(first posted 6/9/2018) Everyone has different theories. My theory is the creation of the Allante goes something like this….
…One day back in the early to mid-1980’s, Somebody in Charge at Cadillac awoke with a hangover. Too much rum and dancing with foxy brunettes while dancing to Donna Summer can have bad consequences.
“Criminy”, he thought. “We used to be The Standard of the World. Cadillac stood for something. You knew somebody was successful when they bought a Cadillac. They had arrived. It’s what everybody strove for. You did not walk down the street and see more than one Cadillac, unless you were in a Mafia stronghold. Hell, Cadillacs were exclusive! Cadillac helped run Packard and Pierce-Arrow out of business for crying out loud with great cars like the V16 in the 1930s. We had luxury down to a science!”
“Now what the hell do we have? We have Sedan de Villes that are the same size as a Ford Fairmont, only uglier. Geez, we even have that insipid Cimarron. That thing is living proof you can’t put lipstick on a pig. Each of those blasted cars is a dagger into the heart of our reputation!”
“I better not even start to think of engineering…we put the first electric starter ever on a production vehicle. Now, we have the V8-6-4 and HT4100. That’s real progress.”
“And what about our customer base? It’s the senior citizen crowd. Only the old folks still want a Cadillac; they love Broughams. Everybody under 60 wants a damn Mercedes!”
“We can still build a fine car, but what the hell have we been thinking? Man, my head hurts. I need a drink to help me think…”
So Somebody In Charge sat down with a Schlitz in his overstuffed leather recliner and turned on the television. “How appropriate”, he thought. “Days of Our Lives in on. There’s always somebody in a world of crap on that show.”
Somebody in Charge forgot that inspiration can often strike with quite profound force at the most bewildering of times. As soon as the commercial hit, an advertisement for the next episode of Miami Vice appeared.
“That’s it!”, exclaimed Somebody in Charge. “That is exactly what we need. Why didn’t I think of that sooner! Where’s the phone???”
Almost spilling his Schlitz, Somebody in Charge called Product Planner. Somebody in Charge was excited. Product Planner was uncertain.
“Hey, Product Planner, grab a pen. I have an idea. Do you know how these Italian cars are all the rage? Yeah, you know, those Ferraris and Lamborghinis, stuff like that? I have an idea. What if we took a modified Cadillac chassis and had some Italian coachbuilder, say Pininfarina, put a body on it? We could have all sorts of new accessories on it, like a cell phone antenna and speed sensitive suspensions. Stuff we’ll roll out to the other cars in a year or two. Oh, and it needs to be a convertible. Hell, make it a convertible with a removable hardtop, kinda like Ford offered on the original Thunderbird. And, let’s give it some exotic sounding name. What do you think?”
Somebody in Charge grew excited as Product Planner now shared his enthusiasm. Little did Somebody in Charge realize that Product Planner looked forward to having a car that wouldn’t be mimicked by those pesky copycats at Oldsmobile. Product Planner was still ticked about the Cutlass Supreme Sedan looking way too much like his beloved ’75 Seville. And about the rumors of the impending N-cars doing the same thing. Loss of exclusivity, twice over.
Two weeks later, Somebody in Charge and Product Planner went to the GM product committee to sell their idea. Their idea of creating a flagship Cadillac was welcomed with open arms. The word “promotion” was bandied about during their meeting. Somebody in Charge and Product Planner were really excited…
…Or maybe it didn’t really happen that way and your author is full of hot air. It is just a theory, after all.
Whatever the genesis, Cadillac did indeed create a much needed flagship with the Allante. Pininfarina built the bodies and trimmed the interiors in Italy. The painted and trimmed bodies were then flown back to the United States where engine, transmission and suspension components were added. Special 747s were used to ship the bodies from Italy to Detroit. During production of the Allante, it was referred to by critics as the world’s longest assembly line.
