Difference between revisions of "GT car"

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A '''grand tourer''' ([[Italian language|Italian]]: ''[[Gran turismo]]''), sometimes [[initialism|initialised]] '''[[GT]]''', is a high-performance [[automobile]] designed for long distance driving. Any such car could be considered to be a grand tourer, but the traditional and most common [[car body style|body style]] is a two door [[coupe]] with either a two seat or a 2+2 seat arrangement. Example cars include the [[BMW 6-Series]] and the [[Aston Martin DB9]].
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Grand tourers differ from [[sports cars]] in that they are usually larger, heavier and tend to make less compromise in comfort for the sake of driving ability. For this reason they mostly have front-mounted engines that leave more space for the cabin than mid-mounted engines. They also tend to have softer [[suspension (vehicle)|suspension]] to provide good ride quality. However, grand tourers do have similarities with sports cars, such as the fact they mainly use rear or [[four wheel drive]], and the term sports car may be used to describe a car with grand touring qualities. Very high-performance grand tourers, such as the [[Ferrari 575M Maranello]], may be considered to be [[supercar]]s.
 
  
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A '''grand tourer''' ([[gran turismo]]), ([[initialism|initialised]] '''GT'''), is a high-performance [[automobile]] designed for long-distance driving.  Any such car could be considered a grand tourer, but the traditional and most common [[car body style|body style]] is the two-door [[coupé]] with either a two-seat or a [[2 plus 2|2+2 seat]] arrangement.
  
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{{Modern-auto-stub}}
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Grand tourers differ from typical [[sports car]]s (e.g. [[Lotus Elise]], [[Porsche 911]]) in that they are usually larger, heavier (sometimes more than 3,500 lbs), and tend to make less compromise in comfort for the sake of driving ability.  For this reason, most have [[FMR layout|front-mounted engines]], which leave more space for the cabin than [[RMR layout|mid-mounted engines]].  They also tend to have softer [[suspension (vehicle)|suspensions]] to provide good [[ride quality]].  However, grand tourers do have similarities with sports cars, such as their use mainly of [[rear-wheel drive|rear-]] or [[four-wheel drive]], and the term sports car may be used to describe a car with grand touring qualities.  Very high-performance grand tourers, such as the [[Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano]], [[Nissan GT-R]] and the [[Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren]], may be considered to be [[supercar]]s. 
  
