What is a grand touring car?

"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
06/06/2016 at 12:05 • Filed to: None

When I think “grand touring” I immediately think of a Jag. A coupe with a luxurious interior, usable suspension, and some sporting aspects to make that cross-country trip a bit more exciting then it would be in a straight-up luxury car like a Bentley or Rolls-Royce.

But else is a GT car? Corvette? Mustang? My Buick Riviera? They all have luxurious-for-their-time interiors, though not on par with a dedicated luxury marquee, they all have handling superior to their stablemates, and engines considered to be abnormally powerful, though nobody who saw the three parked next to each other would consider them in the same class, and wonder if the Riviera owner realized they weren’t at Village Inn in time for the early bird special.

DISCUSSION (24)

Nibby > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
06/06/2016 at 12:09

The Mercedes SL comes to mind.

Sam > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
06/06/2016 at 12:09

It’s a shame those XK’s are so... well, crappy. They look nice, though.

djmt1 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
06/06/2016 at 12:11

A comfortable car that has a certain level of performance that allows quick getaways to the border after getting caught in bed with the crown princess. So yeah a Jag.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
06/06/2016 at 12:12

V8 6-Series Coupes and the S-Class Coupe come to mind. Most all Aston Martins too.

Party-vi > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
06/06/2016 at 12:13

A good GT is a car that can cruise at 100mph all day without issue, and carries your pampered ass over rough roads without letting you know there are bumps. Continental GT, SL, E-Class coupe, 6-Series, etc. They should be too large to be sporting but should still have some sportiness about them.

TheHondaBro > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
06/06/2016 at 12:14

A GT car is a front-engined fullsize or large luxury coupe built to eat the miles in comfort. Some examples that come to mind are the Aston Martin DB-whatever, Jaguar XK, your Buick Riviera, Lexus SC300/400, BMW 6-series, and some others.

I don’t think they have to be sporty, since it would take away from the comfort.

itschrome > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
06/06/2016 at 12:16

a GT car in my mind is a large coupe(convertibles are OK, I just hate them) with room for up to four adults. There is also room for their luggage. It should be sporty but not a sports car, there for suspension shouldn’t be too firm but soft and still sporty. should also sport more power than you’d ever really need.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
06/06/2016 at 12:18

I tend to think of GT cars as cars that combine a very luxurious interior, a powerful engine that is oriented towards smooth, brisk acceleration over all else, a large two-door body style with back seats and the engine up front, and a platform tuned to handle any driving conditions, with long and straight or twisty and tight, with grace and ease. That would include the XK, DB9, Ferrari 612 and FF, Mercedes CL/S Class Coupe, BMW 6 Series, Continental GT, Wraith, and many others.

Not the Corvette or Mustang, those aren’t nearly luxurious enough. The Riviera could be considered a budget GT car, but I would personally consider that an oxymoron and call it more of a “personal luxury car”.

lone_liberal > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
06/06/2016 at 12:19

A GT car should have grace, pace and space, to borrow a phrase from Jaguar. A Corvette is a little too sports car. The Mustang may or may not have the grace, that’s in the eye of the beholder.

Shift24 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
06/06/2016 at 12:19

As a fan of the 3.8L cars, I will have to say this is a grand touring

Kinja'd!!!

The FWD jelly beans are not. Normally to me, GT involves RWD

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
06/06/2016 at 12:19

Luxurious, fast, and slightly sporty.

I’d argue the non-GT350 Mustang GT and the V8 Dodge Challenger can also be decent touring cars. They’re a little short on the luxury, but IMO that’s the entry level.

Noah - Now with more boost. > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
06/06/2016 at 12:21

I like to think of them as a compromise between a luxury barge and a sports car. Not a total isolation tank, but luxurious enough to make long journeys easy. And simultaneously sporty enough to ensure that you aren’t longing for a sports car when you come across a fun road on your travels. Maybe even more biased towards the sporty side than the luxury side.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
06/06/2016 at 12:48

The Challenger yes, but I dunno about the Mustang. It’s almost too handling-oriented to really be a tourer.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Shift24
06/06/2016 at 12:49

GT seems like one of the things where drive wheels really don’t matter. It’s spirited driving but not outright performance driving, and to me involves curvey roads but not canyon carving.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > TheHondaBro
06/06/2016 at 12:50

The 90s Ford Thunderbird seems like it might qualify.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Party-vi
06/06/2016 at 12:51

Mmm, I forgot about the Conti GT. God damn what a car. It’s interesting how varied the responses have been to this.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > djmt1
06/06/2016 at 12:51

Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaag

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Sam
06/06/2016 at 12:51

I used to hate how they looked but all of a sudden a switch was flicked in my brain and I love jellybean styling now.

RT > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
06/06/2016 at 12:57

The European tourers often includes vehicles like Jaguars and Maseratis, whereas the American tourers are very different with “personal luxury cars” like the Thunderbird and Riviera.

So, I suppose they’re all different sorts of grand tourers.

But I don’t really see how this

Kinja'd!!!

And this

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Are related.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > RT
06/06/2016 at 13:02

I would argue that only the last generation Riviera and last two generations of Thunderbird really qualify as GT cars. The last generation of the Riviera was the first one to have any sort of performance potential with the potent supercharged 3.8, and the Thunderbird was basically a Mustang in a fancy suit and competent interior in the 90s with surprisingly good handling chops for its size.

Textured Soy Protein > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
06/06/2016 at 14:19

GT car criteria:

Looks like a sports car with not much (if any) more practicality, even if it’s a relatively large car. Performance-leaning but not at the expense of lots of comfort. Lots of power.

Textured Soy Protein > RT
06/06/2016 at 14:19

2 door American land yachts are not GTs, they’re personal luxury coupes.

ranwhenparked > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
06/06/2016 at 23:09

A 4-seater coupe built for traveling long distances in comfort at high speed. So, big trunk, comfortable interior, good handling, powerful engine, large fuel tank, and generally highly styled and fairly expensive.

Shift24 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
06/07/2016 at 01:16

Yeah i guess though Id consider it more of a cushy/comfortable car thats a sleeper than a GT. Another part of GT is its mainly a 2+2 and sometimes a 2 seater depending on styling, as these years its a 5 seater. But I guess my view is that it waters the GT name (as its basically used on everything now... which is a joke). I mean youre telling me a FWD G-body should be classed with the XK? (which came out a year after last gen Riv) Come on man

And again to me Muscle GT is not GT. Mustang, Camaro, Challenger? Its a commons man 2+2.

Also note first gen Riv had performance potential. With the 425cui Nail Head, it came in options as Wildcat 445 & 465 (torque ratings), Super Wildcat, and GS with 360hp and 0-60 in 7.4sec

sause http://www.automobile-catalog.com/make/buick/riv…