The Explorers Club was founded in 1904 and could have picked a better spot than the middle of Manhattan. Still, this location is where many global adventures and expeditions have begun and ended, giving well-heeled adventurers a great place to gather before setting off. Recently, a massive Ford Super Duty truck with six wheels pulled up in front of The Explorers Club to prepare for a new adventure.

Who is the leader of this new adventure?

When the massive Ford Super Duty truck, riding on 44-inch tires, pulled up at The Explorers Club, Andrew Comrie-Picard jumped out and headed into the club. Comrie-Picard is an adventurer by nature, serving as a stunt coordinator for Top Gear, and he’s been a rally and Baja 1000 champion.

This new adventure will check off something important from his bucket list: driving a wheeled vehicle to the North Pole and then to the South Pole. The Explorers Club serves as the starting point, where he collected the coveted club flags to plant at each pole.

A team of adventurers for the pole-to-pole journey in Ford vehicles

The group of adventurers, who had been training and testing themselves and their vehicles under extreme conditions, includes several experienced members. This team, led by Andrew Comrie-Picard, includes:

• Vasily Elagin (North Pole, Marine Life Arctic Expeditions)
• Vasily Shakhnovsky (seven summits and two poles)
• Alex Abramov (7 Peaks Club president)
• Emil Grimmson (Arctic Trucks chairman)

These experienced adventurers and a team of leading environmental scientists and support crew comprise the group participating in the Transglobal Car Expedition (TGCE).

What vehicles are part of this expedition?

The Ford Super Duty truck that looked completely out of place on Manhattan streets is the main vehicle for the adventure. This truck is:

AT44 XDS F-350 6×6

Platform: Ford F-350 Super Duty

Powertrain: 6.7-liter high-output Power Stroke turbocharged diesel/10-speed automatic transmission

Output: 500 horsepower, 1,200 lb-ft of torque.

Another truck being used for this expedition is:

AT44 F-150 Hybrid

Platform: Ford F-150

Powertrain: 3.5-liter V6 Hybrid, 35-kW electric motor/10-speed automatic transmission

Output: 430 horsepower, 570 lb-ft of torque.

The expedition team also uses a Ford SUV, specially made for the journey. This SUV is:

AT35 Expedition

Platform: Ford Expedition

Powertrain: 3.5-liter V6 Hybrid, 35-kW electric motor/10-speed automatic transmission

Output: 430 horsepower, 570 lb-ft of torque

The final vehicle used for this adventure is:

Yemelya 6×6 Amphibia

Powertrain: Toyota 2.0-liter 4-cylinder diesel/5-speed manual transmission

Output: 101 horsepower, 97 lb-ft of torque

How will this team complete the pole-to-pole loop?

If the starting point is The Explorers Club, it also serves as the finish line. The fleet of Ford vehicles, led by the Ford Super Duty truck, leaves New York City to meet the four Yemelyas in Cambridge Bay, where the team will take these vehicles to the polar ice cap. The plan is to reach Antarctica in December and return to New York City via South and Central America.

Chris Collard of Car and Driver provides a more in-depth look at this team and their adventures, which you can follow via the online tracker. Hopefully, we’ll have good news to report when the team completes this adventure.