Touring Superleggera Arese RH95: here is the name and bonnet of the new supercar

Touring’s 95th Anniversary Car Gets It’s Name! Arese RH95 is the new model of Touring Superleggera that will celebrate the 95th anniversary of the birth of the well-known Milanese bodyshop. In addition to the name of the new sports car, which will be the first car in the atelier to mount a central engine,some details have been released, as well as a new teaser image depicting the bonnet of the new car.

The well-known and historic Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera will unveil a new supercar, its first central motor vehicle, in June to celebrate its 95th anniversary.

The new creation of Touring Superleggera will be equipped with a bonnet sculpted by soft curves and elaborated with the presence of a large central air intake that will find a place just above the front of the car and two other slits that are instead placed on the top of the hood. Accompanying the teaser photo is the caption ‘Arese RH95’, a clear clue as to the name chosen for the model.

On a technical level, we know that the new supercar of the Milanese atelier will have the engine positioned centrally, an absolute novelty given that so far Touring Superleggera has made only cars with a front engine, and a two-seater cockpit. To push the car, pending official confirmation, it is expected to find an engine with power of over 700 hp in order to be able to withstand the comparison in terms of performance with the main supercars on the road.

A couple of weeks ago a previous teaser showed the model, hidden under a tarp, in the company of the Flying Saucer and the Aero 3,cars with which the new Touring Superleggera supercar will share the design.

Currently in the final stage of production, the completed car will be officially introduced in June 2021.The preview will be followed by a tour around the world, with the car that will be exhibited in several exclusive events: The Quail (Carmel, California – August 13), Salon Privé (Woodstock, England – September 1-4), The Bridge (New York – September 18-19), and Zoute Grand Prix (Belgium – October 7-10).

Stay tuned for more exclusive advance information on this exciting new model. Come into the beautiful world of Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera .

Touring Superleggera 95th Anniversary

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At Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera they are pleased and proud to announce the celebration of their 95th Anniversary as a premier coachbuilder with a new and distinctive addition to their modern product range: a graceful two-seat coupé, and quite notably, Touring’s first ever creation driven by a mid-engine supercar powertrain.

Sharing many design elements with its recent Touring predecessors, as well as their elegant flow and balance of proportions, the design is both a clear evolution and an enhancement of Touring’s contemporary front-engined Aero family, as exemplified by the Disco Volante Coupé and Spyder and last year’s Aero 3. This will be a truly fitting example to carry forward the Touring philosophy into the mid-engine genre. 

Currently in the final stage of production, the completed car will be officially introduced in June 2021, and subsequently shown at our distributors worldwide, as well as leading events like The Quail, The Bridge, Salon Privé, and the Zoute GP. Stay tuned for more exclusive advance information on this exciting new model. We can’t wait! Come into the beautiful world of Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera .

Aston Martin offers up a peek into the progress of its DB5 Goldfinger Continuation series

The Aston Martin DB5 is a British luxury Grand Tourer (GT) that was made by Aston Martin and designed by the Italian coachbuilder Carrozzeria Touring in Milan. Carrozzeria Touring became well known for both the beauty of its designs and patented Superleggera (tube-frame) construction methods.

Released in 1963, it was an evolution of the final series of DB4. Although the design and construction techniques were Italian, the DB4 was the first Aston to be built at the company’s Newport Pagnell works in Buckinghamshire, England. And so was the DB5.

By many people dubbed as ‘the most famous car in the world’ and renowned as being among the most desirable and sought-after classic Aston Martin models, the DB5 has become a byword for timeless style and sports car desirability.

Fewer than 900 saloon examples were built by the brand between 1963 and 1965, with by far the most famous of the original owners being the world’s best-known secret agent – James Bond – who first drove the car that is today inextricably linked with him in the 1964 film, ‘Goldfinger’.

Now, 55 years after the last DB5 rolled off the production line at Aston Martin’s then global manufacturing base in Newport Pagnell, work is once again under way there on a strictly limited number of just 25 new DB5 models. Created in association with the producers of the James Bond films, EON Productions, and featuring a broad suite of working gadgets first seen on screen in the 1964 film, the Aston Martin DB5 Goldfinger Continuation cars are history in the making.

The latest in Aston Martin’s phenomenally successful Continuation car programme, which began in 2017 with the DB4 GT Continuation, the new DB5 models represent among the most valuable new cars yet brought to market by the British luxury brand. Each DB5 Goldfinger continuation car is priced at £2.75 million plus taxes, and the meticulous construction process takes around 4,500 hours per car.