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==Performance Characteristics==
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Because of their powerful engines, grand tourers can still compete with many sports cars in top-speed and acceleration.  However, in terms of handling they are a magnitude below sports cars, because of their weight and softer suspension.  Grand tourers excel at high speed, long distance travel, or races, and make more practical daily drivers than sports cars.
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==Classification==
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In certain professional motorsport classifications, such as the Grand Touring categories promoted by the [[FIA]], the GT car is defined as "an open or closed automobile which has no more than one door on each side and a minimum of two seats situated one on each side of the longitudinal centre line of the car; these two seats must be crossed by the same transversal plane.  This car must be able to be used perfectly legally on the open road, and adapted for racing on circuits or closed courses."
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Using the above definition, it is still valid to place sport cars such as the Corvette and the 911 in the grand touring category since they do contain many, if not all, the amenities of a grand tourer.  However, this weakness in motorsport classification sometimes blurs the line of what is considered a true ''production'' grand tourer, and may lead to mis-classification.
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==Examples of production grand tourers==
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<div style="-moz-column-count:3;column-count:3;">
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*[[AC Frua]]
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*[[Alfa Romeo Brera]]
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*[[Alfa Romeo GT]]
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*[[Aston Martin DB2]]
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*[[Aston Martin DB Mark III]]
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*[[Aston Martin DB4]]
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*[[Aston Martin DB5]]
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*[[Aston Martin DB6]]
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*[[Aston Martin V8]]
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*[[Aston Martin DB7]]
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*[[Aston Martin DB9]]
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*[[Aston Martin V12 Vanquish|Aston Martin Vanquish S]]
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*[[Audi Quattro]]
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*[[Audi A5]]
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*[[Bentley Brooklands|Bentley Brooklands Coupé]]
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*[[Bentley Continental GT|Bentley Continental GT Speed]]
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*[[BMW 8 Series]]
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*[[BMW M6]]
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*[[Cadillac XLR-V]]
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*[[Citroën SM]]
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*[[De Tomaso Longchamp]]
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*[[Ferrari 250 GTO]]
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*[[Ferrari 575M Maranello]]
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*[[Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano]]
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*[[Ferrari 612 Scaglietti]]
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*[[Ferrari Daytona]]
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*[[Holden Monaro]]
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*[[Infiniti M30]]
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*[[Infiniti G35]]
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*[[Jaguar XJS]]
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*[[Jaguar XK|Jaguar XKR]]
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*[[Jensen 541S]]
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*[[Jensen Interceptor]]
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*[[Lamborghini 350GT]]
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*[[Lamborghini 400GT]]
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*[[Lamborghini Islero|Lamborghini Islero S]]
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*[[Lamborghini Jarama]]
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*[[Lancia Aurelia]]
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*[[Lexus GS]]
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*[[Lexus SC]]
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*[[Lincoln Mark VIII]]
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*[[Lotus Europa]]
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*[[Lotus Europa S]]
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*[[Maserati 3500]]
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*[[Maserati A6]]
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*[[Maserati Ghibli]]
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*[[Maserati GranTurismo]]
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*[[Maserati Kyalami]]
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*[[Maserati Mistral]]
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*[[Maserati Sebring]]
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*[[Mercedes-Benz CL-Class|Mercedes-Benz CL65 AMG]]
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*[[Mercedes-Benz R230|Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG]]
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*[[Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren]]
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*[[Mercede-Benz R107]]
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*[[Mitsubishi GTO]]
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*[[Mitsubishi 3000GT]]
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*[[Monteverdi High Speed]]
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*[[Nissan S30]]
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*[[Nissan 300ZX]]
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*[[Nissan 350Z]]
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*[[Nissan Silvia]]
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*[[Nissan Skyline GT-R]]
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*[[Porsche 928]]
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*[[Pontiac GTO]]
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*[[Saab GT750]]
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*[[Subaru Alcyone SVX|Subaru SVX]]
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*[[Subaru XT]]
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*[[Toyota Celica]]
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*[[Toyota Soarer]]
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*[[Toyota Supra]]
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*[[TVR Cerbera]]
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*[[Triumph GT6]]
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*[[Vauxhall Monaro]]
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*[[Volkswagen Eos]]
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*[[Volvo 200 Series|Volvo 262C]]
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*[[Volvo 780]]
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*[[Volvo C70]]
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</div>
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<gallery>
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Image:Maserati GranTurismo.JPG|2007 [[Maserati Gran Turismo]]
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Image:Bentley Continental GT Speed.JPG|2007 [[Bentley Continental GT|Bentley Continental GT Speed]]
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Image:Audi S5 sideright.JPG|2008 [[Audi A5|Audi S5]]
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Image:Lexus-SC430-2.jpg|2002 [[Lexus SC430]]
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Image:Lotus Europa S.jpg|2007[[ Lotus Europa S]]
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Image:Jaguar XKR Portfolio.JPG|2007 [[Jaguar XK|Jaguar XKR]]
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Image:Ferrari612SessentaEdition.jpg|2007[[Ferrari 612 Scaglietti]] Sessenta Edition
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Image:Saab93f gt750 01.jpg|Saab 93F GT750
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</gallery>
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==See also==
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* [[Sports car racing]]
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* [[FIA GT Championship]]
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* [[American Le Mans Series]]
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==External links==
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*[http://www.use-photos.com/Cars-GT/ GT Photos (Creative Commons Licence)]
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*[http://www.gt-cars.org/ GT Cars] - specifications, photos, forums and more.
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[[Category:Grand tourers| ]]
 
[[Category:Car classifications]]
 
[[Category:Car classifications]]

Latest revision as of 21:17, 22 September 2009


A grand tourer (gran turismo), (initialised GT), is a high-performance automobile designed for long-distance driving. Any such car could be considered a grand tourer, but the traditional and most common body style is the two-door coupé with either a two-seat or a 2+2 seat arrangement.

Grand tourers differ from typical sports cars (e.g. Lotus Elise, Porsche 911) in that they are usually larger, heavier (sometimes more than 3,500 lbs), and tend to make less compromise in comfort for the sake of driving ability. For this reason, most have front-mounted engines, which leave more space for the cabin than mid-mounted engines. They also tend to have softer suspensions to provide good ride quality. However, grand tourers do have similarities with sports cars, such as their use mainly of rear- or four-wheel drive, and the term sports car may be used to describe a car with grand touring qualities. Very high-performance grand tourers, such as the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, Nissan GT-R and the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, may be considered to be supercars.

Performance Characteristics

Because of their powerful engines, grand tourers can still compete with many sports cars in top-speed and acceleration. However, in terms of handling they are a magnitude below sports cars, because of their weight and softer suspension. Grand tourers excel at high speed, long distance travel, or races, and make more practical daily drivers than sports cars.

Classification

In certain professional motorsport classifications, such as the Grand Touring categories promoted by the FIA, the GT car is defined as "an open or closed automobile which has no more than one door on each side and a minimum of two seats situated one on each side of the longitudinal centre line of the car; these two seats must be crossed by the same transversal plane. This car must be able to be used perfectly legally on the open road, and adapted for racing on circuits or closed courses."

Using the above definition, it is still valid to place sport cars such as the Corvette and the 911 in the grand touring category since they do contain many, if not all, the amenities of a grand tourer. However, this weakness in motorsport classification sometimes blurs the line of what is considered a true production grand tourer, and may lead to mis-classification.

Examples of production grand tourers


See also

External links

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