Best Grand Touring Cars

[Steve_S]

These days anything can cover large distances quickly, unless you're talking about drag racing. Id substitute that criteria with above average handling.

 

[jessebogan]

You all have missed the cheapest V12 of them all. An XJS is indeed a Grand Tourer. Quiet, fast, comfortable, climate controlled, and best of all, they are really affordable. Coupes are half the price of convertibles, don't leak in the rain, and if they ever need the top replaced... well I guess it would be academic. A well set up and serviced car is bulletproof, and they are cheap!!You can buy a really good car for less than a new Hyundai. They are not hard to work on, just time consuming (twice as amny of everything...)All the faults are well documented, and there are cures for all of them. Remember.. Grace, Space and Pace!!

 

[tony barnhill]

/bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/iagree.gif & will swap my XJ6 for one in a heartbeat! I'm always on the look for a nice XJS

Oh, add the Mercedes 560SEC to the GT list....always looking for one of those also.

So many cars, so little time.......

 

[Bret]

Just wanted to be clear about that Steve. As the performance envelope blurs - so does the definition and that was part of the reason behind this thread in the first place. Fact is most of our older classics (sports car, roadster & GT alike) could be beaten by just about any modern minivan in a drag race or solem. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif

This is why I would have to say that a true GT should indeed meet the criteria laid out by Tony but it should also be “coupe” with two doors & seating two or at the most a 2+2 configuration. Because clearly a GT overlaps to varying degrees into the sports car arena and also crosses over into the sedan (saloon) category too.

Trucks, Minivans and SUVs need not apply.

 

[tony barnhill]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]This is why I would have to say that a true GT should indeed meet the criteria laid out by Tony but it should also be “coupe” with two doors & seating two or at the most a 2+2 configuration. Because clearly a GT overlaps to varying degrees into the sports car arena and also crosses over into the sedan (saloon) category too.[/QUOTE]
I agree there, Bret...& would add 1 other thing: the capability to carry some luggage! I mean, if you're gonna motor from London to the South of France, you need a tux and a bathing suit for you & a gown & bikini for her - at least!

 

[Bret]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]This is why I would have to say that a true GT should indeed meet the criteria laid out by Tony but it should also be “coupe” with two doors & seating two or at the most a 2+2 configuration. Because clearly a GT overlaps to varying degrees into the sports car arena and also crosses over into the sedan (saloon) category too.

I agree there, Bret...& would add 1 other thing: the capability to carry some luggage!
[/QUOTE]
Agreed, as I said in my other posting. "Luggage enough for a weekend get away for two".

 

[tony barnhill]

So, a GT:

torque
exceptional performance
comfort
cover large distances very quickly
coupe with seating 2 or at the most a 2+2
luggage enough for a weekend get-away for 2

 

[JPSmit]

and cachet - GTO's need not apply

 

[Steve_S]

The problem is that cars today have evolved to a point where classifying them is nearly useless. 40 years ago, a sports car handled well and a passenger car didn't. If you had a sports car back then, you could transverse the Alps much faster than if you drove any other type of car. Today you would make the same time in a Ferrari as in a pickup truck. There is simply no limitation in the truck, nor any advantage in the Ferrari that would allow for the Ferrari to travel faster. Both will reach the speed limit and beyond, and should you push it then both will get a speeding citation at the same spot on the route.

 

[prb51]

Maserati 3500 GTI. They made about 2400 of them. Mine was a Touring all alloy body wrapped around the tubular frame and not a squeek ever. Understated but beautiful design.
Dual overhead cam, dual ignition Straight 6 with 250+ Hp with a 5 speed tranny. Everything worked well.
I bought it used in Italy, as a young Sergeant, for $2500 in the mid 70's.
I could cruse the autostrada from Vicenza via Innsbruck Austria to Garmisch Germany in a few hours and average in the 80 mph range often hitting 120 mph.
When you held the high beam stalk inward it would automatically flash the high beams and slower traffic (by law) had to get out of your lane.
I keep clicking my heels but never wake up in Vicenza....

 

[Bret]

Maserati 3500 GTI. They made about 2400 of them. Mine was a Touring all alloy body wrapped around the tubular frame and not a squeek ever. Understated but beautiful design.
Dual overhead cam, dual ignition Straight 6 with 250+ Hp with a 5 speed tranny. Everything worked well.
I bought it used in Italy, as a young Sergeant, for $2500 in the mid 70's.
I could cruse the autostrada from Vicenza via Innsbruck Austria to Garmisch Germany in a few hours and average in the 80 mph range often hitting 120 mph.
When you held the high beam stalk inward it would automatically flash the high beams and slower traffic (by law) had to get out of your lane.
I keep clicking my heels but never wake up in Vicenza....

I googled it - OMG! What a stunning & beautiful car.

Hats off to ya. & at $2500 (used or not) hardly what I'd call a rich mans toy.

 

[JPSmit]

After that description - I tried clicking my heels for Vicenza - didn't work for me wither - thanks for the memory though

 

[tony barnhill]

True about the Maserati 3500 GTI - pretty common for a Maserati in those days...however, the Maserati on the list was the Khamsin of which only 430 were produced.

