Good, bad or ugly? Cars that wore a GT badge

What does Alfa Romeo have in common with GMC?

Although they’re on opposite ends of the automotive spectrum, both companies have used the initials GT to designate a car that’s sportier than the rest. Of course, some car makers build a GT with more credibility than others but that hasn’t stopped nearly every firm that has made a car in the second half of the 20th century from using the initialism (or a variation of it) at least once.

From the original Lancia grand tourer to a turbocharged Chrysler PT Cruiser, here are some of the cars the GT emblem has appeared on – for better or worse.

What does GT mean?

Historians broadly agree the initials GT stand for gran turismo, an Italian term that means ‘grand touring’. They originally designated a high-performance car with enough space and comfort-related features to embark on a long trip. Early on, a GT car was the opposite of a stripped-out track-only model but racing soon entered the equation and the initials sometimes denoted a car designed for GT-class racing. However, not every company that has used the name has adhered to these two basic definitions…

Note: Lamborghini 400 GT pictured.

Lancia Aurelia B20 GT (1951)

The GT emblem first appeared on a production car when Lancia introduced the Aurelia B20 GT in 1951. Based on the four-door Aurelia B10, the B20 GT arrived as a sumptuous coupé with a more rakish roofline and a correspondingly sporty interior.

The four-door Aurelia stood out as the first car with a V6 engine. Made by Pininfarina, the B20 GT lived up to its sporty pretentions with a 1991cc evolution of the six that made 75hp in early models. Lancia later used variations of the GT name on a wide selection of cars ranging from a high-performance version of the Fulvia Berlina named GTE to a hotter variant of the original Delta.

Verdict: Good

Ferrari 250 GT Coupé (1954)

Ferrari and coachbuilders like Pininfarina made over a dozen variants of the 250. Introduced at the 1954 Paris motor show, the 250 GT coupé represented the firm’s first serious attempt at selling a model to what it considered ‘normal motorists’. The GT designation candidly denoted a grand touring car that an owner could comfortably take on a long drive across Italy.

Many of Ferrari’s most successful models have worn the letters ‘G’ and ‘T’. The 250 GTO, the Dino 206 GT and the 365 GTB/4 come to mind. In 2018, the GTC4 Lusso and the 488 GTB carry the torch.

Verdict: Good

Note: 1959 250 GT pictured.

Maserati 3500 GT (1957)

After introducing the A6, Maserati took a more straightforward approach to naming its cars. The 3500 GT unveiled in 1957 received a 3500cc straight six engine and perfectly exemplified the concept of a grand tourer. The 5000 GT launched in 1959 followed the same logic but Maserati later moved away from alphanumeric names and adopted nameplates such as Ghibli, Mistral, Sebring and Quattroporte.

The 3200 GT made between 1998 and 2002 renewed Maserati’s ties with GT as a nameplate. In 2018, the firm sells a coupé named Granturismo and it also uses the GTS designation as a trim level, notably on the Levante and the Quattroporte.

Verdict: Good

Note: 3500 GT Vignale pictured.

Saab GT750 (1958)

Saab was one of the first car companies that dared to deviate from the accepted, Italian-forged definition of a GT car. The GT750 it introduced in 1958 didn’t stand a chance in a cross-continent race against a Maserati 3500 GT but no one complained about the company’s use of the term. The GT750 was a sportier version of the 93 credibly infused with rally genes and it earned its letters.

Verdict: Good

Aston Martin DB4 GT (1959)

Aston Martin announced the GT version of the DB4 at the 1959 London motor show. It was, as its name implied, an evolution of the DB4 modified for GT-class racing. It was shorter and considerably lighter than the DB4 and came with disc brakes on both axles in addition to an upgraded engine.

The DB4 GT proved its worth on the track even before Aston Martin officially announced it: Stirling Moss won the GT race at the Daily Express Silverstone May meeting behind the wheel of a prototype. It also served as the basis for the DB4 GT Zagato, one of Aston Martin’s rarest and most valuable classic models in 2018. But for a brand that has remained remarkably loyal to the grand tourer philosophy, Aston Martin has released surprisingly few GT-badged cars since the DB4 GT.

