What does gran turismo mean? I read the word in magazines and stuff, but it's not in any dictionaries that I've looked in? What makes a good "gran turismo" car?

 

"The History of Gran Turismo"

The term "Gran Turismo" is a direct Italian translation of "Grand Touring." Although it is applied to a class of automobiles today, it predates the automobile by a considerable amount of time. In England, as far back as the 17th Century, Peers of the Realm and members of the wealthy families would go on long trips to travel the European continent. The journey was called the "Gran Tour," and it was an expected part of a young gentleman's education. The Grand Tour could last for several years, and was made by horse-drawn coach. Major Continental cities, including Paris, and historic landmarks were stops on the route. The very final destination was always Rome, the center for the European art and culture since the Renaissance. There participants would socialize with their peers and scholars, and enroll in courses of academic study to pursue a classical education.

The carriages used for the Gran Tour acquired the name "Gran Turismo" in Italian. When automobiles replaced horse-drawn carriages as the conveyance of choice for Grand Tour participants in the early Twentieth Century, a certain type became popular. It was a fast and light two-seater, but more comfortable and well-appointed than a pure sports car. The genre reached its peak after World War II, when limited-production and specially-constructed two-seaters became popular with members of royalty, wealthy sportsmen, and movie stars. Many of these cars were raced, and the production car category in European racing became know as Gran Turismo, Grand Touring, of just plain GT. Regulations required two-seat interiors, spare tires, and luggage capacity, and in the 1950s at least, GT-class racers could be and were driven to the track, raced, and driven home. Production-based racing classes are still know as "GT" classes in many racing series today.

hope this helps.

comes directly from the GT2 user manual!

drive safe,

aj

 

gran turismo is Italian for "grand touring". IIRC, a GT car was a car that could be used for both the street and the track...


Matt

 

Literaly it translates to "Great Tourism" from either Italian or Spanish. A looser definition is "Grand Touring"

 

Like it isn't bad enough that you beat me to the reply, your answer was like 50 times better.


Matt

 

haha, LMAO!! Sorry about that guys

take care, and drive safe,

aj

edit: btw: what else can someone do in their spare time that has 42,000+ posts!


[Modified by ajn, 10:15 PM 4/17/2002]

 

Awesome! Thanks a ton guys.

 

My question is... What determines "Touring Style" ????
(This is not a serious question... more of an inside joke)

 

18" Wheels with rubber band tires (wheels have to be white)
4" drop
36" long x 8" wide Wing mounted 8" off of body
Stickers, lots of stickers
Fake HID's
Seat Belt Pads
Extra Gauges on the interior (preferrably on the a-pillar) to tell you things you already know or provide useless feedback

Now you have all the "look" of a BTCC wihtout the hassle of a full race suspension and cage!

 

or better yet.....

 

Like the posts above say, it means "Grand Touring". This is the last step in the "Touring" hierarchy, notably being above "Improved Touring"

Of course, down hea' in Louisiana, most learned folks know its all named after that lil' town in Itlee

 

Going off topic, and answered.