Reviews of the cars were mixed the first few years after their 1987 introduction. Cadillac had opted to use their existing 4.1 liter V8 and front-wheel drive. This combination of choices for a car aimed to compete with the Mercedes 450SL was seen as underwhelming by the automotive press. Cadillac was also blasted for the $53,000 sticker price, an amount higher than any Cadillac to date. Another critique was the lack of a power convertible top on such an expensive car. A manual top, on a Cadillac?
Improvements to the car were made annually, with the pinnacle model being the swan song 1993 model. After years of criticism on the initial 4.1 liter, and later 4.5 liter, V8’s, Cadillac placed the 4.6 liter 32 valve Northstar V8 in the Allante that last year. Sales were up dramatically to 4,670, its highest sales year, from the 1992 model year total of 1,931. Previous years had ranged in production from 2,500 to 3,300. Cadillac had initially hoped for around 6,000 sales per year.
This Allante was found in Hannibal, Missouri. For having a population of 17,000, odds would seem against it, but I have discovered two Allantes floating around town. The white one featured is an ’89 or older model, as it has no airbag and airbags came about in 1990 for the Allante. I saw this Allante periodically for the five years I lived in Hannibal and it likely has many miles on it. It is also used frequently and is not babied, as evidenced by the exterior grime and empty Diet Coke cans on the floorboard. When these pictures were taken during a recent trip there it was the first time I had ever seen it sitting. The owner is well into his 80’s and still drives the copper ’78 Pontiac Formula he purchased new (it is rumored to have around 300,000 miles) as well as an early ’80’s Cadillac Seville.
The other Allante was discovered about two years ago when I spoke to the owner about a different vehicle he had for sale. His was a ’93 that he had purchased new and was ultra-low mileage. However, he had fallen upon hard times and it was soon to be his primary vehicle. I haven’t seen it since.
Cadillac made a very wise move by building this fine automobile. All the cheekiness of my theory aside, it appears that many people missed the point of the Allante. Cadillac was seeking to recapture a degree of product exclusivity by crafting a product that quietly and tastefully conveyed its mission. The intent was not to build a Corvette or Mercedes fighter but rather a fine and comfortable cruiser the owner could be proud to own and be seen in. Isn’t that what Cadillac used to be about?
As lackluster as Allante sales were at the time, I think this would be an interesting car to own and drive now. They’re definitely distinctive, if a little campy by today’s standards. But then, I’d also like a Mark VIII, though, so what do I know? 😀
As a former* Mark VIII owner, I agree with your comments about the Allante. Interesting and distinctive, and rather clean for an 80’s Cadillac. One with the Northstar would be a fun weekend cruiser. And while they didn’t turn into instant collectibles, I think these will indeed be more desirable than any other late 80’s Caddy as a classic vehicle. Heading toward that status anyway, as the last one rolled off the line 21 years ago at this point! Sure, they have a lot of flaws and would have been far better on a ‘Vette platform with an LT1. But just the same, it really was the start of a rebirth for the brand.
*former only because of some a-hole who pulled out in front of me one day in 2006. One of the best cars I’ve ever owned though–that car had it all. Looks, power, comfort, even got good mileage on the highway.
I’ve toyed with the idea of buying an Allante for years. Two or so years ago, a local used car dealer had an 87 listed at $ 3,995. I looked at it one Sunday morning when the dealer was closed, so I wouldn’t do a spur of the moment purchase.
The car was gray, black conv top and burgundy interior. Due to the electric dash, I couldn’t tell the mileage, but the condition of the seats indicated a high mileage car. The top had a few rips in it, but still presentable. Paint on the hood was thin and cloudy in some spots. The rest of the body looked quite nice. The item that struck me most was the number of switches on the dash and console. LIke an airplane.
Well, I never went back, thought the car would cause much grief and expense. I saw the car parked in front of a house in a neighboring town for a month or two. Then , never saw it again. Must have broken down for the poor owner and he probably ditched it. I’m glad I didn’t buy it.
