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Journal: What’s Your Grand Touring Fantasy?

What’s Your Grand Touring Fantasy?

By Michael Banovsky
April 24, 2015

Ever wonder what that “GT” badge on cars stands for? “Grand Touring”, as you may have correctly known. But what, exactly, is a grand tour, a term that originated more than 300 years ago with “upper crust” Europeans—and why should you know more about this small bit of trivia?

Because chances are you’re already completed one.

Lasting months—and sometimes years—a Grand Tour was intended to allow wealthy young men to further appreciate classic art, architecture, and culture by traveling around Europe and experiencing its delights firsthand.

Grand Tours weren’t about necessarily learning many things or as a religious pilgrimage, but much closer to something we’ve all enjoyed: a vacation. Now that you know what “GT” stands for and with more than 50 years of exceptional cars to choose from, what would be your ideal grand touring car—and where would you go on an extended holiday?

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Samir Shirazi
Samir Shirazi
9 years ago

any two seats of 50s & 60s,Convertible, white, finished with red interior, preferably a 300SL, and a nice girlfriend who understands what the car is. and a mountain road in spring would be appreciated.

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Gonçalo Gago da Câmara
Gonçalo Gago da Câmara
9 years ago

Ferrari Dino 246 GT, Aston Martin DB4 GT or Maserati Ghibli, my girlfriend, my 1968 Omega Speedmaster Professional on the wrist, from Lisbon, Portugal (where i’m from) to Rome, Italy

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Paul Bilek
Paul Bilek
9 years ago

A trip around the Italian lakes of Northern Italy would do it for me. Lake Como and Lake Garda.

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Emanuel Costa
Emanuel Costa
9 years ago

All over Europe in an Aston Martin, Jaguar or maybe a big bulky Mercedes.
All over USA and some bits of Canada with a Dodge Challenger, Mustang or a rugged pick-up

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Berk Akar
Berk Akar
9 years ago

SM works fine to me. I mean if only.

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samer badaro
samer badaro
9 years ago

Nothing beats the growl of my old Alfa Romeo Spider or the grind of its gears as you coax it into 2nd, and few things can put the fear of God in your heart when you floor the gas pedal on a 997 Turbo… but count on your bones to shake and rattle for weeks after any worthy trip longer than one or two hours. For proper GT cruising look at a car with cushionny yet firm seats, a reasonably soft suspension, decent looks and an engine that won’t embarrass you. For me it was my 1998 Volvo C70… took me across 3 countries and still walked out feeling like I never got off the couch in my living room

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Bertram Wooster
Bertram Wooster
9 years ago

Pretty much any of this guy’s travelogues:

[url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dliX-mN5IS0″]Your text to link…[/url]

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Jan Skarstein
Jan Skarstein
9 years ago

Ferrari 550 Maranello, up through the Baltic countries and Finland to North Cape at the northern tip of Norway, then back south by the Norwegian west coast. At least 7000km, had to be in June, to enjoy the midnight sun.

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Mitch Powell
Mitch Powell
9 years ago

Yes Ariff, I have a ’94 E320 coupe… They are fantastic cars. The furthest I’ve driven her was from Sydney to Melbourne, but she could have kept going for years! One of my other cars would be my choice for a long tour, a 560SEC from ’88. That is the perfect GT car. Enough horsepower, smooth, comfortable, whisper quiet at highway speeds, comes alive when you poke her with a stick. I’d love to do a lap of the Med… From Portugal to Lebanon if all borders would allow it!

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Ariff Roose
Ariff Roose
9 years ago

BMW 640d Gran Coupe, myself and 3 others. From St Andrews, Scotland, to Mallorca, Spain. From there, all the way to Stockholm, Sweden, back down through Germany & Switzerland to Italy. From there, Go through almost every (safe) Eastern European country.

For a North American tour, a plus one, and a Mercedes 124 320CE. Always loved the 124 Mercedes. Probably because my family had both the estate and the sedan version. Also, the W124 CE just seems to be perfect size for me. Big enough for golf bags, a rucksack and a whole lotta filming equipment. 🙂

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JsT Fartin
JsT Fartin
9 years ago

At the time, driving from San Diego to Rio for last year’s Copa do Mundo seemed a very good idea. My Volvo 142 is not an official GT model but is comfortable and rugged per the model’s rally history. The year before I did drive that car from San Diego to New York city and back but I suspect the roads between here and Brasil are more challenging. Anyway, driving to a far away World Cup is a Grand Tour I would like to make and, to continue the fantasy, I suppose a Citroen SM Mylord decapotable would do nicely.

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Jean Minnaar
Jean Minnaar
9 years ago

I have been fantasizing about a trek from London, catching the ferry to France, drive down through spain, catch the Ferry to Morocco and making my way down Africa to Cape Town to visit family. An impossible trip that would bankrupt me for half of my life although it would be an adventure of most epic proporsitions.

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Nemanja T
Nemanja T
9 years ago
Reply to  Jean Minnaar

The trip would cost you around 2000 euros max, so why would it bancrupt you? Unless you intend to spend it on repairs along the way if you have a bad car?

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Matthew Lange
Matthew Lange
9 years ago

Personally I think it would be hard to top Harry Metcalfe’s trip from the UK to Morocco and back in a Ferrari Testarossa, there’s an article about it in this month’s Octane magazine.
Being slightly less brave when it comes to big GT trips, I’ve done quite a lot of France so venturing further afield I would be tempted by a trip to Slovenia or Croatia as I’ve heard stories of great driving roads there. I think you know the car I would take 🙂

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Andy Subbiondo
Andy Subbiondo
9 years ago

Last summer we drove our BMW 330Cic from Arizona to Montana and back with stops in Idaho, (Spokane) Washington Utah and Eastern Oregon. We covered 8 states and 4600 miles in 20 days, if that ain’t Grand Touring, I don’t know what is.

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Louis Devineau
Louis Devineau
9 years ago

Mine involves a British coupé, a vintage mechanical chronograph, and MOST IMPORTANTLY bespoke fitted luggage.

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