What Isn’t A Gt
Although some of the cars on this list may be the most expensive in the range or have been designed for comfort and long-distance driving, they each have a glaring fault that would stop them from making it onto our unconventional GT list below.
We start off with the aforementioned UP! GT, not the most expensive UP! In the series and by no means the Grandest vehicle for its price tag. Although the UP! is one of the most expensive small city cars available on today’s market, that is where it was designed to be driven. The long twisting roads of the Stelvio Pass or Snake Pass through the Pennines are not where this car would feel at home.
The next car to fall short of the list is the BMW 2 Series Gran Tourer. Although the size of the car is significant and the BMW badge means that it is one of the comfiest 7-seaters on the market, however, the presence of the Gran Tourer is neither grand nor imposing and will struggle to get noticed on long trips.
The Vauxhall GTC is included here because despite the VXR variant the association between the Vauxhall badge and our interpretation of GT the GTC VXR feel like the cheaper alternative to the now pre-current Volkswagen Scirocco R, with this in mind the Vauxhall doesn’t fit the meaning of Grand for us.
Where Did Gt Come From In The World
Grand tourer comes from an Italian term, gran turismo. According to motortrend.com, this phrase translates to grand touring. This definition works well for any car labeled as a grand tourer. Spectacular cars are Italian specialties.
A grand tourer takes after this phrase by possessing the ability to do the following:
- Travel far: To go on a grand tour, you need to travel far. Grand tourer vehicles can tackle obstacles with powerful motion.
- Move fast: Not only do grand tourers go far, but they do so quickly. They can tour mountains just as well as they can on flat roads.
- Provide comfort: For a luxury drive, the outside needs to be nice, but so does the inside. A grand tourer is comfy and elegant on the inside.
Every attribute with a GT-labeled vehicle makes it perfect for a classy world tour.
Today, this Italian term has allowed grand tourers to develop into highly sought-after vehicles. If you decide to invest in one, you will receive a fast and practical luxury car for those who love going fast over all terrain. Where the term came from has defined it as a classy vehicle for ages to come.
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What Does Gt Mean On Cars And Where Did It Come From
One of the most misused and overused terms in the automotive world does have a specific definition.
Just two little letters: GT. You’ve seen them on the rumps of everything from Hyundais to Ferraris. At several points in time, they’ve formed the entire name of the only car Maserati builds. And Pontiac got more mileage out of those letters than the entire Italian auto industry combined. But what do the two letters actually mean, and why do we use them?
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What Is The Best Luxury Gt Car
How much money do you have? The sky’s the limit for both GT and luxury cars, so combine the two together and you’re likely to get a heady price. Plus don’t forget personal taste: some might argue a Bentley Continental GT is the best luxury GT car, while others might prefer a Mercedes S-Class Coupe, and others still would only ever choose an Aston Martin.
Aston Martin Dbs Superleggera
If theres one marque youd expect to get the execution of a luxurious, powerful and beautiful super-GT bang on the money, its Aston Martin. And with the latest DBS Superleggera, thats exactly what the iconic British brand has done.
This new flagship model was one of a small handful of cars to be awarded the full five-star rating by our road test team in 2018. Its an impressively well-rounded car, this one. The 715bhp and 664lb ft developed by its 5.2-litre twin-turbocharged V12 allows the DBS to cover ground with alarming and gathering urgency, and yet even with all that performance punch, the big Aston never feels intimidating, nervous or highly strung – something that cant be said of the Ferrari 812 Superfast. Superb handling and a ride thats taut but still usefully supple add to its outstanding grand touring credentials.
There are a few flies in its ointment, though. Its not exactly lightweight and the eight-speed gearbox can be a bit aggressive at low speeds. The cabin is also a mite too similar to that of the considerably cheaper DB11 to effortlessly distinguish this quarter-million-pound sporting flagship as well as it might.
Even so, this is a phenomenal car, available in both coupé and Volante-badged convertible forms, that represents a welcome return to form for a much-loved British car maker.
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Sports Cars Vs Gt Cars
GT cars emphasize both comfort and performance rather than speed. They find the perfect balance between these two aspects and do not sacrifice them to achieve high speeds. Their features generally boil down to this:
- Seating for two or more. Grand tourers offer 2+2 seating configurations, offering more space.
- Functionality. GTs are functional, allowing the driver complete control over amenities and the vehicle itself.
- Driving. Grand tourers have chassis and suspension suited for tight handling and a high comfort level for the drivers and passengers in various road conditions.
- Engine. These cars feature engines that can easily maintain the upper limits of their performance over extended periods.
On the other hand, actual sports cars are tuned for performance at high speeds and are always low to the ground. The key characteristics are efficiency, speed, and handling with no deviation. However, there are even more granular definitions because the term sports car compares with GT in terms of broadness.
