About Touring

Shovel

Shovel

Dreaming Ape
At the beginning of the automobile's existence there was a class of automobile called Tourer; it appears this naming convention arose from the utility of the vehicle being best suited to moving humans longer distances. Travel, as opposed to a light weight runabout for going across town on an errand or a truck or van built for moving articles.

So here is what appears to be a pretty typical tourer:
Austin_20_tourer_1927_(10251793113).jpg

It's really not that different from an overlander - travel by land for pleasure. Throw a lift kit, a RTT and some poorly considered glare-making light pollution emitter on that and it's basically everything on this website.

But then touring gets sort of weird.

Today there isn't really a "Tourer" but there are "Grand Tourers" or GT cars, which is like a car too heavy and comfortable to be used for competitive motorsport but basically otherwise a sports car.. I don't really know what that has to do with the verb of touring, of travel except maybe if you're enjoying a cross country road trip that's all restaurants and hotels maybe you just need two seats and room for a bit of clothing and toiletries.

mustang_auto_2018_10.jpg

Aside from "GT" cars today we also have tires labeled as "Touring" and "Grand Touring", which nobody seems willing to nail down with a single definition.

As far as I can tell a "Touring" tire is just any generic all season tire with a speed rating better than 99mph, and a "Grand Touring" tire is any manufacturer's step-up version so in the usual Good-Better-Best vertical market a tire maker may make economy all seasons, "Touring" all seasons and "Grand Touring" all season tires.

Touring is also a trim level for the Chrysler Town & Country and Pacifica minivans. It's a suspension package for the Honda Odyssey, the Prius, Chrysler 300 (300's had "comfort" and "touring" and "performance handling" suspensions... so I guess "touring" is.. uh less comfortable than comfort and less sporty than performanc handling??) -


So I know it's not like OMG 4RUNNER RTT LED BAR BFGOODRICH ATKO but a tour's a tour.... does it actually mean anything or is it just a random word people throw on anything to sound cool?
 
billiebob

billiebob

Well-known member
times change

nothing random about it
vehicles evolve
some if it is spin..... most of it is spin
we evolve, what we once considered touring is just transport on the interstate today in anything.
what we consider an overland expedition today was once just everyday transport.
but GRAND TOURING is GRAND TOURING, high horsepower, leather and AC with a luxury hotel at the end of every day.

No one did it better than W.O.Bentley.

BENTLEY FRANCE.jpeg
 
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shenrie

shenrie

^^^ hates cars
I still don’t understand how we ended up with “overland vehicle”. Somebody overheard me talking vans with someone else and asked me what my overland vehicle was. I told them I didn’t have one. He looked at me all confused then asked, didn’t you say you had a 4wd van? I said, I do. Was then asked what I considered it. I said it’s my camper. Then was asked if I used it for overlanding. Again, I said no. I use it for exploring and finding camping and fishing spots.

guess I really don’t understand the term. I “over land” on my way to work everyday. Lowered cars can do than...
 
billiebob

billiebob

Well-known member
shenrie said:
I still don’t understand how we ended up with “overland vehicle”. Somebody overheard me talking vans with someone else and asked me what my overland vehicle was. I told them I didn’t have one. He looked at me all confused then asked, didn’t you say you had a 4wd van? I said, I do. Was then asked what I considered it. I said it’s my camper. Then was asked if I used it for overlanding. Again, I said no. I use it for exploring and finding camping and fishing spots.

guess I really don’t understand the term. I “over land” on my way to work everyday. Lowered cars can do than...
Click to expand...
so true.... of everything.... forever

I LOVE "He looked at me all confused" that whole conversation should be on youtube.

And this is not overlanding....


I had a great Uncle about the same time, 1920/1930. They were north of Edmonton, Fort Saskatchewan area for a Sunday picnic and it rained. He had a great job with the Alberta Liquor Board and HAD to be at work the next day. He hiked across the field, jumped on the daily freight train.... and was on time for work. Those were the days, when men were men.
 
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M

MTVR

Well-known member
Do you know what the first year for the GTO was? Most people, even most car enthusiasts, do not know...
 
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billiebob

billiebob

Well-known member
clarence2 said:
I have to admit, I'm more interested in an all-road grand touring car than an off-road overland truck.
Click to expand...
You need to start a thread, I'd watch it.
Overlanding does not need 4WD ot a truck.
Grand Touring is Overlanding too.

Years ago Newmar had a high performance motor home.... man I want one.

161448_Front_3-4_Web.jpg
 
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M

MTVR

Well-known member
Lmg said:
GTO stands for Gran Turismo Omologato. First time I heard this was from a friend of mine in the 60. I think he said it was being misused when applied to the Pontiac GTO.
Click to expand...

Your friend is right. Gran Turismo Omologato translates from Italian into English as Grand Touring Homologated. The original GTO (the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO) was a homologation special, intended for FIA-sanctioned Group-3 GT road racing competition.

John Delorean was so enamored with the 250 GTO, that when Pontiac needed a name for the performance package on it's Tempest two years later in 1964, he chose "GTO", which is silly, because the Tempest is not a Grand Touring car, it was not eligible for Group-3, and it was never homologated for any FIA road racing class.

The Pontiac Tempest "GTO" was a mid-size 4-seat passenger car with a 4-barrel V8 engine and a top speed of about 115 mph (about what a modern Toyota Prius can do). The REAL GTO, the Ferrari 250 GTO, was a hand-built Italian sports car with a 12-barrel V12 engine and a top speed of about 175 mph.

The Ferrari 250 GTO is also the world's most valuable car. They have sold for as much as 80 million dollars. The Pontiac Tempest "GTO"...not so much...
 
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