Each of the 25 new cars is being built to the highest possible quality using a blend of Sir David Brown-era old world craftsmanship, with the sympathetic application of modern engineering advancements and performance enhancements, alongside the integration of cutting-edge working gadgets developed with Chris Corbould OBE, the Oscar-winning special effects supervisor who has worked on more than a dozen Bond films.

The list of Bond-inspired gadgets includes features all too familiar to viewers of the classic 1964 big screen hit, such as revolving number plates at the front and rear (triple plates), simulated twin front machine guns, a simulated tyre slasher, a bullet resistant rear shield, a removable passenger seat roof panel, a telephone in the driver’s door, a gear knob actuator button and a remote control for gadget activation.

All the new cars are meticulously detailed authentic reproductions of the DB5 seen on screen, with some sympathetic modifications and enhancements to ensure the highest levels of build quality and reliability. All the DB5 Goldfinger Continuation cars are being built to one exterior colour specification – Silver Birch paint – just like the original.

The cars feature original DB5 styled aluminium exterior body panels wrapped elegantly around an authentic DB5 mild steel chassis structure (Supperleggera). Under the bonnet, there’s a 4.0-litre naturally aspirated inline six-cylinder engine with a six-plug head, three SU carburettors and oil cooler, that’s capable of generating in the order of 290 bhp. This is mated to a five-speed ZF manual transmission in the rear-wheel drive DB5, which also features a mechanical limited slip differential.

Paul Spires, President of Aston Martin Works where the original DB5 was built and the new cars are also being created, said: “We are making, perhaps, some of the most desirable ‘toys’ ever built for 25 very lucky buyers worldwide. Creating the DB5 Goldfinger Continuation cars and working with EON Productions and special effects supervisor, Chris Corbould, is something truly unique and a real career highlight for everyone involved here at Aston Martin Works.”

First deliveries of the Aston Martin DB5 Goldfinger Continuation to customers will commence in the second half of 2020. Come in the beautiful world of Aston Martin.

 

 

 

Touring will present us a new masterpiece

Carrozzeria Touring was established in 1926, and was a design and manufacturer of automobile body works in Milan, Italy. The company also has an independent existence until 1965. Carrozzeria Touring became well known for both the beauty of its designs and patented superleggera construction methods, which reflected in the name of the company in 1945, Carrozzeria Touring Supperleggera. In the beginning Touring built a body by making use of the Weymann lightweight construction, and later with his own patented superleggera frame technology.

In 1949, there was the first Mille Miglia victory for Ferrari, with a 166 Barchetta Touring. In the same year there was also the 24 hours of Le Mans and the 24 hours of spa-Francorchamps, and both contributed to a victory by Chinetti in a Ferrari Touring. Touring has built cars on the chassis of particular Milan-based brands, such as Isotta Fraschini, Alfa Romeo and Ferrari. But also several Lamborghini’s, (350gt, 400gt, and the Flying Star), Lancia’s, Pegaso’s and Aston Martin’s (like the DB4 and DB5).

After the firm ceased production in 1966, Carlo Felice Bianchi ‘Cici’ Anderloni  (automobile designer Carrozzeria Touring) and Carrozzeria Marazzi (the company was established by Carlo Marazzi and employees from the then bankrupt Carrozzeria Touring) preserved the ‘Touring Superleggera’ trademark and used it on several occasions to support the company’s heritage.

In 2006 its brands and trademarks were purchased by Zeta Europe BV, a Dutch group of private investors, headed by Paul Koot, specializing in high-end automotive makes – like iconic wheels-manufacture Borrani, and Carrozzeria Granturismo. A newly created firm, Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera S.r.l. was established in Milan to provide automotive design, engineering, coachbuilding, homologation services, non-automotive industrial design, and restoration of historic vehicles.

Our job is our passion. Big reveal coming soon!

Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera

At the 2008 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, Touring debuted the Bellagio Fastback Touring, based on the Maserati Quattroporte and the A8 GCS Berlinetta Touring, also powered by a Maserati drivetrain, and winner of the ‘Most Beautifull Car of the Year’ at Festival Automobile International in Paris, 2009. Both cars are available on reguest. At the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, Bentley Continental Touring Flying Star premiered: a shooting-brake model based on the Bentley Continental GTC, coach built in limited series, with the endorsement of Bentley. In 2011, it was followed by Gumpert Tornante by Touring, a superfast Grand Tourer – based on the Gumpert Apollo – commissioned by the German sports car manufacturer.

