The term touring , or GT (from the Italian ” gran turismo “) is the name given to a class of small production cars to luxurious and trendy sports as well as several classes of cars competing .
First applied to “road” cars, this term refers to high-performance automobiles intended to cross long distances at high speed in comfort and style. These models are most often in the form of a two-seater coupé , with sometimes two small additional seats at the rear.
Competition
The races of the time that gave birth to the term separated the vehicles into several classes, and the ranking to the performance index allowed small cars to appear well in speed events. This gave birth to small touring vehicles, while today the term refers only to large-capacity vehicles, mostly prestige brands. Initially, this type of car participated in races, most of which were long distance and endurance races such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans , the Mille Miglia , the Targa Florio and the Carrera Panamericana .
The term now refers to a class of vehicles in track speed events ( FFSA GT French Championship , FIA GT1 World Championship ) as well as in Le Mans Series endurance races . The GT categories (GT4, GT3, GT2 and GT1) are characterized by the need to develop a car from a homologated model and sold for the road, which differentiates them from the Sport-prototype categories .
There are also GT categories in rally , as well as in ribbing . In 2015 is organized in rally the first FIA R-GT Cup international, with two rounds of the world championship and three of the championship of Europe
Abbreviation GT and its derivatives
The term has given rise to many derivatives used by manufacturers more or less in connection with the meaning of “grand tourism”. The best known, GTI, is also the one who has farthest away from it.
GTI or GTi – GT Injection , creation of Maserati , popularized by Volkswagen , then taken over by Peugeot
GTD – GT Diesel , Volkswagen
GTE – GT Electric at Volkswagen , GT Einspritzung (“injection” in German), at Opel
GTO – GT Omologato (“homologated for competition”), creation of Ferrari , taken over by Pontiac , Mitsubishi
GTA – GT Alleggerita (“lightened” in Italian), creation of Alfa Romeo
GTB – GT Berlinetta , creation of Ferrari
GTC – GT Compressore at Alfa Romeo , GT Coupe at Ferrari , GT Cabriolet at Bentley , GT Compact at Opel
GTS – GT Spider , creation of Ferrari
GTTurbo – GT Turbo-compressor , creation of Renault
GTR or GT-R – GT Racing , McLaren , Mercedes, Nissan
GTV – GT Veloce , creation of Alfa Romeo
In competition (example 24 Hours of Le Mans ) ” GTE ” means “Grand Touring Endurance”.
Current Class GT Racing Cars
Some examples 2 :
Aston Martin DBR9 , V8 Vantage N24
Chevrolet Corvette C5-R and C6-R
Dodge Viper
Ferrari F430
Hommell Berlinette (typical of the GT series class in France, in rallies and hill races)
Lamborghini Murcielago
Lotus Exige
Panoz Esperante
Porsche 911 GT3 , GT2 and GT1
Saleen S7
Spyker C8 Spyker
Grand Tour Automobiles