
Original Carrozzeria Touring badge

Later badge design
'Carrozzeria Touring' was an
automobile coachbuilder established in
1926. Founder,
Felice Bianchi Anderloni previously worked for
Isotta-Fraschini as a test driver, as well as the Italian operations of
Peugeot. The company was built from 'Carrozzeria Falco' by Anderloni and
Gaetano Ponzoni, adopting the Touring name shortly after. Carozzeria Falco belonged to
Vittorio Ascari, brother of Alfa Romeo champion,
Antonio Ascari. Anderloni and Ponzoni remained with the company until it ceased operations 40 years later.
The Touring Body Shop started its activity in a plant located in a suburb immediately north of
Milan (in via Ludovico de Breme 65) only a short distance from Alfa Romeo, Italian Citroen, and the former Isotta-Fraschini plant. Predictably, Touring's first bodywork assignments were for these companies, as well as the creation of hunting and fishing vehicles for
Queen Margaret.
Anderloni came to Touring more as an
automobile designer than a car constructor, and learned the mechanics of the trade as the company progressed. The company licensed
Charles Weymann's system of fabric-covered lightweight frames, a predecessor of their own ''
Superleggera'' construction system. Touring hired
Giuseppe Seregni, who previously collaborated with Anderloni on the 1927
Isotta-Fraschini 'Flying Star,' as its first professional designer.
Touring's skills with light alloy and fabric-covered tubing forms brought commercial success in
aircraft production in the
1930s, leading Anderloni to develop the patented Superleggera construction system. This "super lightweight" system consists of a structure of small diameter tubes to form the body's shape with thin alloy panels attached to cover and strengthen the framewoek. Aside from light weight, the Superleggera technique gave great flexibility, allowing Touring to quickly construct innovative body shapes.

1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 Mille Miglia from the
Ralph Lauren collection
Prior to
World War II, Touring gained fame for their Superleggera
Alfa Romeo designs, particularly on the
8C 2900 chassis. Another famous Superleggera Touring body was found on the aerodynamic
BMW 328. Anderloni died in
1948, just as the company was reconstructing after the war, but he and
Federico Formenti were involved in a few post-war master works — the
Ferrari 166 coupe and
spider.
The company quickly re-energized after the war, with the Superleggera system widely licensed and copied. Anderloni's son,
Carlo Felice Bianchi Anderloni (
1916–
2003), commonly called Cici, took over management of the firm, with the guidance of Ponzoni. Touring was particularly active late in the
1950s, with series production taken on of the
Pegaso Z-102,
Alfa Romeo 1900 Super Sprint and
2600,
Aston Martin DB4,
Lancia Flaminia GT,
Lamborghini 350 and
400 GT and
Maserati 3500 GT. The firm also worked with
Hudson Motors chief stylist Frank Spring on the development of the 1954
Hudson Italia.
This expansion proved unsustainable, however, as many companies took coachbuilding chores in-house. Touring also lost out to larger competitors like
Pininfarina (with
Ferrari) and
ItalDesign. The company's efforts to adhere to traditional methods and high standards ultimately led to its downfall.
Many of the company's workers went to
Carrozzeria Marazzi, continuing to build
Maserati bodies. Cici himself went to Alfa Romeo as an advisor to the design department, and eventually took over the company's design altogether. Since 2003, the Villa d'Este Concours offers the Carlo Felice Bianchi Anderloni Memorial Trophy, to the most elegant car with Touring body.
Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera started a new chapter in modern history when Marazzi entered in a collaboration agreement with the international automotive Zeta Europe BV group in 2006, which also included the transfer of the Touring Superleggera
brand rights to Zeta Europe BV. Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera srl. will remain Milan-based and has an extensive automotive design- and prototyping program for the years to come. It represents the continuation of a long and rich tradition of Italian style and coachbuilding.
List of Touring cars
★ 1930s
Alfa Romeo 8C 2300
★ 1940s
BMW 328
★ 1940s
Alfa Romeo 2500
★ 1950s
Alfa Romeo SS (Super Sprint) 1900
★ 1950s
Pegaso Z-102
★ 1950s
Bristol 401
★ 1959-1962
Lancia Flaminia GT, GTL and GTC
★ 1956
Aston Martin DB2/4 Mark II Spider (3 produced)
★ 1957-1962
Maserati 3500 GT
★ 1959-1960
Maserati 5000 ''Scià di Persia''
★ 1960s
Alfa Romeo 2000 convertible
★ 1960s
Fiat spider
★ 1959-1962
Aston Martin DB4 (built under license by
Aston Martin)
★ 1963-1966
Lamborghini 350 GT/GTV, 400 GT
★ 1940
Auto Avio Costruzioni 815
★ 1948
Ferrari 166 Inter Coupe
★ 1951
Ferrari 195 Inter Coupe
★ 1951
Ferrari 212 Inter Coupe
★ 1952
Ferrari 340 MM Spider
★ 1953
Hudson Italia
★ 1963-1964
Sunbeam Venezia
★ 1966-1976
Jensen Interceptor
Galleries
★
Gioielli Della Touring
References
★
Touring cars
★
An Important Maserati Sale
★
Carlo Felice Bianchi Anderloni Memorial Trophy
★
Anderloni Obituary
★
Il signor Touring Carlo Felice Bianchi Anderloni, Tavoletti, , , , , ISBN 88-7960-162-8
★
Carrozzeria Touring, , , , Autocritica, 1982,