The Allante always seemed to me like a job 90% done. Exclusive and virtually handcrafted, it was almost everything a Cadillac was to be. But where they fell down was in the powertrain. Supercharge it, turbocharge it, or bring back the old 368 for a limited run. A Cadillac should either be bulletproof durable or if not, at least a fast car. But alas, it was just another brittle, underpowered car that GM was becoming quite good at producing in that era. A shame, because this car could have and should have offered more than it did.
Exactly…another “woulda, coulda, shoulda” that couldn’t even measure up to a correctly-equipped B-body or pickup for build quality or reliability.
I think if Cadillac wanted to compete with the Benz 560SL and Jag XJS, they should have gone down to Bowling Green, KY and looked into a modified Corvette platform. An L98 350 – with the twin-cam 375 hp LT5 as the performance option – would have been awesome. Add a higher quality interior than the Vette with more refined styling cues appropriate for Cadillac. That’s what the Allante should have been.
But then again, what GM did in the 1980s didn’t make much sense.
The did that with the XLR, and as we know, it didn’t really turn out much better (although the XLR used the Northstar instead of LS engine)
The later 4.9-liter cars were fairly quick, and the final Northstar cars were impressively so for the time, although 295 hp through the front wheels was perhaps not the best choice.
The Allante always seemed to me like a job 90% done.
A lot of GM cars of this era seemed like that.
It seems like they started with some good ideas, reasonably good execution on some aspects, then in classic GM fashion of contempt for their customers, chickened out and cheapened it to cut costs and ended up with a half-baked piece of embarrassing crap.
Classic GM Deadly Sin. Although a fairly handsome one, from most angles. The fwd architecture alone spoils the looks some, with the front wheels set too far back. Never mind what’s trying feebly to turn the front wheels.
I agree-too much front overhang. Bad proportions. Another auto-turd from GM.
The 1992 model year was very short for the Allante, it was a brief couple month holdover until the Northstart came online and they started makeing the “93’s” early.
I’ve always wanted to drive one of these. I think I’d want a 91 or 92 though. One Northstar in the garage is enough for me.
So close. If they had skipped the Italian foolishness, they might have been able to give it a decent engine and rwd, maybe a power top too. Rwd might have helped with that Citroen-like front overhang.
This model really makes me sad. For a brief moment, you could see a flash of the old Cadillac. But then it turned out to be more of a Reatta. And no one even wanted a Reatta.
Who dreamed up the cockamamie production sequence? What does it having partially built in Italy does to the quality of the car itself? Italian cars are well known for its woeful built quality. They should’ve made it in Mexico or Eastern Europe or China, at least it’ll be cheaper, and build quality can’t be that much worse. A big expense that add nothing to the product itself.
Rather than give the car a ride in a Boeing 747 from Italy, might as well give the buyer a ride to Italy in that plane. Would’ve help sell the car better.
It is entirely possible it was cheaper to have Pininfarina build the cars in their facility than for Cadillac to set up a production line. Apart from the mode of transport, many other cars have been built the same way. Coachbuilt Italian cars are not in any way the same as Fiats either! It sounds like there weren’t any quality issues with the Allante.
I agree with Paul that moving the front wheels forward a bit would improve the looks, and a rwd drivetrain would be better – but did it matter to the target market? As with ‘personal cars’ through the years, ultimate handling was not the priority, but I suppose it would suffer by comparison with a M-B SL and compromise is not something that such a high end car should be familiar with.
It’s worth noting that Cadillac did much the same thing with the 1959-60 Eldorado Brougham, which was built (but not styled) by Farina. Of course, Cadillac lost money on that project, despite a very hefty $13,000 price tag.
I liked the concept of the Allante, but not the execution. I think the biggest mistake was the FWD setup. All the other sins would have been forgivable if it had RWD.
