The series originated from an idea developed in 1985 by professional racer Max Mamers, a French Rallycross Champion in 1982 and 1983 with Talbot Matra Murena, and Frédéric Gervoson, the owner of the Andros company. They began winter racing with friends on ice circuits, leading to the first round of the championship on 27 January 1990 at Serre Chevalier, consisting of four rounds. The series expanded to five rounds in 1991 with a race at Paris (Pelouse de Reuilly), and seven rounds in 1992.
In 2003, the trophy gained an international aspect with a race held in Sherbrooke, Canada, continuing for three seasons. For the 2005-06 season, the championship was largely national, with the exception of a single round in Andorra. A significant change occurred for the 2019-20 season with a switch to full electric cars. The 2023–24 season marked the end of the championship, influenced by global warming making predictable ice and snow conditions increasingly difficult to find in France.
The Trophée Andros incorporates several race classes. The Elite Pro Class is the original and highest class, featuring prominent drivers. The Elite Class, starting in 1994 (originally named Promotion), is designed for smaller teams, with participation conditional on drivers not finishing in the top 20 overall, never having participated in the Elite Pro Class, and not being professional drivers.
The AMV Cup, featuring motorbike races, was introduced at the 1996 championship final at Super Besse, and became a series in its own right in the 1997/98 season, with a race at every round from that point. The Trophée Andros Féminin – Sprint Cars, created in 2002, combined two categories, pairing a female driver with an experienced instructor in a 600cc 6-speed buggy-styled car, competing in separate races each weekend. This trophy was discontinued in 2011, with some female drivers moving into other categories within the championship, including the main series and electric car races.
On 14 February 1999, the series held a Superfinal at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, on the outskirts of Paris. A 700-tonne ice oval track was constructed around the stadium, hosting racing for around 60,000 spectators, though no championship points were awarded. The Superfinal was held at the Stade de France for three years, before moving to Nœux-les-Mines in 2002. It returned to the Stade de France in 2004, and was also held at Saint-Dié-des-Vosges in 2005, the Stade de France in 2006, 2008 and 2011, before settling at Clermont / Super Besse in recent years.
Alongside Yvan Muller and Jean-Philippe Dayraut, Alain Prost is another multiple championship winner, with 3 championships and 38 race wins. The series has attracted drivers from other motorsport disciplines, including Formula One drivers Olivier Panis, Romain Grosjean and Jacques Villeneuve.
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