Touring Superleggera Aero 3 is retro-inspired V12 supercar

Italian coachbuilder Touring Superleggera has unveiled the Aero 3 as a restyled, limited-run take on the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta.  

The Milanese firm, known for the radically styled Alfa Romeo Disco Volante and Mini Superleggera Vision, says the new arrival is “the latest in a design concept that hails back to their historic role in developing the science of automotive aerodynamics”, and its   motto - “weight is the enemy, air resistance the obstacle” - has underpinned its development.  

The carbonfibre-bodied Aero 3 retains the overall silhouette of the F12   but has been completely redesigned, taking inspiration from mid-20th century Italian coachbuilders and 1930s race cars. Touring says each of the 15 cars being built will take more than 5000 hours to complete.  

The car receives a completely new front end, dominated by a unique trapezoidal centre grille and a pair of prominent air intakes. The bonnet does away with the F12’s trademark central   air scoop in favour of a more aggressive intake design, while a heavily redesigned side profile incorporates large ducts that channel air along the car from extractors in the front wheel arches.  

The most obvious addition is a large ‘sharkfin’ that runs down the centre of the car’s rear end, paying   homage to Carozzeria Touring’s pioneering wind-tunnel development work in the “golden days” of Italian coachbuilding.  

Head of design Louis de Fabribeckers called the fin a “very natural extension of the teardrop shape of the passenger compartment”   and added that, although it plays no active aerodynamic role, it “evokes Touring’s aerodynamics legacy from the 1930s onward”.

The F12’s underpinnings, including its aluminium spaceframe chassis, 730bhp   6.3-litre V12 engine and entire electrical system, are carried over unaltered, but a switch from aluminium   to carbonfibre for the body panels has shaved nearly 150kg from the kerb weight, despite a near-200mm increase in length.  

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