On April 21st 2006 the exclusive rights for the Touring Superleggera brand were acquired by the international Zeta Europe BV group, a company which already has several subsidiary companies in the Milan area such as Carrozzeria Granturismo near Arese, and Ruote Borrani in Rozzano. The new targets for Carrozzeria Touring are ambitious and well-aimed: a high-quality and professional Milan based service centre for the special product niche in the international car industry. Sectors: automotive design, models concept cars, and small-volume production of special vehicles. “I had the pleasure and privilege to meet Carlo Felice Bianchi Anderloni on several occasions, and admired his inspiring interest and open mind for even very modern design concepts. He always liked to discuss the concept of a ‘modern day Touring’,” says Zeta Europe’s CEO Paul V J Koot.

“Touring Superleggera represents a precious new venture, which we are very proud to add to our corporate portfolio. But we thoroughly realize the significant tasks and responsibilities that lay behind this takeover. Touring has a long, rich and versatile heritage that requires very well-thought and balanced steps to grow further in the complex context of the automotive environment of the 21st century. “We are building a compact, dynamic team of competent young professionals. Our pilot projects will include partial style studies (known as the traditional Elaborazione), as well as spectacular, totally new projects. We will focus on turn key projects. We want to see avant-garde design and new Touring bodies, not only virtual or on shows but also on the road.

"And although today, we live in a global village, Touring Superleggera’s future models will continue to share their most important DNA with their famous ancestors: Italy, and design with original Italian inspiration. For me this is crucial, and we have a motivated and inspired Italian partner in this venture to safeguard this fidelity to the roots of Touring Superleggera."

Carrozzeria Touring

Carrozzeria Touring was established in 1926 by Felice Bianchi Anderloni who had worked for Isotta-Fraschini since 1904 as a test driver, then a brief period at Peugeot Italiana. Anderloni and Gaetano Ponzoni acquired Carrozzeria Falco in 1926, shortly thereafter, adopting the Touring name. The two, both trained in law, had a long and mutually satisfying relationship and Ponzoni, despite outside interests, remained Touring’s managing director until the company ceased operations 40 years later.

Anderloni came to Touring without specific knowledge of  coachbuilding, learning as he went along and developing over time a unique style of design that blended his appreciation for lightweight construction with his experience as a driver to create a characteristic style. An early licensee of Charles Weymann’s system for constructing lightweight flexible automobile bodies covered with fabric, Touring’s first professional designer was Giuseppe Seregni who collaborated with Anderloni to create the 1927 Isotta-Fraschini 'Flying Star,' a landmark in the artful combination of aerodynamics and beauty. They continued to pursue the dual goal of lightweight construction and efficient aerodynamics and in the 1920s and 1930s created a succession of innovative and creative designs.
 

Touring’s production capabilities in light alloy and fabric-covered tubing structures brought the firm commercial success in aircraft during the mid and late- 1930s, and this experience led Anderloni to develop and patent the 'Superleggera' construction system. Touring’s 'Superleggera' (super lightweight) system employed a structure of small diameter tubes as the body’s armature. Extremely thin alloy panels then  covered the armature, taking their strength from the tubing. 'Superleggera' had other advantages aside from light weight, particularly its flexibility in design.
 

Pre-war 'Superleggera' coachwork for Alfa Romeo, particularly on the 8C 2900 chassis, and the aerodynamic full envelope bodies for BMW’s 328, laid the groundwork for Touring’s success following World War II. Felice Anderloni’s death in 1948 during the company’s reconstruction, was untimely but not before he and Federico Formenti had created the Alfa  Romeo Frecchia d’Oro and coupe and spider bodies for Ferrari’s 166.

The postwar years were prolific for Touring and its 'Superleggera' construction system. Production work followed and the firm grew rapidly under the leadership of Anderloni’s son Carlo and the guidance of the ever-present Ponzoni. The late 1950s were particularly productive as Touring undertook series production of bodies for Alfa Romeo’s 1900 Super Sprint and 2600, Aston Martin’s DB4, Lancia Flaminia GT, Lamborghini 350 and 400 GT and the Maserati 3500 GT. This rush of business, however, also sowed the seeds of the company’s demise. The expansion undertaken to meet demand was unsustainable when these projects ended and new ones were not forthcoming to replace them. Touring, which was known for and prided itself on the quality of its workmanship, struggled to reconcile the conflicting needs of volume production with its traditionally obsessive quality.