 

[vagt6]

All great examples, above. However, let's add an "affordable" section to this best GT car discussion. And then let's add these great LBCs that are all three true GT cars:

Triumph GT6 MK II
TVR (V8, Tasmin, I think?)
MGBGT V8 (1974)

In fact, one of the classic car magazines (a British one I purchased in the airport) did this very thing earlier this year. I forget the magazine but a very nice article was written with comparison tests, etc., for these 3 LBCs.

The MGBGTV8 won. More refined touring car than the other two. The TVR (I don't recall which model, but it was a V8) is a bit more of a bare gones race car, comparitively speaking; the GT6 a bit underpowered and "rattly" (i.e., body panels sit on top of the frame, and they <u>rattle</u>).

The MGBGTV8, with it's monocoque body construction, was quieter and rides better than the TVR and GT6 (I totally agree). The MG V8 had plenty of torque. With OD, it would cruise nearly effortlessly at 80 MPH+ all day long. Reportedly, it turned only 2,400 RPM at 70 MPH in 4th OD.

Most of the cars mentioned here are certainly beautiful GTs, but WAY out of the reach of most mere mortals. The three above are true GT sports cars, and well within the budget of many enthusiasts.

AND, they're LBCs! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/driving.gif

My 2 cents' worth . . . /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/thumbsup.gif

 

[tony barnhill]

/bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/iagree.gif There comes a time when an automobile transcends "GT" or "sportscar" or "saloon" status & becomes pure art to be appreciated just for that....the original list on this thread is just that: art.

Now, lets make a list of those great, 'affordable' GT's - & I still recommend the MGC GT!

 

[Bret]

You guys are funny. While I love our LBCs and will admit that some of the cars on the list might be considered art or even the ultimate or in some cases super GTs. There are a few on that list that aren’t exactly what I’d call out of reach of the average enthusiast.

Oh sure a few are priced 5 to 10 times their original values. But there are a couple of vehicles on the list that have seen their price drop to about half their value when new and could be somewhat affordable GTs.

The 94-98 Supra TT (that I still don’t know why it’s on the list) sold for a bit above $40k when new and while still pricy IMHO is selling for about $20k or less depending on condition.

The Porsche 928 is represented by a pristine late vintage (1987+) that sold new for about $59K new and can be had for about $25K according to the article. Truth is I’ve seen some of these selling for between $12K-$15K – figuring in the normal $2-$5k calculated over & above the selling price needed to fix or correct any problems the previous owner neglected to address that’s still a good bargain. Then there’s the older Sharks like my 78 (first full year of 928 production) that in their day sold for about $30K plus yet some pretty good examples can be had for less than $10K.

Heck even the Interceptor (not the FF) sold at about $8k new and today can be gotten for about $10K-$15K – still isn’t exactly out of reach of the common man considering I’ve seen Rubber Bumper Bs selling in that neighborhood.

 

[tony barnhill]

Its not always price that keeps them out of reach of the average guy, Bret - most times its their rarity. How many of the ones on that list were actually built?

Lamborghini Expada 68-78.....1217
Aston-Martin DBS 67-72....405
Maserati Khamsin 74-80....430
ISO Grifo 65-74....less than 100
Ferrari 365GTC/4 71-72...500
Alfa Romero Montreal 71-75...3917

(oh, I agree with you about the Toyota & I'd love to have a Citroen SM)

 

[Bret]

Yes Tony /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/iagree.gif those would be what I'd consider ultra rare given the low production numbers. Heck even the Citroen SM only saw something around 13,000 units total. According to the article listing these cars only about 2400 SMs made their way here to the US.

Total for the 928 world wide was well over 61056 with just about half of those coming to North America. I own one of the first - number #630. Not sure of the numbers for the Supra but I tend to think that the 94-98 twin turbos saw some pretty high numbers too. The high $20k price tag would seem to be more the result of the Ricky Racer Asian tuner crowd than anything. Still both aren't exacty hard to find.

Something else the article brings up is that a true GT (or at least the top tier) should tend to be big and roomy inside lots of elbow & leg room to stretch out. This would tend to translate into a heavier vehicle and have an engine with enough “torque to still get it off the line with authority” and the “horsepower to cruise effortlessly” as the article suggests. Lighter cars would (according to the article) tend to transmit more of the road into the cabin. Also sure there are plenty of four bangers out there that could get the job done but they’d tend have to be high revving power plants pushed to their design envelope – suggesting more of a sports car work & feel than a GT leisureliness.

So while I would agree that a number of the cars originally listed aren't in the cards for most of us, these heavy weights of the GT world IMO epitomize what an ultimate Gran Tourer is suppose to be.

 

[tony barnhill]

I guess, Bret, I just don't get real excited about cars with that type lineage...those things are so rare that I don't even think about them....now the 928, 380SL, Citroen SM, Intercepter...those are cars I can think about.

Actually, I don't even buy magazines that do all their hype on such rare or overly expensive pieces of art! I'll glance though them to admire the lines on the artwork, but that's all.

 

[Deleted member 3577]

My list (although I haven't thought a lot about GT cars)

XKE
TVR Cerbera, Chimera ect.
Esprit
DeLorean (I know...But it makes a nice interstate car)
& for some reason this... (and can be had cheap)