For instance, Ferrari Portofino and Chevrolet Corvette are sports cars because they emphasize performance. But, a Corvette could never keep up with a Ferrari on a track. That is why enthusiasts coined the terms supercar and hypercar to denote the difference.
Kia Stinger Gt A Blossoming Gran Turismo Legend
While GT cars have historically enjoyed some of the highest price tags, many drivers are looking for more valuable options. An answer to the automotive market searching for a high-value, reliable and stylish GT car, the 2018 Kia Stinger GT checks all of the boxes for this iconic automotive class.
With the 2018 Kia Stinger GT, youre able to enjoy a 0-60 acceleration time of 4.7 seconds. Additionally, youll be doing so from the comfort of an award-winning interior.
Another huge benefit of the 2018 Kia Stinger GT is its warranty. Along with every other vehicle on the 2018 Kia models lineup , the Stinger GT has a 5-year/60,000-mile bumper-to-bumper limited warranty and a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty.
Youll go further, faster, in greater comfort and with maximum peace of mind.
The Kia GT concept was a beautiful and artistic creation that sought to live up to both letters of GT.
Today, we know this handsome devil as the Kia Stinger GT, a beautiful four-door sports car thats as much at home on the track as it is the freeway.
So, go ahead, satisfy that fernweh. The founders of the GT class would have it no other way!
For more information about the 2018 Kia Stinger GT or to schedule a test drive, contact us today!
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What Does The Gt Badge On Cars Mean
Being the most overused badging in automotive history, does it even have a real meaning?
- GT stands for Grand Turismo or Grand Touring.
- Term was coined by an Italian.
- The first GT car was an Alpha Romeo.
Whether its a Volkswagen or a Mercedes AMG, practically every manufacturer has at least one vehicle that bears the GT moniker. However, one must ask what these letters actually imply. Why are they being used by everyone? What does it all mean?
Top 10 Best Grand Tourers 2022
What image does your mind conjure when you hear the words grand tourer? Back in the day, the car in question would have no doubt been defined by its graceful but surprisingly spacious coupé bodywork, a long bonnet that houses a magnificently powerful and aristocratic powerplant and a suspension set-up capable of delivering a compliant long-distance ride and heightened agility on properly twisting roads.
Today, the GT church is far broader, owing largely to our considerably more liberal use of that initialism on everything from fast hatchbacks to mid-engined supercars and four-seat convertibles.
So this list is made up of the cars wed be happiest driving over a very long distance. The vast majority have their fair share of luxury appeal, although some are more obviously designed to put driver engagement at the forefront of their motive experience. Some have four doors, four adult-sized seats and enough luggage space for a weekend away.
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Bmw 8 Series Gran Coup
There was a gap of almost 20 years between the deletion of the original E31-generation BMW 8 Series and the introduction of the latest version and, as weve touched on several times already, the market for big GTs has changed quite a lot in the past two decades. And yet, while it doesnt quite have the pioneering aura of its immediate forebear, BMWs latest flagship coupé brings much more desirability, status and presence with it than the 6 Series Coupé that it directly succeeds, combining trademark BMW driver appeal with top-level touring comfort and impressively luxurious ambient richness.
And to give the Audi A7 and Mercedes CLS due competition, the model is also available in an especially rakish four-door Gran Coupé configuration. There’s a choice of petrol or diesel power, the latter coming from one of BMWs outstanding twin-turbocharged diesel straight-six engines that, with 316bhp on tap, feels well worthy of this kind of application. Higher up the range, theres a 523bhp turbo V8 petrol on offer in the M850i, and the range culminates with the 616bhp 4.4-litre twin-turbo M8 Competition, which supplies true if you’ll excuse the cliché continent-crushing performance.
Bentley Continental Gt V8
The old Continental GT may have been a sales success for Bentley, but it was only really the special models, Supersports and GT3 versions that ever really impressed us. The brand-new Continental GT looks lower and sleeker than its predecessor but, even better, these visual attributes signal just how different it is to drive its a more dynamic driving experience than ever before. Thats because, firstly, it sits on a platform co-developed with Porsche, so rather than taking the underpinnings from a VW Phaeton it shares a lot with the new Panamera including electromechanical variable anti-roll bars and three-chamber air suspension.
Furthermore, the Continental GT now has a torque-varying four-wheel-drive system too. It predominantly sends torque to the rear wheels, only shifting drive to the front when more traction is required. In Sport mode, when the cars in its most aggressive settings, only 17 per cent of drive ever goes to the front axle.
As well as being more agile and more entertaining on twisting roads than before, the GT is more cosseting and relaxed on a long cruise. The suspension, exhaust noise and gearbox in the new Continental are in their calmest state when the cars in Comfort mode, making it feel like a true luxury car. A third mode, Bentley, straddles the gap between Comfort and Sport.
