The Fiat Grande Punto has made its "ice racing" debut this year, taking part in the spectacular sideways action of the Trophée Andros winter racing series in France. The Grande Punto has already made its competition debut in several disciplines, in the rallying arena it has proved itself to be a winner on both asphalt and gravel surfaces, scooping three important titles in the first year; while on the race tracks it has pitted its lithe frame against the "Green Hell", the Nürburgring 24 Hours, and is set to appear in touring car championships as far afield as South Africa and Australia this year. Now it is adding the rigours and precise technique of ice racing.

Fiat has been at the forefront of ice racing in France, where the spectacular Trophée Andros is a huge winter season draw for French motor racing fans each year, for two seasons now; highlights including a highly prestigious double win with the Stilo last spring at the series' 'blue riband' event held in the imposing Stade de France, the football stadium purpose-built in Paris to hold the final of the 1998 FIFA Football World Cup. This year saw Fiat back for a third crack on ice, with the plan being to start the season with the existing Stilo before a mid-season switch to the new Grande Punto.

The 2006 series pilots Philippe de Korsak and Franck Lagorce were retained for this year's edition, while the cars were once again be prepared and run by famous French motor sport outfit ORECA, supported again by Overdrive. The Trophée Andros cars are effectively 'silhouette' racers, purpose-built for the rigorous demands of ice surfaces which require a distinct technique, so the outgoing Stilo would be re-skinned as a Grande Punto, while underneath it will remain virtually the same, although the suspension had been improved. Powered by a 24-valve, 3.0-litre V6 engine (which is drawn from the Fiat Ulysse MPV, to fit the series' technical requirements that state the racer's engine must be Fiat-sourced) the unit is mated up to a competition 6-speed sequential gearbox, with the resulting 350bhp fed to the wheels and narrow ice specification tyres through a dedicated though four wheel drive transmission.

While the outgoing Stilo racer was used for the opening three rounds before Christmas, the new Grande Punto arrived just in time for round four, held on a temporary 800 metre long track at the famous Alpine ski resort, Isola 2000.
 

The track is located 2,000 metres above sea level, and the event took place on 12/13 January. The new car started very well, Lagorce taking through the knock out heats to a second place overall on scratch times on day two, close behind former F1 world champion Alain Prost, who is this year driving a Toyota Auris. Lagorce left Isola 2000 in fifth place in the points classification. A week later, at another famous ski resort, Serre Chevalier, at 1,400 metres above sea level, Lagorce claimed two podium finishes in the finals, a second and third, to keep hold of his fifth place classification. Another week on and Lagorce posted the the second fastest scratch time on day one at Lans en Vercors/Villard de Lans.

At the penultimate round at Clermont/Superbesse De Korsak took a fourth place in one of his super finals, while the final round took place at a spectacular new venue to the series, Geopark, at Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, the cars running on the facility's oval race track, which was iced over especially for the occasion. After battling through the heats De Korsak wrapped up his Trophée Andros season by finishing a strong sixth in his super final, while Lagorce finished ninth in the other.

Veteran racing driver and undisputed French hero Alain Prost won the 2007 Trophée Andros series (860 points) from another experienced ice racer Jean-Philippe Dayraut (836), with former rally star Bertrand Balas (817) third. Another former French F1 driver, Oliver Panis (805) was fourth in the final points table ahead of the first Fiat pilot, Frank Lagorce (782) who rounded out the top five. The other ORECA/Overdrive Grande Punto pilot Philippe De Korsak (665) was 13th. The Stilo also featured throughout the series, with Jean-Pierre Pernaut in an ORECA entered example posting several fastest heat times during the season, with several more examples being run by private entrants.