GT on a car is an acronym for grand touring or gran turismo (in Italian). GTs are meant to be luxurious and stylish vehicles built for comfort and long distance. However, automakers wildly throw around the term.
The History of Grand Touring Vehicles
The GT designation used to be reserved for sports cars. Alfa Romeo may have been the first to use the term with the 1930 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Turismo, built as a road-going vehicle modeled after its iconic race car of a similar name. Ferrari, too, used the GT term for its vehicles such as its 250 GT. According to Ferrari’s website, the 250 GT Berlinetta Passo Corto was unveiled in Paris in 1959 with a V12 engine. In later years, an early reference for Ford came up in the Mustang GT in 1965. At the time, the Ford Mustang GT package cost $165 and included a V8 engine with a stylish interior.
These days, manufacturers use the term on many luxury vehicles like the 2024 Mercedes-Benz AMG GT Coupe or those sporting the highest trim package, like the 2024 Lincoln Corsair Grand Touring plug-in hybrid SUV.
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