Before Frank Zamboni developed the machine in 1949 that bears his name, resurfacing an ice rink took a team of men and a tractor about an hour. The early Zambonis were based on Jeeps. It wasn’t until 1964 that the Zamboni HD-series took on the enclosed shape and design that we know today.

Driving a Zamboni is not as much fun as it looks: Visibility from the elevated left-rear position is poor, the abrupt throttle tip-in takes some getting used to, and the vague steering is totally ’70s Cadillac. Despite the studded tires and all-wheel drive, the handling profile is pure oversteer.

Resurfacing the ice is done by a conditioner, the large contraption behind the rear wheels that houses a razor-sharp blade, a squeegee, and a horizontal auger that removes the shaved ice from the blade. Lowering the blade controls how much ice is cut off the surface. Then hot, ice-making water is poured onto the freshly shaved ice. New, a Zamboni starts at about $100,000.

reprinted from Car & Driver Magazine, May 2009

BY K.C. COLWELL, PHOTOGRAPHY BY AARON KILEY
May 2009