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Gt Has Appeared On Everything From Bmws To Ferraris To Nissans But What Does Gt Mean
If youve spent any time browsing through past or present car models, particularly high-performancecoupes or sports cars, youve run across the acronym GT and likely noticed how common it is on high-speed, high-horsepowersupercars and luxury cars. But why? Why is GT such a popular abbreviation in the world of performance models, and what defines a GT car?
As is common with performance-oriented automotive terms and concepts, the GT acronym comes from Italy, where GT stands for gran turismo. Translated to English, gran turismo means grand touring which is characterized by long-distance driving in a high-performanceluxury car, usually with a fixed roof .
The original GT car concept needed to provide both high horsepower and premium features, allowing said Grand Tourers to coddle their driver and passenger in comfort while covering great distances at high speed.
The grand touring concept started in Europe, gaining popularity between the 1930s and 1950s when it was common for Italian brands like Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, and Maserati to build them, though Bentley, Jaguar, and Mercedes-Benz also produced new cars offering these grand touring traits. No official specifications were ever established to earn GT status as the concept gained popularity, but a V8 engine powering a closed coupebody style were common traits.
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Ok What Did Gt Used To Mean Then
GT stands for gran turismo, or “grand touring.” Although the Italian who originally thought up the term gran turismo, or GT, has been lost to history along with their reasoning, the definition was clear: A GT car fit between a sports car and a luxury car. It should have a big engine, a comfortable ride, a luxurious interior, and elegant bodywork. Not just fast, it needed to be able to handle like a sports car when the proper situation arose but coddle like a luxury car the rest of the time. Between its introduction in the late 1920s and its heyday in the 1950s and ’60s, the definition was honed to mean a reasonably practical luxury sport coupe that could cross a continent at high speed just as easily as it could tackle a mountain pass.
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What Is The Cheapest Gt Car
If you’re looking for a new GT car, the Kia Stinger represents great value for money. If you’re shopping used, it depends how brave you are. Head to the classifieds you can pick up a 2005 Mercedes CL for around £5,000, or a 2004 Bentley Continental GT for £14,000. But while these were highly desirable, six-figure grand tourers back in the day, they were also fearsomely complex cars. Used buyers therefore need a degree of nerve , plus potentially deep pockets for repairs, if they are toying about in the world of cheap used GT cars.
*Based on 500 respondents between April and May 2022 see carwow.co.uk/verify. Average savings are calculated daily based on the best dealer prices on carwow vs manufacturer RRP. carwow is the trading name of carwow Ltd, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority for credit broking and insurance distribution activities . carwow is a credit broker and not a lender. carwow may receive a fee from retailers advertising finance and may receive a commission from partners for introducing customers. All finance offers and monthly payments shown are subject to application and status. carwow is covered by the Financial Ombudsman Service . carwow Ltd is registered in England , registered office 2nd Floor, Verde Building, 10 Bressenden Place, London, England, SW1E 5DH.
International Championship For Gt Manufacturers
In 1962 the FIA, addressing concerns to reduce the speeds attained in sports car racing following the disastrous accident at Le Mans in 1955, shifted focus from Appendix C Sports Cars to production based GT cars of Appendix J. The previous World Sportscar Championship title was discontinued, being replaced by the International Championship for GT Manufacturers, won by the Ferrari 250 GTO in 1962, 1963 and 1964.
Cobra Ferrari Wars
In testing, the Shelby Daytona Coupe attained a top speed of 196 mph, and went on to win the GT class at the 1964 24 Hours of Le Mans. Shelby had beaten Ferrari on the biggest stage however, the fast and reliable Ferrari 250 GTOs were again victorious in the 1964 International Championship for GT Manufacturers. The Championship was controversial: Enzo Ferrari, with only a narrow points lead over Shelby, attempted to have the radical new mid-enginedFerrari LM250homologated for the final championship round at Monza in Italy. When the FIA turned Ferrari down, Ferrari withdrew. The race organizers Auto Club d’Italia, fearing a financial disaster from the withdrawal of the famous Italian team, canceled the event, and Ferrari was crowned World Champion. In the aftermath, Ferrari declared he would never race GTs again, and for 1965 the rivalry with Ferrari was taken up by Ford Motor Company and the Ford GT40, also mid-engined, in the sports car divisions.
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Shelby Daytona Coupe 1964
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What Is A Sports Car
True sports vehicles offer high-speed performance and are always low to the ground. Performance, particularly regarding speed and handling, will always be the most important metric for a sports car. Engines with high outputs are the norm. The difficulty with the term sports car, though, is that it has a very broad definition. For example, people consider the Ferrari Portofino and the Chevrolet Corvette to be sports cars because they prioritize performance, despite the fact that the Corvette would never be able to keep up with the Ferrari on a racetrack. As a result, most enthusiasts have shifted to more granular terms, such as supercar and hypercar. All supercars and hypercars are legitimately sports cars. However, not all sports cars are supercars or hypercars.
