The concept of the GT car emerged from Europe in the mid-1900s, with the goal of being both a high-performance automobile and a long-distance driver. So GT — meaning grand tourer or gran tourer — makes sense. Some hallmarks of GT models include a near-seamless merging of luxury and performance and a 2+2 design. Enzo Ferrari was among the early GT pioneers alongside Johnny Lurani and Vittoria Jano.
Borrowed from the Italian gran turismo, grand tourer is an almost direct translation. While gran turismo means “grand tour” and typically refers to a cultural tour around Europe, a grand (or gran) tourer is a car that’s been engineered for comfort on those long drives.
While you might see a positively barren cockpit on a Formula 1 car and a lackluster engine under the hood of a pure luxury vehicle, grand tourers emphasize the fusion of comfort and speed. The result is the definitive automobile, elegant and more refined than traditional sports cars. Most GT cars feature:
Discover your own Ferrari GT in the new Ferrari Roma at your Chicago Ferrari dealer, Ferrari Lake Forest. Have questions about past, present, and future grand tourers? Contact us to learn more, or let us bring the Ferrari dealership to you through our Atelier Design Studio.
Schedule a Ferrari pre-track inspection early enough to address tires, brakes, fluids, warning lights, and other mechanical concerns before the event. Read the organizer’s rules carefully because helmet standards, convertible requirements, sound limits, technical inspections, and passing procedures vary by event. Bring the car back to road-ready condition afterward with a careful tire, brake, fluid,…
The 2026 Ferrari Roma Spider is lighter in character, quicker to respond, and more closely connected to Ferrari’s sports-car engineering. The 2026 Aston Martin DB12 Volante produces more horsepower and torque, but it approaches performance with the feel of a traditional luxury grand tourer. Both feature twin-turbocharged V8 engines and power-folding fabric roofs, but the…
Lake Bluff gives Ferrari owners quick access to Wisconsin hills, Michigan lakeshore towns, and Illinois river bluff routes. The best Ferrari road trips balance pavement quality, curve rhythm, scenic payoff, and a destination worth reaching. Ferrari Lake Forest can help owners prepare with factory-standard service, pre-trip inspections, and model guidance before the next long drive….
