For the moment, the jury’s still out on whether the Allanté could be called a collectible, but they do have a following. They certainly have an interesting story. Perhaps how they were produced is as interesting as the final product. Bodies were designed and built by Pininfarina, then shipped back to Cadillac for final assembly, 56 at a time, using specially modified 747s. Naturally, this made for some significant overhead and made the Allanté the highest priced American production car of its day. With its original price at around $60,000, the open sports-luxury segment didn’t see enough incentive to be lured away from established company like the Mercedes-Benz SL or Jaguar XJS, despite these too being somewhat higher priced. Where the Merc was about simple elegance and the Jag was classically refined, the Allanté was about technology and edginess. There was some appeal to that, but moreso it was something that domestic—and specifically Cadillac—loyalists could opt for. That sentiment seems to carry over to today. Despite relatively low production numbers and Pininfarina roots, the Mercedes SL is still king of the lot, leaving the Allanté as an alternative to those who don’t stray far from Hamtramck. Even amongst them there is some debate as to which Allanté was best. Most gravitate toward the 1993 with its 295-hp 32-valve Northstar V8. Others say the earlier cars for their lower production numbers and easier maintenance. What we have here today is one of the latter that is in exceptionally nice condition, benefiting form a single owner. Its rare Light Blue Metallic paint looks to have held up very nicely, as does the original interior. Though its 4.5 litre motor puts out 95 hp less than the Northstar, it is a dependable workhorse, with some going 300,000 miles or more. That’s quite a distant worry here as there are only 56,000 miles on the clock. The Cadillac Allanté isn’t for everybody and, with less than 21,500 built (over 20% of those in ‘93), that’s probably a good thing. Potentially a great thing. Find it here on Craigslist in Des Moines IA for a bargain $8,500.
