Billionaires Used To Build Schools And Libraries, Now They Drive Priceless Cars On Ice And That's Kind Of The Same Thing

Everyone who is anyone in the European car community simply must attend the I.C.E. St. Moritz. The Moritz, and a few other frozen car havens like it, have weaponized your mid-winter FOMO and encouraged anyone with a Swiss bank account and a helicopter to attend. Bring along your valet, your driving loafers, a change of scarves, and fingerless gloves, because you'll be piloting your most expensive car on a frozen horse track at the speed of a brisk jog. Isn't it delightful?

I will admit, I have personally admired the stories, the engineering, the mechanical prowess, and the gorgeous design of many of the cars in attendance. These are cars that earned their place in the annals of automotive history, winning storied races, crossing incredible milestones, and generally being awe-inspiring. Once retired from sport, they have become the trading cards of the wealthy. Mere play things, never to see their full potential mete out on the competition field. Call up your mechanic and have them fit studded snow tires to your Porsche 911 GT1 Strassenversion, what's a few thousand Euros compared to a couple of days of fun? 

This is an event that brings in the likes of Bugatti, Audi, McLaren, and others to show off their historical highlights with past-their-prime racing drivers and champagne-filled VIP sections. This year's best of show was a 1937 Talbot-Lago T150C SS by Figoni & Falaschi, a car you barely can even look at if you don't have six figures in your bank account. The tickets aren't cheap to attend, but if you want to see some cars you've not seen outside of a museum before, it's probably worth it. 

There was a time not all that long ago when billionaires knew their place in society and occasionally parted with some of their hoard for the good of their community. It was the right thing to do, building schools, hospitals, libraries, and community centers, of course, but that wasn't why they did it. In addition to the tax benefits, a complacent and pacified populace tended not to strike or walk out on their job. 

At some point recently, certainly before the 2008 financial crisis, it became commonplace that the well-to-do show off the spoils of their amassed wealth in as ostentatious a way as possible. After dying down for about a decade, the practice came roaring back, fueled by Instagram. Despite our global economic outlook being a few shades poorer than it was in 2009, the haves are getting a little more show-offfy.

Don't get me wrong, I'm ecstatic that these cars are out and being exercised rather than sitting locked away in their maiden's tower somewhere, never to see a mote of dust or pockmarked road again. That being said, before you show off your toybox of riches and spoils, would it really hurt you that much to fund a newspaper's losses, improve the education of your local schools, donate to the arts, build third places, or put your name on a dang bike lane? The Rockefellers, Carnegies, and Vanderbilts knew their place in the world. Let's work together to make the world a better place, and we can all have fun with our cars in peace!