Verdict: Good

Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk (1962)

Studebaker became the first American brand to use the GT name when it released the final evolution of the Hawk in 1962. Called Gran Turismo Hawk, it built on the Hawk with styling changes such as a bolder grille that was almost Mercedes-Benz-like in execution, a more angular roofline and a new-look rear end aligned with design trends of the 1960s. Engine options included two naturally aspirated V8s and, later in the production run, a supercharged V8 rated at 289hp.

The Gran Turismo Hawk was a brave but useless attempt to keep Studebaker afloat. Production ended when the company closed its South Bend, Indiana, factory in December 1963.

Verdict: Good, but no cigar

Dodge Lancer GT 2-Door Hardtop (1962)

Another American car maker claimed the GT emblem in 1962. Dodge re-named the hard-top variant of the Lancer the  GT 2-Door Hardtop for the 1962 model year and upgraded it with thicker carpet, bucket seats, wood trim on the dashboard and full wheel covers. Dodge marketed the Lancer GT as a performance model and equipped it with a 101hp version of the Chrysler group’s Slant Six engine. Buyers who wanted more could pay extra for a bigger Slant Six with 145hp on tap.

Dodge replaced the Lancer with the third-generation Dart for the 1963 model year. The Dart spawned a range-topping GT model offered as a convertible and a coupé, and Dodge later used the GTS nameplate to denote the sportiest variant of the fourth-generation Dart. It dusted off the GT badge in 2013 for the top-of-the-line-trim version of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta-derived Dart, a model whose performance credentials were only skin deep.

Verdict: Bad

Alfa Romeo Sprint GT (1963)

By the early 1960s, car makers had discovered the marketing power contained in the GT emblem. Alfa Romeo harnessed it when it replaced the Giulietta Sprint with a gorgeous, Bertone-designed coupé named Giulia Sprint GT in 1963. The model evolved into the more powerful Giulia Sprint GT Veloce (later GTV), the convertible GTC, the entry-level GT Junior and the race-ready GTA and GTAm variants.

Alfa kept the GT emblem alive after production of the Giulia-derived coupés ended. The Alfetta GT replaced the Giulia-based GTV and later morphed into the GTV and the GTV6. The GTV nameplate reappeared in 1994 on a front-wheel-drive coupé and the Italian firm brought back the GT name for a 156-based coupé introduced in 2003.

Verdict: Good

Lamborghini 350 GTV (1963)

Ferruccio Lamborghini named the first car his firm ever presented to the public 350 GTV. The numbers referred to the 3500cc displacement of the V12 engine and the letters signalled the newborn company’s intent to run alongside big names like Maserati and Ferrari in the gran turismo segment. Presented as a prototype, the 350 GTV didn’t generate the type of positive response Lamborghini hoped for at the 1963 Turin motor show so the design team went back to the drawing board. The changes made included a completely new design, a tweaked version of the V12 and a new name: 350 GT. Lamborghini’s first production car (pictured) was born. It was replaced by the 400 GT – with a 4000cc V12 – in 1966.

Lamborghini’s mission has always been to build GT cars. It applied the nameplate (and variations such as GTS) to several models during the 1970s. It has appeared off and on since, notably on the limited-edition Diablo GT.

Verdict: Good

Ford GT40 (1964)

Developed to decimate Ferrari, the Ford GT40 first raced at the 1964 edition of the Nürburgring 1000km race. It didn’t finish the race and the three examples sent to the Le Mans 24 Hours that year all dropped out. The 1965 season was also disappointing in spite of a win at the Daytona 2000.

The GT40 wasn’t off to the bright start Ford hoped. That didn’t stop the company’s marketing department from introducing the GT Equipment Group on the 1965 Mustang. It bundled performance-related options like dual exhaust tips with add-ons such as a GT-badged fuel cap.

