Touring Superleggera

The European Union’s comprehensive ban on combustion engines is set to go into force in 2035, but the Italian government is hoping for an exception for supercar makers. Italy is trying to negotiate with the European Union and is seeking to protect supercar makers like Ferrari and Lamborghini from the planned phase-out of combustion engine vehicles altogether. According to a Bloomberg post, Italy wants to shield Ferrari and Lamborghini from this potential European Union ban on gas-powered engines.

You don’t hear a lot about Touring Superleggera, but that’s probably the only real downside to being an Italian coachbuilder. The company got started back in 1928 building custom bodies on Alfa Romeos, and over the years it’s given the world some pretty cool custom cars, the latest of which is this very-limited Arese RH95 – a car that will be produced in just 18 examples as a celebration of Touring Superlegera’s 95th anniversary.

The 2020 Touring Superleggera Aero 3 is a limited-edition grand tourer designed and built by Italian coachbuilder Carrozzeria Touring. The company’s first production model since the limited-series 2016 Alfa Romeo Disco Volante and 2018 Touring Sciadipersia, the 2020 Aero 3 is also based on an existing Italian car, the Ferrari F12berlinetta.

Discontinued in 2017 to make way for the 812 Superfast, the F12berlinetta provides the underpinnings and technology to the Aero 3, which features a brand-new exterior designed by Carrozzeria Touring and a revised interior. Power comes from the same 6.3-liter V-12 engine rated at 730 horsepower. Only 15 units will be built, all based on F12berlinetta cars provided by the customers. Is it a better option that Ferrari’s already iconic grand tourer? Let’s find out in the review below.

Automakers nowadays try to make the equivalent of a Swiss knife on wheels, cars that defy the age-old class structure by mashing together the features of an all-terrain vehicle, a people-carrier, and a sedan to create a brand-new niche.

There are plenty of such purposeful models on sale, models that claim to be both practical and sporty and big while driving as if they were half their size, and the list goes on. But then there’s Touring’s Aero 3, a long-nosed, red ode to not being practical. To not trying to tick a spreadsheet-worth of targets at the same time. A car made to turn heads as it drives down the road and nothing more.

The 2019 Geneva Motor Show brought out a vociferous diet of coachbuilt cars, including the Touring Superleggera Sciadipersia Cabriolet. Developed and built by famous Italian coachbuilder Touring Superleggera, the Sciadipersia Cabriolet is the open-top version of the 2018 Sciadipersia that the company brought to Geneva last year. The design of the Sciadipersia Cabriolet remains true to the look of its coupe sibling, minus, of course, the hard top. Power is provided by a naturally aspirated V-8 engine that produces a tidy 468 horsepower. Touring Superleggera only plans to build 15 units of the Sciadipersia Cabriolet, the price of which has yet to be announced.

The Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera name traces its roots back to 1925 when the coachbuilding company was founded. Over the years it’s been instrumental in designing many vehicles that we now consider timeless classics (the Lamborghini 350 and 400 GT, Aston Martin DB5, and Maserati 3500 GT, among others). The company closed its doors in 1966, but the trademark was acquired in 2006 by new owners that, ultimately, tried to pick up where the brand left off all those decades ago.

In case you were unaware, Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera is a legendary Italian design house and bespoke coachbuilder, best known for products like the Alfa Romeo Disco Volante, Bentley Continental Flying Star, and Touring Berlinetta Lusso, among others. Now, Touring is offering a new limited edition custom two-door dubbed the Sciadipersia, bringing superlative European grand touring style as a celebration of the 60th anniversary of the bespoke Maserati 5000 GTs that Touring created for the Shah of Iran back in the ‘50s. The Sciadipersia was “designed to cover long distance with complete ease and in total comfort,” much like the travelers that booked passage on the Orient Express so long ago.

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Over the past few years, Touring Superleggera has been a staple at the Geneva Motor Show. In past years, the Italian coach builder used Geneva to unveil some awesome-looking concepts like the Berlinetta Lusso and the Disco Volante. This year, Touring Superleggera will once again be in attendance at one of the world’s biggest auto shows to unveil a new sports car.

Details are still scarce on what kind of car it’s going to be, but expect it to have some kind of tie-in to the company’s 90th anniversary. There are also reports that the car will be a bespoke, open-top sports car, something it hasn’t built since the 1964 Fiat 124 Cabriolet Concept. That was 52 years ago, so if these reports prove to be true, this new concept sports car should be a doozy.

It’s hard not to expect anything less from Touring Superleggera. The company has exhibited tremendous form with its most recent concepts, and no more was that evident than with the Berlinetta Lusso. That car was based on the Ferrari F12berlinetta and featured a stunning look that was inspired by the Ferrari 250 GTO, arguably the most iconic Ferrari in history. It also came with the F12berlinetta’s monstrous 6.3-liter V-12 engine that produced 729 horsepower and 508 pound-feet of torque, which was enough to propel it from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.1 seconds to go with a top speed of over 211 mph.

Needless to say, Touring Superleggera will have to be on its A-game to successfully follow up the Berlinetta Lusso. Fortunately, none of us have to worry about the Italian coach builder being anything less than committed to once again using the Geneva Motor Show as its own personal showcase. Whatever this sports car is, you can be sure that Touring Superleggera will have something special in store for it.

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Touring Superleggera, a custom coachbuilder based out of Italy, got its start installing custom bodies on Alfa Romeos back in 1928. Now with over 80 years under its belt, the Italian coachbuilder is one of the best-known in the industry, and it builds some of the most amazing rigs. Its latest creation, the Berlinetta Lusso, made its debut at the 2015 Geneva Auto Show.

As soon as I laid eyes on its name, I knew the Italians came to Geneva to pay homage to one of the most exquisite grand tourers ever built. To achieve that, Touring Superlegerra brought together the styling and technology of a modern-day Ferrari with the elegant and sexy lines of the classic 250 GT Berlinetta Lusso. The end result is a stunning automobile crafted in the same vein as the Alfa Romeo 8C-based Disco Volante and a limited-edition supercar that’s likely to become tomorrow’s most sought-after collectible.

Updated 03/04/2915: Touring Superleggera unveiled its Ferrari F12 Berlinetta-based Berlinetta Lusso at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show. The model will be built in limited edition and will be put on sale later this year.

Continue reading to find out more about the Touring Superleggera Berlinetta Lusso.

Last year at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, Carrozzeria Touring unveiled a very cool interpretation of the 1952 Alfa Romeo C52 Disco Volante. Since then, the company changed its name to Touring Superleggera and for this year’s 2013 Geneva Motor Show the company prepared a production version of the concept.

A very strange move, considering that last year the company announced this was just a styling exercise and that it lacked any running components. Just like with the concept version, the production version Disco Volante will be based on the 8C Competizione, but it will receive a few design changes, carbon-fiber components and aluminum panels.

The model will be built on request and will be limited to only 500 units. Each unit takes approximately six months to complete. Also, the company announced that each unit will be built as a one-off edition, as customers will have the possibility to customize the car by their own heart desires.

Updated 03/06/2013: This review has been updated with the official details, images and specs.

Hit the jump to read more about the Touring Superleggera Disco Volante.