Touring Superleggera's Aero 3 is a carbon-clad homage to the race cars of the 1930s
With the angry heart of a Ferrari and a lightweight, slippery body, the Aero 3 makes a serious impression.
No worries about getting confused for a stock F12.
In the world of supercars, most of what we see these days are either production models from major manufacturers or unique ultra-limited models by those same manufacturers -- think Ferrari Monza SP1 or Lamborghini Centenario, for example.
This hasn't always been the case, though, with many sports car manufacturers turning coachbuilders starting in the 1920s and peaking in the 1950s and '60s. One of the most famous of those coachbuilders, Touring Superleggera, is still around today. Not only is it still around, but it's even turning out cars like the gorgeous Alfa Disco Volante and the Maserati Sciàdipersia.
If the name Touring doesn't sound familiar to you, then it's likely that its most famous contribution to car construction will: Superleggera. It's a name and badge that graced some of history's most beautiful cars like the Aston Martin DB5 and the Maserati 3500 GT. The company has remained committed to that super lightweight ethos, and on Saturday, it's unveiling its latest creation meant to cheat both gravity and the wind: the Aero 3.
The Touring Superleggera Aero 3 is based on "a premier Italian supercar" (aka a Ferrari F12Berlinetta ) and clad in a completely bespoke and completely bananas carbon fiber body, complete with a massive shark fin out back. Unlike its other models like the Disco Volante, the Aero 3 doesn't pay homage to any one car in particular, but rather to the wild racing cars of the 1930s in general.
When it comes to engineering this car, Touring was smart enough to leave the mechanicals and electronics alone, instead choosing to focus on what it does best: ditching weight and improving aerodynamics. The car's V12 still makes around 740 horsepower and still shifts with a seven-speed DCT transmission.
Touring is only planning on building only 15 examples the Aero 3, so it's unlikely that you'll see one outside of the confines of places like Monterey during Car Week or Villa d'Este, or, of course, at the car's official public debut next week at the Salon Prive show at Castle Blenheim in the UK.