Ford started using the GT nameplate on a short-lived 78hp version of the British-built Consul Capri. In 2018, the brand continues to use the GT designation on the V8-powered Mustang and on a limited-edition heir to the GT40.

Verdict: Good

Note: 1966 GT40 pictured.

Pontiac GTO (1964)

The Pontiac GTO was arguably the first true American muscle car. It was born out of Pontiac’s desire to introduce a more powerful version of the Tempest without breaking parent company General Motors’ 330-cubic-inch limit on engine displacement. The limit applied to production cars, not option packages, so Pontiac cleverly stuffed a 389-cubic-inch V8 into the Tempest Le Mans and offered it at an extra cost. More than 32,000 buyers ticked the GTO box in 1964.

Pontiac chief engineer John DeLorean (yes, that DeLorean) unabashedly borrowed the GTO name from the race-winning Ferrari 250 GTO but claimed it stood for Grand Tempest Option. The GTO became a stand-alone model in 1966 and went through several evolutions until 1974.

In 1999, as the retro wave heightened, Pontiac released a concept car named GTO at the Detroit motor show. The coupé never received the green light for production, but the GTO nameplate briefly returned to showrooms in 2004 on a rebadged Holden Monaro sourced from Australia.

Verdict: Good

Prince Skyline 2000GT (1964)

Nissan owes its long affair with the GT nameplate to Prince Motor Company. In 1964, Prince went racing with a Skyline powered by a straight six engine borrowed from the Gloria (pictured). The model was more successful than anyone anticipated so it spawned a production car called Skyline 2000GT.

Nissan obtained the Skyline and the Gloria when it merged with Prince in 1966. The company also received the 1998cc straight six engine it used to create the original, four-door Skyline GT-R in 1969. Nearly 40 years later, the GT-R lives on as a supercar-baiting coupé.

Verdict: Good

Porsche 904 GTS (1964)

Porsche designed its first GTS-badged car to compete in the Targa Florio, a gruelling race held in Sicily in which cars needed to be fast, safe and comfortable to stand a chance at securing the top spot on the podium. The 904 Gran Turismo Sport (GTS) won the event in 1964. The long list of Porsche models that have received the GTS treatment since includes the 928, the 911, the Cayman, the Panamera and even the Cayenne.

One of Porsche’s most notable GTs was the V10-powered Carrera GT launched in 2003. Its successor gave up the initialism but Porsche offers several variations of it in 2018, including GT3 and GT2.

Verdict: Good

Toyota 2000GT (1965)

Largely designed by Yamaha, the 2000GT could have joined the Nissan line-up instead of sitting at the top of the Toyota family. Nissan executives didn’t want it so Toyota earned the distinction of pelting the Japanese car industry into Jaguar E-Type territory. The 2000GT was a true grand tourer in every sense of the term.

Toyota’s use of the GT name didn’t end there. Variations of the acronym often appeared as a trim level (notably on the Celica) and the firm even released a homologation special named GT-Four in 1986. More recently, the coupé that Toyota developed jointly with Subaru goes by the name GT86 in some markets, including in the UK.

Verdict: Good

Volvo 123GT (1967)

Volvo jumped into the GT ring in 1967 as it explored ways to boost its image around the world. The 123GT was released as a hotter, two-door version of the Amazon that benefited from the vast racing expertise the Swedish firm had amassed during the 1960s. The changes included a firmer suspension, front disc brakes, foglights, a bigger rev counter and Recaro seats. Borrowed from the P1800, the 1778cc four-cylinder engine sent 115hp to the rear wheels through a four-speed manual transmission.

Volvo didn’t renew ties with the GT designation until it made a sharper evolution of the 242 in 1974. In 2018, however, there is not a single GT-badged model in the company’s line-up.

Verdict: Good

Mini 1275GT (1969)

In 1969, the 1275GT replaced the original Mini Cooper as the go-fast option in the range. Its name came from its 59hp 1275cc four-cylinder engine. Designers tried differentiating the 1275GT from other Mini models by giving it a more angular front end (pictured above, far left) that didn’t sit well with many enthusiasts.

