Gran Turismo (automobile)

A grand tourer (Italian: gran turismo) (GT) is a performance and luxury automobile capable of high speed and long-distance driving. The most common format is a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive two-door coupé with either a two-seat or a 2+2 arrangement. The term derives from the Italian phrase gran turismo, a tribute to the horse-drawn tradition of the grand tour, used to represent automobiles regarded as grand tourers, able to make long-distance, high-speed journeys in both comfort and style. The grand touring car concept is generally considered to have originated in Europe in the early 1950s, especially with the 1951 introduction of the Lancia Aurelia B20 GT, and features notable luminaries of Italian automotive history such as Vittorio Jano,Enzo Ferrari and Johnny Lurani. The grand touring definition implies material differences in performance at speed, comfort, and amenities between elite automobiles and those of ordinary motorists. In the post-war United States, manufacturers were less inclined to adopt the "ethos of the GT car", preferring to build automobiles "suited to their long, straight, smooth roads and labor-saving lifestyles" and wide availability of powerful straight-six and V8 engines. Despite this, the United States, enjoying early post-war economic expansion, was the largest market for European grand touring cars which found success penetrating the American personal luxury car market; and with movie stars, celebrities and the jet set; notably the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class (imported by Max Hoffman), and the glamorous Ferrari berlinettas (imported by Luigi Chinetti). Grand touring cars have since become the most coveted and valuable automobiles in the world among wealthy collectors.

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