Nice writing, Jack, but Schlitz is more Chevy than Caddy. At least give him a Johnnie Black. 🙂
The Allante was quite a looker compared to every other car Cadillac produced in ’87 – from an almost comical downsizing of the Eldorado/Seville to the soapbox style Devilles, Fleetwoods, the “Oh My God – What Have We Done? Cimarron to the final holdout from the original ’77 downsizing craze – the Brougham d’Ellegance (looking like the size of the Titanic compared to the rest of the lineup). I always thought the Allante’s styling was simple and elegant – it didn’t scream “I’M A CADILLAC!.” As usual with GM during that period, the execution wasn’t as well thought out as it could have been. However, it did give the brand hope for a brief period. However, GM couldn’t even improve on hope at the time.
Certainly a Caddy that did LAC – it LAC-ed many of the Cadillac attributes that people thought of as Cadillac.
These reminded me an ’85-’88 Nissan Maxima, only with two doors and a rag top.
I remember a time in the late 1990’s where a north suburban Chicago Cadillac dealer had about a dozen of these used he was trying to unload. I believe the word they were trying to use was “collectible”…???
I remember in the late nineties, a north suburban Chicago Cadillac dealer had about a dozen of these, used, to unload. I believe the word they were using was “collectible”…???
An additional piece of the story is that the decision to have the Allanté styled out of house did the morale of the Cadillac studio and GM Styling in general no favors at all — when the Allanté debuted, Chuck Jordan was still publicly unhappy about it. (The in-house designers did create their own proposal, but the decision to go with Pininfarina was essentially a foregone conclusion.) Irv Rybicki’s efforts to rebuild morale led to the creation of the Buick Reatta, which was also a two-seater on a modified E-body platform.
Nevermind the front wheel drive, the crappy HT-4100 the stupid production scheme or even the laughable price tag. The biggest problem with the Allante is that GM didn’t attempt it at least 10 years earlier. Probably 20 years earlier.
An Allante-like roadster would have been a logical follow-up to the ’75 Seville. Granted, convertibles were considered dead in the U.S. due to supposedly-pending rollover regulations, but their had to be a workaround for such a high-end, low volume product, and it would have been less embarrassing to the brand than those awful aftermarket Seville roadster conversions. Even better, a shorter wheelbase, FWD roadster would have been an interesting companion to the ’67 Eldorado. Or how about a Corvette derivative (GM brass wouldn’t bend for Delorean’s Pontiac roadster proposal, but surely they’d be willing to upstage the sacred Vette with a Caddy)?
It should have been obvious to General Motors by the mid-’60s that Mercedes-Benz SL was quickly becoming an icon of the rich and/or famous. Even with the Detroit big luxury car arrogance of the era, you’d think somebody would have taken a shot at making a competitor. But then lots of things should have been obvious to General Motors by then…
By 1987, it was too late for a car like the Allante. Lots of brands have attempted to build image cars, but image cars generally only work when a brand’s image is still fairly strong. Cadillac’s image was absolute garbage in 1987 and there’s no way the Allante could have turned it around on its own.
Wow! I never knew $53k was the original price these went for! Quick search shows the concurrent(1987) 560SL being within a few grand of that. Guess GM went with the exclusivity via the more money than brains crowd there.
The thing that gets me about these is that most people even don’t know about the Pininfarina connection. They don’t exactly ooze Italian style and frankly don’t even look all that different than a 87 Eldorado. It really is sad because there was a time when the GM styling studio could easily match or top Pininfarina, the Allante is practically a white flag in that battle.
Oh and the styling always reminded me of a BiTurbo convertible. Ironic since both cars didn’t seem to deserve the crown they wore.
They don’t ooze Italian style as we know it now, but if you take a look at what was coming out of Pininfarina and Ital Design at the time, they were very Italian indeed.
GM was locked into front drive for everything at the time and even looked into it for the Camaro/Firebird. Thanks to the Toronado and Eldorado, it was still considered a premium feature and the push to go back to rear drive for luxury and sports cars had yet to occur. Sure, BMW and Mercedes stuck with it all along, but it took the big Lexus and Infiniti (still a couple of years away) to reverse the front-drive trend. Acura, as you know, persists with it.
The 4100 had modified fuel injection to boost its output to 170 hp, not much but not out of line with the 380SL at least, which is why Mercedes began offering the bigger engines again through the 1980’s. Later enlargements of the V8 had a corresponding power differential from the motors that went in the deVilles.