Mini has shied away from using the GT tag because it has plenty of more historically significant names to choose from. However, the firm paid homage to the 1275GT in 2017 when it released the limited-edition model named 1499GT and powered by a 101hp three-cylinder engine.

Verdict: Good

Mitsubishi Galant GTO (1970)

The GTO nameplate must have been contagious in the 1960s. After Ferrari made it famous and Pontiac claimed it as its own, Mitsubishi jumped on the bandwagon in 1970 with a surprisingly Mustang-like coupé based on the Colt Galant. Production ended in 1977 but the GTO designation returned in 1990 on a coupé called 3000GT for the North American market.

Verdict: Good

Volkswagen Golf GTI (1975)

In 1975, Volkswagen introduced what has unquestionably become one of the most recognizable off-shoots of the GT badge. The Golf GTI – an acronym which stood for gran turismo injection – represented a completely different take on the concept of a GT car which embodied the changes that swept across the new car market after the first oil embargo. It didn’t need to be big, luxurious or capable of reaching ultra-high speeds; it merely needed to deliver powerful acceleration and grin-inducing handling. Mini made that argument with the 1275GT and Volkswagen seconded it.

The Golf GTI wasn’t the original hot hatch – that honour goes to the Autobianchi A112 Abarth – but it’s the model that almost single-handedly made the segment popular. Volkswagen caught its rivals by surprise and sent them scrambling to find sound-alike initialisms to put on their own hot-rodded economy cars.

Encouraged by the GTI’s success, Volkswagen expanded the Golf family with a turbodiesel-powered GTD in 1982 and a plug-in hybrid GTE in 2014.

Verdict: Good

Citroën CX GTi (1977)

In the 1960s, it looked like Citroën would never make a car worthy of wearing the GT emblem. Can you imagine a 2CV GT? Its chances increased when it purchased Maserati. The SM was the textbook definition of a grand tourer but it never received the emblem. Citroën finally inaugurated it in 1977 with a fuel-injected version of the CX named 2400 GTi. Black exterior trim, foglights and seats with integrated headrests accompanied the 128hp engine. The Visa, BX and AX models later wore the GT and/or GTi nameplates.

In 2018, Citroën set aside its performance aspirations to focus solely on comfort. The firm competes in the World Rally Championship so the credibility to build, say, a C3 GT is there in spades but there’s no evidence the decision-makers will allow it to happen.

Verdict: (Mostly) good

Audi Coupé GT (1980)

As Audi moved up in the luxury car pecking order, it built up the confidence needed to lure enthusiasts into showrooms with a two-door model named Coupé GT. Many of its mechanical components came from the 80 but it got a model-specific design with an almost fastback-like rear end. Although it was an enjoyable sports car considering its price and its segment, and it was a worthy successor to the original, 100-based Coupé, the Coupé GT was completely overshadowed by the rally-winning Quattro it had spawned.

In 2018, the Quattro influences nearly every member of the Audi line-up and there is not a single GT-badged car in the firm’s catalogue. That could change in the coming years if the E-tron GT concept introduced at the 2018 Los Angeles motor show keeps its name as its transitions into a production car.

Verdict: Good

GMC Yukon GT (1993)

GT-badged SUVs are understandably rare. The sporting properties of a car gradually vanish as ground clearance increases. And yet, GMC forever offended the GT deity when it slapped the label on a two-door version of the original Yukon. Models equipped with the optional GT package received flares over the wheel arches, alloy wheels and a 5700cc V8 engine that churned out 200hp.

Verdict: Bad

Pontiac Vibe GT (2002)

If the automotive industry elected a grand jury, it would certainly investigate Pontiac’s use of the GT nameplate on the first- and second-generation Vibe. The ailing American firm marketed the GT as the sporty member of the line-up and attempted to back up this claim with a 164hp evolution of the standard Vibe’s Toyota-made 1800cc four-cylinder engine. Unsurprisingly, the first-generation GT retired before the standard model due to slow sales.

