIGH
You’ve heard of concept cars, now there is a holiday ice concept car— codenamed ‘F-SLEIGH” that was on display in central London to promote Jaguar’s new branded collections.
The special ice-sculpture of a Christmas-inspired Jaguar ‘F-SLEIGH’, based on the Jaguar F-TYPE convertible, but with skates in place of wheels, a generous open luggage compartment for gifts and jet power to generate Jaguar’s renowned supercharged performance through the night sky. A Growler-embossed red nose completes the F-SLEIGH’s Christmas theme.
Lindsay Weaver, Jaguar Land Rover Director of Branded and Licensed Goods said, “The amazing F-SLEIGH may be a bit of Christmas fun, but it proves that Jaguar Land Rover is now creating much more than world-class cars. We have been working tirelessly to develop collections that tell stories and celebrate our great brands, and this 2016 collection is our most desirable ever – we’ve really pushed ahead for design, quality and originality and it’s great to showcase it alongside the luxury goods being produced by our exclusive brand partners.”
Some of the products displayed by Jaguar and Land Rover brand partners included exclusive items from Art Fragrance, Barbour, Bremont, Globetrotter, Menrad, Oliver Sweeney, Landy Books and 2×2 Ltd.