Was the Allante compromised? Certainly. Was it the first step towards bringing Cadillac back from the brink? Certainly as well.
if memory serves, it was the electronics that cursed these cars the most. i believe it was one of the first cars where all the controls fed into a cpu that issued the commands to the various gadgets. this is standard practice now but back then it was an unreliable nightmare of spaghetti without proper diagnostics to maintain it.
There is plenty you can pick apart with this car, PLENTY. It’s contrived assembly process, the wild sticker price, the front wheel drive underpinnings, the ho-hum V8, and on and on… I don’t think it’s a bad car in execution or function at all – but I understand the criticism, given the totally unattainable expectations anyone (GM included) might have had at the time of a 53,000 dollar Cadillac that was primarily marketed on the exclusivity of it’s bullshit European pretense.
All of that considered, the Allante was the car that had to happen for Cadillac. It was an awkward, though only slightly so, moment in it’s development that allowed the brand to continue building some very capable and desirable products over the nearly three decades since it’s debut without sacrificing (too much of) it’s rich history and storied significance in the pantheon of American luxury.
I know plenty will disagree, but here’s the way I see it: By 1987, Cadillac had become the “Standard of A World That No Longer Existed”. Their brand of luxury was unique and distinctly American, but it was also stuffy, archaic and entirely incompatible with where contemporary tastes were clearly going. The 1985 downsizing/front-wheel-drive-itizing brought Cadillac’s ever increasing irrelevance to the forefront – a cruel reminder that the reality of modern automotive conglomerates is all brands must retain some chassis commonality. Federal mandates in crash testing, fuel economy and emissions certification combined with the ever-increasing costs of labor and design mean that a Cadillac has to also make sense as a Chevy to be profitable. When the canvass was a ladder frame with a body bolted atop and the primary goal of luxury car-making was to build a stylish fashion accessory that could also function as a comfortable sofa at 60MPH, it was much easier to hide the similarities. Those days are gone forever.
The ’85 FWD models were in this respect everything the traditionalists could possibly hope for: 3/5 scale versions of the exact same thing Cadillac had always done. The Allante is proof that someone, somewhere at GM recognized this and set out to change that bleak and brief corporate future.
I don’t like the term “Image Car”. When I hear that term, the net result is usually something forced and totally unnecessary, but I’ll admit that the Allante essentially served that purpose. Cadillac as it was in 1985 was a dead end: it could not succeed going on as it had, but it also likely couldn’t succeed abandoning it’s considerable brand loyalty, pedigree and general “Cadillac-ness” look and feel. The first step towards re-defining the brand had to be a compromise. What they needed to accomplish was not only to build a thoroughly modern car that was intangibly luxurious and desirable, but also to have people say to themselves “THAT is a Cadillac?!” and then immediately see the lineage one second afterwards. If the design appears a bit generic for GM almost 30 years after the fact, I assure you: that is a side-effect of the passing of time. Compared to it’s stablemates, the Allante was svelte, sexy and contemporary – adjectives that had long since ceased to define Cadillacs – while also being wholly inoffensive and familiar to the traditional customer.
Yes, it could have used some major steroids, looked awkward with the top up (what similar car doesn’t?) and was begging to have about six inches chopped off it’s snout – but I believe it accomplished it’s goal. The seed was planted and the subversion had begun.
Cadillac trudged on through the 1990s selling plenty of bloated and floaty Fleetwoods and Devilles to funeral parlors and folk’s whose next car would be a coffin. However, they also sold a much different car which owed more to the Allante in styling and purpose than anything that had come before. The 1992 Seville and Eldorado (essentially the same car, with different names for sedan and coupe) were undeniably Cadillac, but not in the traditional sense. When the 300hp twin-cam V8 arrived the next year to lay waste to any tires and CV-joints in it’s path, it was clear Cadillac was inserting itself into a much different conversation than they had previously. From what I remember, the reception was very enthusiastic amongst both the public and the automotive press, even if it didn’t translate to record breaking sales immediately.
