The newly reborn Touring Superleggera marque turned up at Villa Erba on Lake Como this morning and immediately made a big impact as they presented the A8GCS Berlinetta concept, a stylish Maserati-based sports car.

The newly reborn Touring Superleggera marque turned up at Villa Erba, on the banks of Lake Como, this morning and immediately made a big impact as they presented the A8GCS Berlinetta concept, a stylish Maserati-based sports car, as well as their first completed conversion work, a Maserati Quattroporte fastback.

The Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este at Lake Como is one of Europe’s finest annual events for classic cars, only the very best, the most famous, and the most historically significant may apply. After spending two days within in the manicured lawns of Villa d’Este, the entrants are transported across Lake Como to Villa Erba where they are presented to a very discerning public on Sunday. And this was the location that Touring Superleggera chose to unveil the A8GSC Berlinetta, today.

It was doubly an appropriate setting as this year Touring was the ‘Featured Marque’ and the immaculate lawns which run down to the lakeside were full to bursting with historic cars crafted by the Milanese carrozzeria. It served to emphasise the stunning history that the long defunct coachbuilder, which was set up in 1926, once had; and formed at perfect backdrop to the relaunch of a much admired name.

The new Touring Superleggera marque began life in 2006 when Dutchman Paul V J Koot purchased the rights to the name from the Marazzi brothers who in turn had bought the brand at the end of the 1980s and had since then made several abortive attempts to revive it. Koot’s Zeta Europe BV group had already bought historic wheel manufacturer Ruote Borrani, and set up restoration and prototyping firm Carrozzeria Granturismo.

The A8GCS Berlinetta is based on the mechanicals of Maserati’s outgoing GranSport coupé. “It’s a street sports car, a front [V8] engined package, so the mechanical package is drawn from the Maserati GranSport,” project member Dr Frank Hermann explains to Italiaspeed, “basically the drivetrain and mechanical components are from the GranSport which is a transaxle principle so it has the gearbox at the back, and the engine is behind the front axle, so we have optimum weight distribution.” Using a Maserati base pays homage to a relationship between Touring and the Modenese brand which started with the Maserati 3500 GT in 1957.

The new project called for a 2-seater that would be compact, dynamic, light and with startling proportions. “It’s a small coupe, the interior is quite small and we have done aerodynamic testing up to now,” says Dr Hermann, “so it has pretty good aerodynamic characteristics.”

The A8GCS Berlinetta demonstrates a true sports car presence as it basks in the glorious sunshine at Villa Erba; it is deeply embedded with Maserati and Touring design cues, and from many angles could almost be a smaller version of Maserati’s own Granturismo, if the Trident's designers had retained the dimensions of the outgoing GranSport. The front speaks of design strength, whilst the sides flow into the neat rear. The distinct styling is the work of Belgian designer Louis de Fabribeckers de Cortils et Grace. The 31-year-old came to Touring Superleggera via BMW, Italdesign and Carrozzeria Granturismo. He says: “The Touring style excellently defines itself. Primarily through an homogenous and well balanced volume. The result is a dynamic shape which does not need a lowered body line. The horizontal arrangement of the lines creates a natural elegance. Secondarily, by an extensive but elegant treatment of the surfaces; it is refined but with a touch of eccentricity.”

“I’m now designing a new spaceframe for this car which we will be building using the Superleggera principles as one of the aims of the project is to get a light stiff car,” says Dr Hermann, who is Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Cologne University, specialising in the field of body engineering and lightweight design. The new Touring Superleggera goes straight to the founding principles of Bianchi Anderloni, by using state-of the art material technologies and engineering methods to enable flexible and efficient small volume production. 

The new sports car will use aluminium alloys in the form of complex casted components and structural profiles to build up an exceptionally light and rigid frame which will be clothed in fine aluminium panelling. Touring Superleggera are confident that they can meet and exceed industry standards; they plan a static stiffness beyond 30,000 Nm of torsional movement per degree of frame rotation (Nm/Deg) achieved with a structural weight ‘far below’ 200 kg.

Touring Superleggera is also showing a converted Maserati Quattroporte this weekend, but this is the firm’s first car that’s an entirely new development. “The running prototype should be ready by March 2009 and will be shown at the Geneva Motor Show,” reveals Dr Hermann. “So from now to the Geneva Motor Show we have to decide on the business case. But it’s going to be a very small, exclusive production figure.”

Maserati is also keeping a very close eye on the project and has offered its blessing to Touring Superleggera. “We have been granted [the rights] to do the project,” he says, “We have been supported by Maserati. We showed them the first concept sketches about a year ago at the 2007 Geneva Motor Show and they liked it. And they’re watching us.”

The concept car has been surrounded all day under its light canopy at Villa Erba by a throng interested onlookers. “The public reaction has been fantastic,” he adds, “I think the public didn’t expect this, a first time public unveiling at Villa d’Este."

by Edd Ellison