BF Exclusive: 1993 Cadillac Allanté
- Seller: Marilyn H
- Location: Chicago, Illinois
- Mileage: 25,399 Shown
- Chassis #: 1G6VS339OPU128143
- Title Status: Clean
- Engine: Northstar V8
- Transmission: Automatic
There is no feeling like slipping behind the wheel of a classic convertible on a sunny day and hitting the road with the wind in your hair. However, doing so in a car offering exceptional luxury lifts that experience to a higher level. That is the opportunity awaiting the new owner of this 1993 Cadillac Allanté. Its presentation is impossible to fault because it has been pampered from Day One. It is unmodified, and its paint and trim are the most desirable available in that model year. The current owner wishes it to head to a loving home, listing the Allanté exclusively with us at Barn Finds Auctions.
Cadillac was no stranger to producing luxurious convertibles but went to extraordinary lengths when introducing the Allanté. It handed design duties to Pininfarina, and once it finalized the styling, it undertook one of the most unusual build processes in automotive history. Pininfarina produced and assembled the bodies at a purpose-built facility in San Giorgio, Italy. Cadillac shipped the bodies to its factory in Detroit, Michigan, for final assembly. The bodies arrived in groups of fifty-six aboard a modified Boing 747 cargo jet. It dubbed the process “Air Bridge Construction,” boasting that it represented the world’s longest assembly line. The 1993 model year proved the badge’s most successful, with 4,670 buyers parking an Allanté in their garage. The company offered eleven paint shades, but the Opaque White gracing this car’s panels is the most desirable. The owner teamed that with a rare Burgundy power top and interior trim, delivering a vehicle with undeniable class. It has led a sheltered life, never suffering any accident damage and remaining garage-kept since Day One. This approach protected it from the worst Mother Nature could throw at it. The paint retains a beautiful depth of color and shine with no marks or chips. The panels are laser straight, featuring the tight and consistent gaps you expect from a classic of this caliber. It is rust-free, and the power top is flawless. There is no plastic deterioration and no glass issues. The Cadillac sits on its original 16″ chrome wheels that are free from marks and stains.
The Allanté evolved during its seven-year production run, but its final year brought the most profound change. Cadillac introduced its beautiful 4.6-liter DOHC 32-valve “Northstar” V8 to the range. The new powerplant was teamed with a four-speed transmission, while power assistance for the steering and brakes was standard equipment. The Northstar dramatically transformed the Allanté because it produced significantly more power and torque than its predecessor and was as smooth as silk. Buyers in 1992 received 200hp and 270 ft/lbs of torque from the 4.5-liter V8. The Northstar lifted those figures to 295hp and 290 ft/lbs. It was a win/win for buyers because the 1993 model was considerably more refined, provided better performance, and delivered a 10% improvement in fuel economy. The sheltered existence enjoyed by our feature car is reflected in its odometer reading. It has a genuine 25,399 miles on the clock and has always been treated respectfully and appropriately serviced. It is in excellent mechanical health and is a turnkey proposition for the winning bidder.
Cadillac brought every available feature to the table with the Allanté, guaranteeing a luxurious ownership experience. Buyers received a driver’s airbag, climate-control air conditioning, power windows, power locks, six-way power seats, power mirrors, a power trunk release, lashings of leather trim (including on the tilt wheel), a digital gauge cluster, cruise control, a Driver Information Center, and a premium Delco/Bose stereo incorporating an AM/FM radio/cassette/CD player. This car’s interior presentation is almost flawless. There is slight stretching on the driver’s seat, demonstrating it has been driven and enjoyed. However, there is no edge wear or other issues. The Burgundy leather is soft and inviting, the carpet is spotless, and the remaining trim and plastic are immaculate. Driving this classic with the top down won’t cause the winning bidder any embarrassment.
Vehicle manufacturers aren’t as bold and daring today as they once were. Those two words perfectly describe Cadillac’s approach with the Allanté. Producing the entire car locally was possible, but it aligned with one of the world’s premier coachbuilders in an extraordinary build process. The Allanté didn’t enjoy the sales success it deserved, and the 1993 model with the beautiful Northstar engine is the cream of the crop. This Cadillac is a fantastic survivor with a known history. Values are climbing steadily, suggesting spotless examples could be an excellent long-term investment. This classic ticks those boxes, so it deserves a close look.
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Comments
The Allante actually defeated the 1989 Mercedes 560SL and 1992 300SL in comparison tests, but the tests seemed to be set up to favor the Allante. The 560SL was ancient by 1989, and the 300SL was way down on power and way up on price compared to the Allante. Nonetheless, a win is a win. Too bad the Allante never won where it counted – in the showroom.