Verdict: Ugly

Bentley Continental GT (2003)

Nearly all of Bentley’s cars have effortlessly embodied the concept of a grand tourer. The firm is known for making cars that are spacious, luxurious, comfortable and quick. With the original Continental GT, Bentley came closer to the original definition of a GT than many of its rivals had in years without giving up an ounce of its British flair. It helped that the only engine initially offered was a mighty W12 with 552hp.

Verdict: Good

Chrysler PT Cruiser GT (2003)

Historically, Chrysler hasn’t abused the right to use the GT nameplate. It released several GTS and GTC variants of the LeBaron during the 1980s, none of which were particularly grand or well suited to touring, and it signed up the nameplate for another round when it launched the 215hp PT Cruiser GT in 2003. Most period reviewers agreed it was a lot of fun to drive but Chrysler had strayed irreconcilably far from the guidelines laid out by the Italians during the 1950s.

Verdict: Ugly

BMW 5 Series GT (2009)

BMW refrained from using the GT nameplate for decades. It quietly made an exception for the 1600GT, which was an evolution of the Glas GT, but its naming system was so straightforward (and its brand image was so strong) that it didn’t need the GT suffix to denote a performance car. This changed in 2009 when it unveiled the controversial 5 Series Gran Turismo at the Frankfurt motor show. In this case, ‘GT’ denoted a more spacious alternative to the 5 Series with a clever two-way tailgate.

The 3 Series GT unveiled in 2013 followed roughly the same formula as the 5 Series GT. In 2018, the 5 Series GT passed the torch to the 6 Series GT and the 3 Series GT has entered the final phase of its life cycle. It doesn’t sound like the model will get a successor.

Verdict: Ugly

Hyundai Elantra GT (2013)

Hyundai frequently used the GT designation for trim levels, notably on the Elantra and the Tiburon, but it didn’t promote the initialism to nameplate status until it released the disorientingly named Elantra GT on the American market for the 2013 model year. The hatchback was sold as the i30 in other parts of the world. Although competitive in its segment, it was as worthy of wearing the GT name as a pedal boat at Disney World.

Verdict: Bad

Mercedes-AMG GT (2014)

Mercedes-Benz has typically avoided the GT nameplate unless it’s required to denote the category a car falls into on the track. It broke with tradition in 2014 when its newly emancipated Mercedes-AMG division released a Porsche-911-fighting model called simply GT. The firm gradually expanded the GT line-up with GT S, GT C and GT R nameplates and it released an E-Class-derived model called GT 4-door Coupé in 2018.

Verdict: Good

Note: 2020 GT R Pro pictured.

Kia Stinger GT (2017)

Kia turned more than a few heads when it introduced the GT Concept at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show. Many reasonably wrote it off as merely a design exercise, and that’s precisely what it was initially, but it generated such a positive response from the public that executives began looking at ways to make it a reality. It became Kia’s first true GT car when it made its debut in 2017.

Verdict: Good

The GT emblem in 2018

In 2018, a vast majority of car companies have sold at least one GT-badged car. The notable exceptions to the rule include Cadillac, Jeep, Land Rover, Lexus and Lincoln. Most letter combinations have been spoken for once, if not more. We’ve seen the GTA, GTB, GTC, GTD, GTE, GTI, GTL, GTO, GTR, GTS, GTV and GTX nameplates on anything from a race-ready, lightweight Alfa Romeo coupé to a surprisingly agile evolution of the Porsche Cayenne.

Sometimes, the nameplate denotes a true GT car. Other times, it’s an indication of the racing category the model falls into (eg the Porsche 911 GT2 RS). And, at times, it’s merely an advertising gimmick that proves the GT tag still holds as much marketing power in 2018 as it did during the 1950s.

Note: 2019 Ford Mustang GT pictured.