Nissan gets ready for groundbreaking Pole-to-Pole overland expedition – in all-electric Ariya

Nissan is getting ready to unveil a modified Ariya e-4ORCE, with lifted suspension and outsize tyres, with which it will bid to take on one of the world’s last unconquered car journeys – the 17,000 miles around the world from the magnetic North Pole to the South Pole.

Piloted by British adventurers Chris and Julie Ramsey, the Ariya will be the first vehicle of any type to attempt the journey. The husband and wife team will also claim the accolade of undertaking the first ever fully electric global driving challenge in the Pole to Pole expedition, aboard the fully electric SUV.

In preparation for the expedition, the Ariya is being ruggedised to protect it against the conditions it will encounter. Its large tyres will be covered by dramatically flared wheelarches, part of a suite of body mods designed to let it operate in the icy wilderness of the Antarctic. In other ways, though, it will remain standard, relying on what Nissan call’s its ‘most advanced all-wheel control technology’ to maintain progress in the harshest terrain.

‘Daring to do what others don’t, Nissan and the team of extreme pioneers at Pole to Pole are pushing the limits of electric mobility, accelerating towards a cleaner, safer, more inclusive world,’ says Nissan’s

Clíodhna Lyons. ‘In undertaking and completing this ambitious expedition, we hope to reach and inspire action in others all around the world, demonstrating the prowess of electric vehicles and speeding up adoption as part of the solution to reducing global emissions.’

Nissan sees the expedition as part of its Ambition 2030 vision, a long-term plan to ‘empower mobility and beyond with electrification as a central focus.’ You’ll be able to read more about it, and about the extreme Ariya itself, in future issues of this magazine.

Shelby American importer Clive Sutton celebrates American legend’s 100th birthday by securing allocation of 775bhp Super Snake pick-ups

LEGENDARY US RACING DRIVER and performance car builder Carroll Shelby would have been 100 on 11 January. To celebrate the anniversary, Shelby American’s official UK importer Clive Sutton has announced that it has secured an allocation of the company’s Super Snake, whose supercharged 5.0-litre V8 engine gives it an output of 775bhp.

Based on the new Ford F-150, the Super Snake comes with a long list of performance enhancements. It has Ford’s latest 10-speed automatic gearbox as well as Fox shockers and 22” Shelby wheels, as well as its own unique bumpers and induction vents, carbon trim and custom two-tone seats. You can also specify an off-road package featuring a BDS suspension lift and 35” BFGoodrich All-Terrains. Prices start at £139,950 plus VAT in Single-Cab form, with the Double-Cab bumping that to £159,950. That’s for the on-road version; if you want the big one, the good news is that Clive Sutton is quoting just the £157,950 for that. A total of six vehicles will be available during 2023.