Of course, GM never changed them, let them stagnate and then sent Cadillac back to the brink of destruction with the Catera – but during the mid-90s the Seville kept the brand relevant and cultivated a new, desirable ideal in the minds of contemporary and future Cadillac buyers seeking a modern American luxury experience.
Personally, I have a lot of love for the “Art & Science” Cadillacs and I think history will be kind to them. I remember the first time I saw an XLR, I thought to myself “THAT is a Cadillac?!” but the car immediately made perfect sense to me the moment after. Of course it’s a Cadillac, this is what I should think a Cadillac is in 2003 – not some joke nostalgia item humping the corpse of mid-20th century America.
For everything General Motors has gotten wrong since the 1980s, I think Cadillac is the one thing they have gotten so very right. The products they offer today can go toe-to-toe with worldwide competition in any category, they offer distinctly unique, American luxury and most importantly, they are intrinsically Cadillac to the core. I thank the Allante, the much maligned and misunderstood sacrificial lamb that planted a brilliantly contagious idea in our consciousness: a Cadillac is not a car for the dying and dead.
Great comments. Though very dated now, I remember the Allante was boldy modern and quite a desirable car when it came out (I was a young boy at the time). It was really a “modern” Cadillac in its day.
I agree with you that GM has somehow — through good planning, passionate management, or just plain old blind luck — gotten Cadillac right. I think with the current-gen CTS, they at last found the formula for a truly modern-day Cadillac: bold, distinctive styling that pushes the envelope but is instantly recognizable, world-class performance that can handle like the Germans but still offer the distinctly American trait of being a great freeway cruiser (thanks in large part to MagnaRide), world-class interiors with a uniquely American take on luxury,
Say what you want about Cadillac, but you can’t argue with the fact that the brand copies nobody. The cars have personality, presence, and character. The brand takes risks. Granted it’s not to everybody’s tastes, but many good things in life tend to be polarizing.
You are correct that the Allante was the first sign of life in what would be a very long road back to relevance and excellence. There have been ups (1992 Seville) and downs (Catera), but the brand’s general trajectory has been up. Most importantly, they are dramatically improving their products from one generation to the next.
Back in circa 2000, Caddy ran this commercial that was a sign of things supposedly to come. I admit even I was doubtful that they could execute on their plan:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyYq4_3fw2s
But it looks like they’ve somehow managed to make it happen. With the ATS, XTS and next-gen CTS in the wings, Cadillac is in the best position it has been in decades.
I think it’s a good thing to have a solid American entry in the luxury class. It shows that we as a country are capable of building more than F-150s and Tahoes.
“Someone at Caddy woke up in mid 80’s…”
It takes alot longer than a year or 2 to plan a new model. The Allante was in planning since early 80’s, not ‘one day in 1985…’
Does anyone know if JR will be driving one of these in the continuation series? HAHA
Fun fact: The Daytona in Miami Vice was actually a Corvette kit. A GM car with an italian body in other words. I can see how that could have inpired our hungover executive.
But maybe that’s what you were hinting at in the text. Maybe it’s common knowledge to y’all.
The desire to have an “exclusive” mass-market commodity sometimes leads to laughable contortions. Cadillac was once in an enviable place, as their brand came to symbolize success and refinement.
THAT was where they should have BACKED OFF. Leave the mass-marketing of luxury to Buick; and settle for low-but-exclusive numbers with a high entry price.
And FOR that entry price, offer true value – not bodies that get plane rides. Engineered chassis; not borrowed platforms. Coachbuilt quality interiors…not handmade, necessarily, but hand-inspected with superb attention to detail.
And make it look like nothing else in the GM lineup. A low production run argues against that, but a high sale price makes up for the costs. Cadillac, if no other GM line, should have kept their own engine; their own driveline and chassis; and their own bodies. Not necessarily from Italy; they could do as well at home, if they just spent the time necessary.