That “Air Bridge Construction” is probably the most extravagant and wasteful concept in modern automotive history. Specially outfitted 747s shuttling bodies and components back and forth across the Atlantic added thousands in cost per car and millions in losses to the Allante project. Additionally, for those who care about such things, air freight is among the least environmentally friendly methods of transport.
The Airbridge was actually quite logical, and nothing new, other than the planes.
The Peugeot 504 Coupés and Convertibles were built exactly the same way, the only difference is that the completed bodies were shipped by rail from Turin to Paris for final assembly. There are other examples, and there’s always the Nash Healy of 1953, with mechanicals built in Kenosha, the chassis in the UK, and the body, also by Pininfarina, in Turin. Cars were then shipped to Michigan for sale in the USA.
Pininfarina built the 1959 and 1960 Eldorado Broughams in Turin, and the cars were shipped by sea, which proved problematic. The bodies were damaged awaiting shipment on the docks in Turin, and avoiding salt spray damage in transit was a deciding factor in choosing air transport over shipping.
The alternative to the “air bridge” was building an entirely new factory for a new model in a new market segment, as GM did not have a North American factory capable of building an ultra luxury car at the production tolerances required for that price point. Very expensive, and a big risk.
Don’t forget that as a result of massive US deficit spending in the early eighties, the dollar soared, and building the car in Italy became very, very cheap compared to US Assembly. VW closed its Pennsylvania plant at the same time, because the dollar’s fluctuations made it too expensive to build in the USA.
As the value of the dollar collapsed in Reagan’s second term, the situation reversed, and it now became expensive to build in Italy, and GM had lost any ability to cut prices to compete with the aged 560SL.
The Airbridge was actually smart, in 1982, but shifting currencies made it punishing by the time the car came to market in 1987. The same calculations doomed the Chrysler TC by Maserati and sales of the Volvo 480ES in the USA.
Those trains from NY to Europe take way to long, however. Throwing them onto a plane is much smarter, tree huggers be darned.
Very beautiful car. And located in Chicago where I live. I would like to see it.
Thank-you, it is a gorgeous car and very pampered. Not even a scratch on it.
I am very serious about selling it but I know it’s worth because of how well it’s been taken care of. I always called it my museum piece because it’s so beautiful!
If your interested please make a reasonable offer and I’m sure we could arrange for you to see it.
Thanks so much!
Hi Marilyn;
Since you know what it’s worth and you’re serious about selling it, why don’t you put a reasonable asking price on the car? Or at a minimum, change your listing to an auction where the market will tell you what it’s actually worth.
Is there a hard roof?
According to the VIN, the car came without a hardtop.
It was an option in ’93.
I believe the Hardtop was optional in 91, 92, and 93, as Cadillac attempted to cut the price by removing content
It doesn’t have a hardtop.
Is this an expired auction or for sale listing? Was reserve not met? How much are they asking? Just looking for expectations I suppose…
The Make Offer link is working, so I suppose that’s our only option.
This is an Exclusive. The seller has an idea of what they are hoping to get, but asked us to run it without an asking price so they could gauge if their price is realistic or not.
Very few of the guys driving these cars had enough hair to feel the wind blowing through it.
“The new powerplant was teamed with a four-speed manual transmission”.
Uh, no.
“Power Top”, “Four Speed Manual” 🤔
to bad by the time they put a northstar to replace the crappy caddy motors of the 80,s no one wanted to buy them
The Allantè 4.1 and 4.5 engine are unique and not shared with any other Cadillac. For 1987, the power is adequate, if not breathtaking.
The 1993 model was the best selling of every single year, by far, largely because of the new engine.
I firmly believe the car was canceled because of the precipitous declined in GM stock after the 1987 market crash, along with the Reatta and Fiero, and that it had little to do with the car itself
ALLANTE’s were all 4 Speed Automatics only.
The soft tops were “Semi-Manual”.
This car has the Car Phone Antenna on the passenger top side of the windshield.
The AM/FM Antenna retracts automatically. This one indicates the Antenna is stuck in the “Up Position” who’s quite common.
Hi,
The Antenna is not stuck, it works perfectly. It was up in some pictures because the car was running so we could show the inside dash board. You can view all the photos and see that the Antenna is down in the photos where the car wasn’t running. I just wanted to clear that up.
Also, I’d like to add that this car has been extremely pampered and doesn’t have a scratch on it.
