Touring cars

Touring cars /too-ring karz/ noun (plural)

Touring cars are a type of racing car derived from a mass-production saloon or hatchback, modified for competition in accordance with a specific set of technical regulations. This is the glorious sport of turning the humble family saloon into a snarling, track-bound warrior. It is the automotive equivalent of a pub brawl breaking out at a black-tie dinner; the cars look familiar, but the behaviour is brutally aggressive. The appeal of touring car racing is its simple, tribal premise: "My Dad's Ford is faster than your Dad's Vauxhall." In Britain, this manifested as the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), a national institution celebrated for its ridiculously close racing and panel-denting action.

The Full Story of Touring Cars

Unlike the otherworldly, single-seater spaceships of Formula One, the magic of touring car racing has always been its connection to the real world. The cars battling on a Sunday at Brands Hatch looked, to a greater or lesser degree, like the cars sitting in the spectator car park. This created an intense and immediate brand loyalty among fans, a fierce rivalry between followers of Ford, Vauxhall, Rover, and their continental adversaries.

The British Saloon Car Championship, as it was first known, began in 1958. The early years were a magnificent spectacle of mismatched classes racing together. Tiny, nimble Austin Minis would buzz around the corners, harrying the vast, wallowing Jaguar MkIIs and American Ford Galaxies that would then thunder past them on the straights. It was a wonderful era of David versus Goliath battles, featuring legendary drivers like Jim Clark and Graham Hill wrestling with machines that were much closer to road cars than modern racers, complete with boat-like steering and brakes that would often give up long before the chequered flag.

The sport's golden era was the 1990s, the age of the Super Touring regulations. Manufacturers from across the globe poured millions of pounds into the BTCC. The cars were now unrecognisable beneath the skin, their 2.0-litre engines revving to an ear-splitting 9,000 rpm and their chassis tuned with scientific precision. But they still wore the familiar bodies of a Renault Laguna, a Vauxhall Cavalier, or a Ford Mondeo. The racing was impossibly close, fantastically professional, and famously aggressive. It was a decade of intense manufacturer rivalries and larger-than-life driver personalities. The spectacle reached its most charmingly absurd point in 1994, when Volvo, in a genius marketing move to shake off their staid image, entered a pair of 850 estate cars. The sight of the "flying wardrobe" battling for position became an iconic moment in motorsport history.

This high-tech arms race became unsustainable, with budgets spiralling to near-Formula One levels. The Super Touring formula collapsed under its own weight at the end of the decade, and the BTCC was forced to reinvent itself with a more affordable set of rules. Today's championship uses a common set of core components to keep costs down, but the spirit remains unchanged. The racing is still ferociously close, the drivers still trade paint with cheerful abandon, and it remains one of the most beloved and entertaining forms of motorsport in the world.

For The Record

What is the difference between a touring car and a GT car?

A touring car is based on a four-door saloon or five-door hatchback. A GT (Grand Tourer) racing car is based on a two-door sports coupe, like a Porsche 911 or an Aston Martin Vantage. GT cars are generally more powerful, more aerodynamic, and faster.

Did they really race an estate car?

Yes. In 1994, the TWR team famously entered a pair of Volvo 850 estates in the BTCC. It was largely a marketing exercise, and it worked brilliantly. The car was surprisingly competitive and became an instant fan favourite, though they switched to a saloon the following year after the rules were changed to disadvantage the estate's aerodynamic profile.

What does "rubbing is racing" mean?

It's a phrase commonly associated with touring car racing. It refers to the fact that the racing is so close and aggressive that a certain amount of physical contact between the cars is considered an acceptable and inevitable part of the sport. A gentle nudge for position is fair game; a deliberate punt into the gravel is not.

Are the racing cars really the same as the road cars?

It varies depending on the era. In the early days, they were very closely related. During the Super Touring era, they looked like the road car but were bespoke racing machines underneath. Today's NGTC regulations use a standard subframe and many common mechanical parts, with the manufacturer's own engine and bodyshell fitted.

Who is the most successful BTCC driver?

Statistically, Jason Plato has the most individual race wins, but Andy Rouse and Colin Turkington have won the most championship titles. The 1992 champion, Tim Harvey, is also a well-known commentator on the sport today, providing a direct link to its golden era.