And without the pressure of the production race, they could have kept the exclusivity and taken the time to deliver a properly-built product.
The first thing that Cadillac and all the other American car companies should have paid attention to is… It cannot break, ever.
It wasn’t until my family started driving Toyotas and Hondas that the idea of a car that could go 100,000mi without needing anything but oil changes and brakes was realized.
American cars have finally started to show the reliability that Japanese cars showed 30 years ago, but they have lost a generation or two of customers in the process. They may never get them back.
By the way, Mercedes used to have a similar reputation, but back around 2000 the chairman of MB decided that they were putting too much quality in the cars and leaving money on the table when they sold. Mercedes have not yet recovered from that mistake and may never.
At least Cadillac made the 4100 and 4.5 more powerful for this car compared to the regular models in the lineup. The 4100 made 170 HP instead of 130 and the 4.5 made a full 200 which was decent back in the day thanks to the use of port injection and tuned intake manifolds. The 93 models with the Northstars were rockets in there day.
I drove my Dad’s Allante for years, well over 110K mi. on it now – always brought comments with the top down, plenty of neck snapping power in the highway passing lane, comfortable cruiser with a Bose sound system, ABS and great suspension.
The electrical sytem was reputedly a problem but when it came time to sell it last year the buyer was looking for a daily driver high miler like ours rather than a low mileage car that had sat because of problems.
Used standard Cadillac parts, easy to service if they knew what it was, amazing white pearl paint, spacious trunk, great club support in the PA/NJ area, helpful forums online and I was sorry to see it leave the garage as my Dad downsizes his collection of ragtops.
Gaaaaa!
I went wild for the Allante when it was introduced. It was out of my price range, though. As its production life progressed, I discovered one of its greatest failings: a cantankerous, poorly- designed convertible top. Every road test complained about it. I had an effortless LeBaron convertible at the time which had hidden headlamps and hidden wipers and looked exquisite beside an Allante. “Halo/Image” cars rarely help a tarnished make. History is littered with Avantis, Fieros, Chrysler TC’s, etc.
I have a 1990 Allante in my garage. I love this car! After reading about fifty of the previous comments. I was getting a little depressed. So I went to the garage, got in my car and started it up.. What a sweet ride. Sweet Style, great sound. No matter what you say. ITS A CLASS ACT.
I agree with you 100% I have a 1993 allante in my garage also for 10 years. I would not sell this car for any price I love driving it and sometimes just looking at and polishing it. This car is a class act no matter what they say.
I own a 1992 Allante. I’ve owned and enthusiastically driven many sports cars, exotic cars , and luxury cars and currently drive (with vigor) an STS V. The Allante is a fantastic car. It’s fun to drive, The 4.5 liter V8 delivers good torque and delivers gutsy acceleration from any speed. The stock exhaust system is throaty and authoritative, The Recarro seats offer a firm and a secure driving platform. The active suspension provides confidence- building stability. The ride is a good blend of sport/firm and compliance. Cruising with the top down is a gratifying visceral experience,,,feeling the warmth of the sun, the wafting breeze, hearing and feeling the tires gripping the pavement, the exhaust note that signals power on tap…so…kudos to you who read road tests and car reviews but reading is no substitute for experience.
I have a 1992 with factory Pearl Flax paint, perhaps the only 1992 in this color. In 1993 there were 88 produced in this soft yellow paint. If you know of another 1992 in this color please drop me a email
that is one rare car
I bought a one owner 93 Allante a five years ago with 25,000 miles on it and it is a great looking car compared to any. Caddy charged a lot when new and then used the cheapest plastic and other interior parts possible, Still in site of this it is a very low cost beautiful two seater.
“Cadillac had initially hoped for around 6,000 sales per year.” looms large, not just for the Allante, or for Cadillac, but for GM in general. There were plenty of good ideas (Fiero, Pontiac G8 / Chevy SS) or even so-so ideas (Aztek, Cadillac ELR) that could’ve survived if only they’d found a way to lower the sales target and figure out how to make money– or at least not lose– with a smaller production run.