These cars are a dime a dozen – plentiful any and every day of the year. A buyer always has his choice of colors, miles, and condition. There is nothing at all special about this one’s color combo. They routinely go for $10K or less.
I’ll give you a dime. See if you can buy me 12, go ahead, try.
That’s what I thought.
Northstar engines of this vintage are well known for head bolt failure and resulting massive head gasket failure. I know, I had a 1997 Seville. GM did not fix it until something like 2005. The reality is that GM and Cadillac did not need this car. Just GM hubris about competing with luxury sports cars from Europe. Huge mistake. But then GM does that all the time.
It is said that the ’93 Northstar performs better than the versions introduced in the rest of the line in ’94. But that’s apocryphal.
There is a ’93 with 570,000 miles around, but it is not on its first motor.
I have only ridden in one when in was just a few years old and it was the most rattly, creaking Cadillac I have ever ridden in.
Cadillac’s next attempt at a roadster was a homerun by comparision. Comparing the Alante to the XLR is like comparing the stone wheel to the radial tire.
The Allanté is a well built car, assembled right next to the Testarossa in Pininfarina’s factory. It was based on the Eldorado, and emphasized comfort and practicality over absolute handling. Its mix of Armani styling and American Luxury was confusing to customers, and sales were disappointing.
The XLR is Corvette based car that is designed much more as a true sports car. Its sales were a fraction of the Allanté’s. Cadillac buyers had no interest.
Hi,
I can’t speak for your memories from when you were a few years old, but I can assure you that this Allante does not rattle, or have creaking in any way shape or form!
Maybe you should give the Allante another try! It’s a very powerful car!
This reply was in response to Elmo. Thanks
I assume there was something in his diapers.
In early Allantés like mine, the plastic panels that hold the top folded flat may rattle, if the top is not properly stored. The structure of the car is pretty solid, though.
I resemble that content. I owned two of these over the years. A red and a silver, bot the earlier smaller engine vehicles. Enjoyed them both. With the hardtop they were very nice and quiet, and like all convertibles the canvas top leaked at the leading edge on both of mine. Never could get it resolved. As long as the digital dash holds up a wonderful car. Whomever ends up with it, never lock it as thieves will cut a top to get in a convertible. I replaced three tops on mine, but I did have a downtown office and was often there late. The other thing to look for on these is the power pull down on the rear of the convertible top. The tops are essentially manual, and there is a mechanism which pulls them tight at the rear. Manual latches at the front, and you pull them from the boot storage under the fiberglass cover behind the seat of course. People routinely asked about the cars I had.
“I resemble that content.” = I resemble that comment
Regarding hair and top down… from Ike Onick’s comment at the top of this thread.
Ah yes the infamous “Pull down”, you are so right about that Pixelpusher🤬
For some reason, GM, especially Cadillac couldn’t get it right for years. Was it that they just didn’t understand the changing database? Or was it the bean counters?
A half power half manual top on ANY Cadillac is ridiculous. The V-8-6-4 was ridiculous. Trying to sell “sporty” 2 seater Cadillacs to the old guard was ridiculous. Trying compete with eurotrash was ridiculous.
‘Nuff said
Well, It had to happen. I disagree with you about the V864 (368 CID). I bought my late Girlfriend a nice 81 Seville Roadster with that engine. It had 140K on it. I removed the valve covers and made minor modifications to the solenoids and it performed flawlessly, changing cylinders for 12 years, never any trouble. Her everyday driver. On the 13 year I ran it on all 8 cylinders and the gas mileage dropped about 2 MPG so it did work. She shot herself shortly after that and I lost interest and her.
Sorry for your loss!
@TCK
How awful! I am so sorry for your loss. My deepest condolences.
As for the Cadillac, all I’ve ever heard was complaints about the V864. Usually just disconnected whatever made it work and always ran it as a V8
I’m sure we will disagree again and we will just have to agree to disagree. But we will always be land yacht friends.
Thank you very much.
The main problem with that engine was that the actuating devices would stick closed so disconnecting the speed sensor caused it to run as a constant 8Cyl but several cylinders were not operating because the intake valves were not opening. It was still a decent engine. At the same time I bought an 85 Seville so we had a pair. It had the problematic HT4100 engine. I had this car for 15 years and only replaced the water pump.
For the Seller: has the head bolts been adressed on this car?
Is the seller serious about moving the car? With a $0.00 asking, is s/he just wondering what the market will fetch?
Hi,
Yes, I am very serious about selling it, but for a reasonable offer!
Thank-you