Gran Turismo (automobile)

Gran Turismo is a Italian term of reference to the "Grand Tour" and roughly translates into English as "Grand Touring" (and in French as "Grand Tourisme").

Gran Turismo automobiles

Gran Turismo is today almost exclusively thought of in the context of automobiles - this seems especially true in recent years with examples such as the computer game series Gran Turismo (see below) serving to highlight the term's popular perception. Its automobile origins however lie with the "GT" naming tradition emerging from Italy. Manufacturers such as Alfa Romeo, Ferrari and Lancia often designated their cars as Gran Turismo. The 1951 Lancia Aurelia B20 GT, for example being one of the first cars to sport such a name.

The GT term has many variations:

* GTI or GTi - meaning Gran Turismo Iniezione (Grand Touring Injection), first used on the 1961 Maserati 3500 GTI. The Volkswagen Golf GTI (1975) was the first mass produced car to have such a name.
* GTE or GT/E (Einspritzung - a German word for injection) used in Germany and present for example on the Opel Manta GT/E.
* GTO (Gran Turismo Omologato) meaning homologated car for racing (used by Ferrari, Pontiac and Mitsubishi).
* GTA (Gran Turismo Alleggerita) meaning lightened GT car. For example the Alfa Romeo GTA.
* GTAm (modified lightened car). For example the Alfa Romeo GTAm.
* GTB (Gran Turismo Berlinetta) meaning a coupe GT car. For example the Ferrari 328 GTB.
* GTC (Gran Turismo Compact) for example Opel Astra GTC
* GTS (Gran Turismo Spider) meaning a convertible GT car. For example the Ferrari 348 GTS.
* GTV (Gran Turismo Veloce) meaning a fast GT car. For example the Alfa Romeo GTV6.

Today the term "Grand Tourer", or "Gran Turismo" is synonymous with the high-powered sports cars that take part in long distance or endurance races like 24 Hours of Le Mans, Mille Miglia, Targa Florio, Carrera Panamericana. Examples include:

* Dodge Viper GTS-R.
* Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano.
* Saab GT750.
* Aston Martin V12 Vanquish.
* Audi A5.
* BMW 6 Series.
* Mercedes-Benz SL-Class.

After these famous races and cars, several road cars and even computer games adopted the Gran Turismo name:
* "Grand tourer", a car designed for comfortable long distance driving.
* "Gran Turismo" ("GT") series of video games developed by Polyphony Digital for a number of Sony's PlayStation platforms.
* Many automobiles integrate "GT" into their names or use "GT" to describe a particular trim level.

ee also

* FIA GT Championship
* Endurance racing
* Sports car racing
* Super GT
* American Le Mans Series
* Le Mans Series
* World Sportscar Championship