Rather than necromancing this old thread:
Where’s the Antarctic Monster-Truck? - Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share - Straight Dope Message Board
the Snow Cruiser!
What Happened to the Antarctic Snow Cruiser? | Watch
Wow, what a kerfunkel.
Thanks for sharing this. I hadn’t heard about this vehicle before today and what an interesting story it is. I’ve been on a few rushed and also failed projects, but not of this scope and we weren’t going to freaking Antarctica. Crazy!
When I saw the smooth tires, I knew exactly how that was going to end.
Just this, smooth tyres, is enough to think “crazy”.
I like the bizarre Jules Verne idea, but like his contraptions, the idea is so bizarre it should not exist outside fiction. But humanity still built it!
This is why we have Burning Man, folks. Crazy ideas also need a safe space.
It got stuck in a ditch while driving in Ohio.
Fortunately, Burning Man has no ditches.
Only takes a little rain to shut that shit down.
Not to mention the horrific approach angles and ground clearance for something that big.
And like you say, what’s up with the smooth tires.
It is as if not a single scientist on the design team, if such a rôle existed, had realised the pressure melting point rules for water ice , even with oversized tyres. I see they did double up (which may have made steering hard) in some of the photos, but seriously? Just a hint of ridges on the tyre would get better traction.
Yeah, when I look at it I can see that whoever designed it was a comic book fan.