Five great Grand Tourers
Monday, 27 January 2020
With the traditional properties of lots of luxury and big speed, a traditional Grand Tourer (or more commonly, GT) is simply the best way to blast across continents. Not that we have that need here in New Zealand.
But just in case you want to power across Europe at 300kmh (where legal, of course) and not mess around with silly airports, then here are your five best choices.
Aston Martin DBS Superleggera
The most impressive thing about the DBS Superleggera isn't its staggering performance or colossal power - it is actually how refined and docile it is actually capable of being, despite all its power and performance.
Packing a twin-turbo 5.2-litre V12 that produces 533kW of power and 900Nm of torque, the DBS Superleggera smashes past our legal speed limit in a mere 3.4 seconds, but is also perfectly happy pottering around town at idle, surfing that huge torque.
Add to this the fact that the DBS Superleggera is never anything less than perfectly comfortable, despite being able to tackle corners with minimal body roll and with frankly startling amounts of grip.
Bentley Continental GT
In its third incarnation, Bentley's Continental GT has finally transcended the premiere league footballer's car image it quickly attracted when it launched back in 2003 and has evolved into something far more elegant and regal.
Oh, yeah; and fast. Seriously fast.
One of the last havens for the VW Groups's spectacular W12 engine, the Continental GT packs a 467kW/900Nm 6.0-litre twin turbo version that is staggeringly effortless in its power delivery and will punch the big Bentley to 100kmh in 3.7 seconds. There is also a lesser version powered by a 405kW/770Nm twin turbo V8 if you want… well, less.
Mercedes-AMG GT 4-door Coupe
The only four-door car on this list also packs the smallest engine (and has the silliest name), but don't let that fool you - the GT 4-door Coupe is a very serious trans-continental blaster indeed.
Ignoring the 'lowly' 43 and 53 six-cylinder versions (you're not serious about your trans-continental travel if you have less than eight cylinders…), the 63 packs AMG's deeply impressive 4.0-litre twin turbo V8, pumping out 430kW and 800Nm that will see it destroy our measly speed limit in just 3.4 seconds.
But if that isn't good enough, then the 63 S ups that to 470kW and 900Nm, while the forthcoming 73 EQ adds an electric motor which AMG Says will wind the power way up ('up to 600kW') and shave the 0 to 100 time down to under 3 seconds…
Rolls-Royce Wraith
For the ultimate in luxury and comfort you really can't go past a Rolls, but the Wraith is the legendary manufacturers 'most driver focussed car' and still packs some serious performance.
With a 470kW/800Nm twin turbo V12 (the Black Badge Edition bumps the torque up to 870Nm), the Wraith is the slowest car here, clocking in a 0 to 100kmh sprint in 'just' 4.6 seconds, but effortlessly wins the race for sheer presence and attitude by being simply massive.
At 5.2 metres long, the Wraith is undeniably huge and the sheer amount of luxury and personalisation buyers can have sets the big Rolls imperiously above any competition. Even the faster stuff.
Ferrari 812 Superfast
The absolute king of sheer speed in the GT world is undoubtedly the spectacular Ferrari 812 Superfast. A big hint is in its name…
A pure, old-school style front-engined, rear drive V12 Ferrari, the 812 Superfast packs a massive 588kW of power, along with 'just' 718Nm of torque (surprisingly the least here) and will destroy everything else here with a 0 to 100 run of 2.9 seconds.
It is, of course, the least luxurious car here, with a far firmer ride than any of the others and a slightly terrifying sharp edge to its handling that will happily bite if not treated with respect. Respect that it demands and deserves.