What Does GT Stand For?

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.

Grand Tourer Definition

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.

Characteristics of Grand Tourers

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:

• Seating for at least two. 2+2 seating is incredibly common on grand tourers.
• Driver-centric cockpit. It’s in the cockpit design where you see the fusion of performance vehicles — where everything is within arm’s reach — and luxury.
• Versatile engine. Grand tourers need to be able to excel at both the sprint and the marathon.

Find Your Ferrari GT at Ferrari Lake Forest

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.