On the stage of 2012 Geneva Motor Show, Touring Superleggera showcased a static style model based on the space-frame chassis of the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione. It was a tribute to the C52 Disco Volante, a racing car with Touring Superleggera designed body introduced in 1952. The name in Italian stands for ‘Flying Saucer’. It represents one of the most iconic cars of the history of automobile. The Disco Volante was very streamlined, windtunnel tested and with the body built on a tubular space frame. The C52 shocked the crowd for its utterly out-of-the-ordinary design, influencing the automobile design for decades.

One year later in 2013, the style model gave birth to the Alfa Romeo 8C Touring Disco Volante, a bespoke car limited-series of eight units that won that year’s Design Award at Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. The car is able to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.2 seconds and can reach a top speed of 291 km/h (181 mph).

Revealed in 2014, Mini Superleggera Vision is a concept car created in collaboration with the BMW Group. It is an electric roadster blending British style with Italian coachbuilding tradition. Anders Warming, head of MINI design and Touring Superleggera merged their teams to explore new design languages for the British brand. Sadly, as far its known, only one has been build, but you never know with the Carrozzeria, when you order one, you get one….

The beautiful Touring Berlinetta Lusso appeared in 2015. It is a street legal two-seater coupe featuring a three-volume form based on Ferrari F12 Berlinetta. Carrozzeria Touring developed the car on a client’s request. Like all modern Touring Superleggera models, the Berlinetta Lusso has coachbuilt bodywork with each body panel of the car made from hand beaten aluminium with carbon fibre. The Touring Berlinetta Lusso will be built in 5 units.

After the huge succes of the Alfa Romeo 8C Disco Volante, it wasn’t a suprise a spyder version was presented at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2016. A limited series of only seven cars will be manufactured. The Disco Volante Spyder is based on Alfa Romeo 8C Spider chassis.

The Artega Scalo Superelletra debuted at the 2017 Geneva Auto Show. The car’s name combines that of the earlier Artega Scalo with a portmanteau of the Italian Superleggera and elettrica, indicating light weight and electric drive. Designed by Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera, the new car was longer than the original Scalo and featured a new carbon-fibre monocoque chassis. Motive power is still electric, with a quartet of motors, one at each wheel, capable of producing a total of 760.6 kW (1,020 hp). The car is to carry the driver and two passengers, seated three-abreast with the driver in the middle.

Launched in 2018, the Touring Sciàdipersia was inspired by a bespoke high performance Maserati built by Touring Superleggera in 1958 for the then Shah of Iran. This car became known as the Scià di Persia. The Sciàdipersia is a four-seater fuoriserie coupe. A modern manifestation of the romance of travel, evoking the ethos of the Orient Express on four wheels, it is large, powerful, luxurious, but cleverly designed to disguise its size. Mastery of design and craftsmanship lighten the appearance, adding an ethereal, diaphanous quality. The Sciàdipersia is based on the Maserati GranTurismo rolling chassis. Touring recreates the association with a royal gran turismo Maserati to deliver the exclusive pleasure of a car designed to the owner’s individual taste. Stunning beauty, exclusivity, quality of execution, heritage and a noble mechanical base assure the fortunate owner of an increase in the value of their investment over time.
Sciàdipersia is the paradigm of the art of coach building. It is hand-built exclusively to order, in a strictly limited edition of no more than 10 examples.

Their most recent project, Touring Sciàdipersia Cabriolet 2019, the company-with-the-long-name is, once again, is particularly associated with the Maserati GranTurismo. The Sciàdipersia Cabriolet is an open-top grand tourer, which recreates the luxury and elegance synonymous with the Golden Age of Motoring. Four full-sized seats allow all occupants to enjoy their journey in supreme comfort, while the driver has the pleasure of harnessing the immense and smoothly-delivered power from one of the last great atmospheric V8 engines and reveling in its glorious soundtrack. It is coach built in Milano in very limited series, a total of only 15 will be built (Coupé + Cabriolet) to suit the wish and taste of knowledgeable collectors. – most of them would be Cabriolet’s I think.

Just a few coachbuilders are able to design and build such a remarkable, yet attractive cars as the Italian Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera. And even today, in this difficult times, the Italian Carrozzeria brings us good news, they revealed us a teaser. Soon they will present us a new masterpiece: the Berlinetta Aero.

Come into the beautiful world of Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera.

 

 

 

Very rare preproduction Aston Martin DB4 hits the market

London based Hexagon Classics are delighted to offer none other than the R.S Williams’ own Aston Martin DB4, which as one can imagine, has not wanted for anything. This was just the third right-hand drive DB4 ever produced on the line at Newport Pagnell.

