It’s that time of the year again—special edition time, a recurring theme in the automotive industry. Every day, every month, every year, it’s always the opportune moment for a special edition model launch. The creation of a special edition car serves as a strategic measure to dissuade consumers from opting for aftermarket personalization. These special editions also fulfil the purpose of garnering more publicity for the brand and its associated model derivatives. However, such special editions are not always as special as their name suggests, often celebrating events that few have heard of before.

Take the Audi RS eTron GT Ice Race Edition, it celebrates the annual GP Ice Race in Zell am See in the Austrian Alps. Priced at £150,630(OTR), the very special edition takes the RS e-tron GT ice race concept show car as its basis, and is finished in a silver, white and violet colour scheme designed to “evoke the crystalline brilliance of snow and ice”.

The Audi eTron RS GT comes equipped with twin electric motors, providing all-wheel drive (AWD) and outputting 589 bhp/850 Nm. It boasts a rapid 0-62 mph time of 3.3 seconds and reaches a top speed of 155 mph—undoubtedly fast enough. However, fully harnessing this power on ice proves to be a challenge. Unless Audi developed specific software to include an “Ice Race Mode” setting… nope, they didn’t.

The Audi eTron GT RS is an embodiment of vanity, emphasizing the silver, white, and violet color scheme to evoke “the crystalline brilliance of snow and ice.” It’s about the white accents and vibrant shades reminiscent of winter sports eyewear. It’s about the dark privacy glass and contrasting 21-inch black alloy wheels. It’s about exclusivity being limited to just 99 models, with only four allocated to the UK.

Paying a premium for a vinyl-wrapped eTron GT RS will, at the very least, get you a fully kitted-out one-of-a-kind vanity showcase. This represents lucrative business for Audi, as the total sales of this special edition amount to over £15 million.