Venturi Automobiles was founded in 1984 by French engineers Claude Poiraud and Gérard Godfroy as MVS (Manufacture de Voitures de Sport). Headquartered in Monaco, their purpose was to build luxury sports cars that could rival the greatest vehicles on the market at the time. The company remained in business for sixteen years before declaring bankruptcy in 2000. During its existence, it produced several impressive models, but like many upstarts, was plagued by being under-staffed and under-capitalized.

The Venturi 400 GT was produced from 1994 through 1997 with production being exclusive, comprised of approximately 15 road-going versions and 73 racing variants. The competition version was known as the Venturi 400 Trophy (also known only as Venturi Trophy) and was introduced in 1992 and competed in the Gentlemen Drivers Trophy. Much of the funding was courtesy of Rocky Agusta and designs were sourced from Claude Poiraud and Gérard Godfroy. The 2975cc BiTurbo V6 engine delivered over 400 horsepower and 530 NM of torque, endowing the Venturi Trophy with a zero-to-sixty mph time of 4.1 seconds. Each of the Venturi Trophy cars was built with the same technical preparation, providing a level playing field for each entrant. Races were held at Le Mans, Pau, Paul Ricard, Nürburgring, Magny-Cours and Dijon. The Gentlemen Drivers Trophy lasted for four seasons.

It began its racing career in the one-make Trophy series but was soon adapted to use in the BPR Global GT, where it competed against Porsche 3.8 RSRs, Ferrari F40 GTs, Lotus Esprit Sport 300s, and other race cars.

The road-going Venturi 400 GT was a limited-production version of its racing sibling. It used the same engine backed by a five-speed manual gearbox and fitted with modifications to make it street-legal. The interior was made more comfortable with seating for two.

by Dan Vaughan