This Aston Martin DB4 Series 1 must be one of the most unique Aston Martins on offer today. It also provides wonderful value especially when compared to the prices regularly achieved by DB4 GT models. This model later served as the initial inspiration for the DB5, which many should recognize as James Bond’s car Goldfinger.  

The lightweight Superleggera (tube-frame) body was designed by Carrozzeria Touring in Milan, and its Continental looks caused a sensation on its unveiling at the 1958 London Motor Show. Although the design and construction techniques were Italian, the DB4 was the first Aston Martin to be built at the company’s Newport Pagnell works in Buckinghamshire, England.

The exquisite aluminium bodywork was styled by the Italian Carrozzeria bur utilizing under licence their famed Superleggera lightweight structure. The first 50 cars had no over-riders, and frameless side windows. The DB4 has long been regarded by enthusiasts as the purists’ example, with its wonderful proportions and nimble handling.

Aston Martin registered the car as their London demonstration model, and then supplied it to its first owner Dolcis Ltd, Great Dover Street London, W1.  R.S Williams opted to upgrade the DB4 interior to the DB6 specification, converted the car to run on Vantage triple Weber set-up, and added the flared front and rear wheel arches to accommodate the larger offset wire wheels.

This vehicle successfully competed in hill climb events, and its successes were legendary. It is the epitome of fast road specification. After eventually selling the DB4, Richard Williams continued to look after the car for its new owners,

Hexagon Classics have recently undertaken a full recommissioning of the DB4 by Aston Martin marque specialists’ Pugsley & Lewis and Prestige Restorations, at a cost of more than £222,000 (approximately $300,000 USD). The details of which included having its engine rebuilt to 4.2 litre specification, and unleaded fuel conversion.

Naturally, this rare and highly sought after DB4 is complete with a comprehensive history file, ownership records, factory build sheet, historic MOT’s and V5s, including the original buff log book copy and a BMIHT record. Its provenance and near concours condition make this one of the finest examples of its kind.

The DB4 Series 1 also retains its original registration number of WLC 433. This important car which has now returned to its former glory, is available to be enjoyed straight away.

This rare Blu Scozia can be yours if you can foot the bill. It’s available to view now at their London showrooms. Come into the beautiful world of Hexagon Classics.

Gumpert Tornante by Touring Superleggera

The German company that brought us the extreme Apollo hypercar teamed up with Italian coachbuilder Touring Superleggera to create the Tornante, a more refined, GT-style version of the Apollo, that will go on sale in 2012. It defines a new class of automobiles, born for extremely dynamic and fast voyage: the Fast Tourers.

When selecting the partner for the new model’s body design, Gumpert recognised that elegance is part of the genetic code of Touring Superleggera’s creations. Even more remarkably, the paradigm of elegance was applied by Touring to race cars too. From the inspiring Alfa Romeo 8C2900 to the1940 Mille Miglia winner BMW 328, the Ferrari 166 and 340, redoubtable race machines were blessed with singular grace.

The design and body engineering are the work of Touring Superleggera, a company with a rich history that goes bck to 1926, and which is also known for the Bentley Continental Flying Star shooting-brake. The 2-seater Tornante builds on the style of the Apollo, yet its appearance is less edgy and more luxurious. Details that underline its Gumpert DNA, such as the huge frontal and lateral air intakes have been reshaped in a more pleasant way for the eye, while the racing-style cabin, the high-sitting rear-view mirrors and the gull-wing doors have been retained.

 

Touring was intrigued by the challenge from the young, vital and ambitious sports car manufacturer, known for its uncompromised orientation to efficiency, high quality engineering and the constant quest for better performance.
In the development work, the teams from the two companies discovered soon that they shared the same respect for efficiency and essentiality. This facilitated the subsequent stages of engineering and feasibility study, and the merger of body and chassis required only minor adjustments from both sides.

At the rear, the Apollo’s huge wing gave way to an elegant extension of the cabin, whose main attraction is the split rear window. Design refinement aside, Touring Superleggera also worked on improving passenger and luggage space, comfort, access and ventilation, and noise levels. Gumpert’s engineers used an Apollo-derived space frame chassis with the same central engine layout for the Tornante. The Tornante replicates the original Touring Superleggera construction principle: composite body panels on a space frame with carbon fibre monocoque.

