Luxury GT shootout

Grand tourers bring back memories of a time when gentlemen drove in flat caps, silk scarves and string-backed gloves. And their cars had running boards and luggage tied to the back.

Yet the focus of these machines hasn’t moved on much over the years. A grand tourer is still a comfortable, stylish sports coupé designed to cross continents with pace and grace. So, what could be better than a European jaunt to find out if the Aston Martin Vantage N400 or Maserati GranTurismo can steal the Jaguar XKR’s class crown?

We headed to the Reims-Gueux Grand Prix circuit in France – a venue with which all three manufacturers are closely connected. Astons competed here in the pre-war period, the great Juan Manuel Fangio drove his last-ever race at Reims in a Maserati 250F and Jaguar D-Types took a one-two in the 1954 12-hour endurance race. A plaque commemorates the big cat’s achievement, which saw the Jags gain revenge over the Ferraris that had beaten them at Le Mans a month earlier.

Each of our test cars has a front-mounted V8, and sends around 400bhp to the rear wheels through an automatic gearbox. But there are big differences, too. The Aston is a strict two-seater, while nearly £27,000 separates the N400 from the XKR. These cars have been designed for high-speed cruising, but we gave them a work-out on B-roads and in town, too, to find Britain’s best grand tourer.

Thanks to: www.amis-du-circuit-de-gueux.fr