Touring Aero 3
With historic design refined in the wind tunnel, Touring Superleggera is creating the new limited edition Aero 3.
Carlo Felice Bianchi Anderloni may only be known to a few readers. However, as the son of one of the founders of the coachbuilder Touring in Italy and for decades the guardian of the trademark rights, he plays an important role in the history of this traditional company. Under his leadership, Touring developed the Superleggera process, still world-renowned today, for the lightweight production of sports car bodies from aluminium sheets over thin-walled tubes. At the same time, he always provided for particularly aerodynamic solutions in order to offer little resistance to the wind. In this way, he followed early solutions such as the Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 dressed up by Touring or the unique 8C 2900 B Le Mans, as well as the BMW 328 Touring Coupé, which won the Mille Miglia in 1939, and created something similar with the Disco Volante in the 1950s. To honor his life’s work, Touring Superleggera has now designed the new Aero 3, which will celebrate its world premiere at the Salon Privé Concours d’Elegance.
Limited to just 15 units
The name is derived from the position of this vehicle in the modern line of Touring’s own creations. In 2012, the new Discovolante based on the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione was shown and a few years later a Spyder variant was derived from it. Now the third Aero model of the modern era follows, and accordingly it bears the ‘3’ in its name. At the request of the future owner of this car, Touring Superleggera also painted race number 19 on the sides, as the Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 B once wore it at the 1938 24 Hours of Le Mans. A distinctive feature of the Aero models is the teardrop-shaped roof that tapers to the rear and, in the case of the Aero 3, also ends in an air fin. This was introduced into the design vocabulary of the car as a new, but nearly natural element. To the right and left of the fin, spoilers extend to an angle of 45 degrees, which is made visible on a scale. Flat curves give the rest of the car a timeless design, which will be produced in the near future in a limited edition of 15 units.
The presentation vehicle for the Salon Privé shines in the same ‘Stratosphere Red’ color, which was also used on the very first new Disco Volante. Inside, red areas provide color accents to the otherwise black upholstery in Alcantara and Foglizzo leather. In addition, polished aluminium, black matt anodized aluminium and components in matt visible carbon. Like the body, these are produced in a vacuum autoclave at 120°C. Despite this, the weight compared to the basic vehicle increased from around 1,630 to 1,645 kilograms. The wheel arches contain ultra-light alloy wheels with 255/35 ZR 20 tires at the front and 315/35 ZR 20 tires at the rear.
740 hp V12 engine
Beneath the new look are the floor pan, the aluminium space frame and the V12 engine of an unspecified Italian base vehicle. However, since this engine takes exactly 545 kW/740 hp an 690 newtonmeters of torque from 6.3 liters of displacement and releases it to the rear wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, the origin is immediately clear to car fans. For all others: it is most certainly the Ferrari F12berlinetta. In the Touring Aero 3, this power is sufficient to accelerate from a standstill to 62 mph in 3.1 seconds, allowing a topspeed of 211 mph. Whether the even more powerful Ferrari 812 Superfast can alternatively be used as a facelift of the F12 as a basis as well was left open by the coachbuilder. After delivery of a suitable base vehicle, the conversion will take at least six months, depending on the desired scope of individualization. All components manufactured or modified by Touring Superleggera are subject to a two-year warranty without mileage limitation and are available as lifetime spare parts.
Images: Touring Superleggera