Thanks to various weight saving measures, the Tornante tips the scales at only 1,300 kg (2,866 lb), which means its should be only marginally slower than its more extreme sibling. It has the same Audi-sourced 4.2-liter V8 biturbo engine that has been completely reworked by Gumpert engineers, producing 700 ponies. Mated to an automatic six-speed gearbox that changes gears faster than the blink of an eye (40 milliseconds), the unit produces a hefty 900 Nm of torque (663.7 lb-ft) at 4,000 rpm. Performance figures have not yet been revealed, with Gumpert only saying that the car can reach speeds of over 300 km/h (186 mph).

The change that you will see a Gumpert Tornante by Touring Superleggera ‘live’ will be very small! But when you visit the next Geneva Motor Show you can ‘spot’ the new Gumpert Tornante.

Come into the wonderful world of Touring Superleggera.

 

 

 

 

Carrozzeria Touring Bellagio Fastback to Debut at Villa d’Este

The latest Pininfarina designed Maserati Quattroporte is already a stunning car with a powerful and elegent presence. Iconic Milan based coachbuilder Carrozzeria Touring has taken the design a step further with a wagon version called, the Bellagio Fastback. To some, the fastback design adds a sleek new persona along the lines of a bespoke luxury estate such as a shootingbrake type vehicle but with four doors.

Carrozzeria Touring Bellagio Fastback is set to Debut at Villa d’Este 2008 in addition to a new sportscar under the Superleggera name.

Recently Italian StudioM also presented a Quatroporte Shootingbrake project named Cinqueporte but as far as we know, nothing in full scale has surfaced yet.

Come into the wonderful world of Touring Superleggera.

 

 

 

Touring Superleggera to Reveal New Coachbuild Car at Villa d’Este

At the Concours Villa d’Este, a famous name returns to the automotive world. Body builder Carrozzeria Touring makes its comeback. But the brand will not merely be presenting its past heritage at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este: the future is to be unveiled as well.

The Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este is a feast for all classic and exclusive car enthusiasts. Every year, the most coveted and unique cars get to leave their protective garages and are primed for a public day out in the Italian Lake Como area.

Models which are normally only seen in isolation on a pedestal at motor shows can reveal themselves in action in the light of day and be directly compared with other design studies and prototypes.

Karl Baumer, Chairman of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este and Director of BMW Group Mobile Tradition

 

BMW has been a major contributor to the revival of this old tradition which was started back in 1929. Every year some of the latest ‘made to order’ coachbuild and concept cars are displayed besides their historic counterparts, and the public gets to vote on their favorite. Jean Marc Droulers, President of Villa d’Este SpA.: “Up until 1949, it was customary for the latest creations by car manufacturers and designers to be presented at the Concorso. Then, as now, the public were able to vote for their favourite on the basis of a direct comparison”.

Every year the Concorse highlights a designer or carmaker, and this year that honor befalls Italy’s coachbuilder Touring Superleggera, the company who introduced the Superleggera ideology.

The history of Touring Superleggera, one of the prominent Italian automobile design houses and coachbuilders, stretches back to 1926. Ever since, the Touring and Superleggera trademarks were synonymous with understated elegance, quality and technical innovation. In 1936, Touring introduced an advanced construction system: a sub-frame made of thin steel tubes underpinning the body’s hand-hammered alloy panels. It was so innovative, bringing weight reduction and stiffness at the same time, that it was patented.

Together with Touring’s ground-breaking design language and the advanced aerodynamic studies, the patent created an irresistible mix that helped Touring Superleggera setting milestones in automobile design. One-off masterpieces and limited series models lined up with series-produced cars such as the Alfa Romeo 1900 Sprint, Lancia Flaminia Coupé and Cabriolet, Lamborghini 350 and 400 GT, the 400 GT Flying Star, and the Maserati 3500 and 5000 GT, all manufactured with the same exquisite craftsmanship. A special relationship links Touring Superleggera with Aston Martin. The DB4, DB5, DB6 and DBSC were designed by Touring in Milan.

A significant part of Touring Superleggera’s history is also the design and coachwork of most of the early series-produced Ferrari’s such as the 166MM and 212 in Coupé, Spider and Barchetta body type. Not to mention the two-seater BMW 328 Touring Superleggera coupé specially designed to triumph in the 1940 Mille Miglia, making history as one of the 25 most important cars ever.

The company that was established more than 80 years ago, will showcase many of its creations but will also bring a brand new concept. ‘Till now there is little known about this sports car. I know, it’s hard, but we have to wait a little while to find out….

The new Touring Superleggera will be unveiled on Saturday April 26.

Come into the wonderful world of Touring Superleggera.