The temperature is well below freezing, and a thick coat of frost covers the ground. If you’re a track day junkie, you realize your favorite circuit will be dotted with patches of unforgiving black ice, and that no amount of spirited driving is going to put enough heat in your tires to make them stick well. Is it time to hunker down and await the arrival of spring?

Not according to Porsche, which is why it’s been building all-wheel-drive 911 Carrera 4 models since 1989. To demonstrate how good the car is when the weather turns bad, Porsche filmed a recent winter test drive event at Britain’s Silverstone circuit. As expected, the AWD Carrera 4 models performed flawlessly, impressing owners of rear-drive 911 models with their handling prowess and tenacious grip.

Even a flooded skid pad and cold tires failed to upset the Carrera 4, as long as the driver used some judgement in applying throttle, brakes and steering. We don’t advise you probe the handling limits of any car on wet or icy roads, but it’s good to know that the Porsche 911 Carrera 4 extends the driving season for those of us wh can never get enough time behind the wheel.