Touring Superleggera says the second and third cars from a run intended to reach 15 examples are currently being built in Milan. Each of the 15 will be unique in some way to reflect the owners’ visions for their cars. Each car takes 5,000 hours to hand build. Prices reflect the level of bespoke craftsmanship required and stay between the firm and the owner.
As Salon Privé this year amply showed, bespoke, limited-edition models at seven-figure prices are what the top end of the market seeks right now. But it’s a demand that increasingly the manufacturers themselves are filling. With this trend towards bespoke manufacturer offerings, is there still room for a traditional coachbuilder?
“The big advantage we have over limited-run models from the manufacturers is that we have the freedom to do things the manufacturers couldn’t do,” says Louis de Fabribeckers. “This freedom allows us to respond to individual customer requirements more completely, as with the Aero 3.
“Ever since Touring replaced a wooden frame and steel body with the Superleggera spaceframe and aluminium panels in the 1930s, we have been ahead of the trend. Then as now, a coachbuilt car and one from a manufacturer are two different worlds. We do not need the pedigree of the manufacturer. As a company that designed the first Ferrari 166, the first Lamborghini and Maserati and the Aston Martin DB4, Touring has its own authentic pedigree.”