Cadillac enjoys a strong reputation for providing a luxurious wind-in-the-hair motoring experience. However, it broke new ground in the 1980s by releasing the two-seat Allanté. It remained in production for seven years, with our feature car rolling off the line in 1993. It is an exceptionally tidy survivor, and with a genuine 19,000 miles on the clock, it should offer years of luxurious motoring pleasure to its new owner. I must say a big thank you to Barn Finder Curvette for spotting the Allanté listed here on Craigslist in Yakima, Washington. The seller set their price at $17,995 for a car that appears to need nothing.
Cadillac launched the Allanté for the 1987 model year. It followed an unusual production path, with the bodies manufactured in Italy by Pininfarina. Cadillac shipped completed bodies, fifty-six at a time, to its Hamtramck Assembly Plant in a modified Boeing 747 cargo jet. Once unloaded, final assembly occurred, with the body receiving its North American components. This Allanté is 1-of-4,670 produced in 1993, and while it was the end of the line for the Allanté, it also proved to be its most successful year. Finished in White, it presents extremely well. There are no significant cosmetic shortcomings, with the paint shining nicely, and the panels as straight as an arrow. The Black power top shows no evidence of problems, and the 16″ chrome wheels appear perfect. Rust doesn’t appear to be a problem, and the trim and glass have no significant issues.
Unfortunately, the seller supplies no engine bay shots. This is disappointing, because it is fair to say that the Allanté “came of age” in 1993. Previously powered by two versions of the “High Technology” V8, Cadillac introduced the 4.6-liter Northstar V8 for the final production year. It produces 295hp and 290 ft/lbs of torque, delivering significant performance gains while providing a more refined motoring experience. The power feeds to the road via a four-speed automatic transmission, with power assistance for the steering and anti-lock four-wheel disc brakes as standard fare. Although not stated specifically, I would expect any Allanté within this price range to be a turnkey proposition. The seller doesn’t mention verifying evidence for their mileage claim, but the car’s condition makes it plausible.
Although Cadillac focused on cost reduction strategies for the final production year, the Allanté came with enough creature comforts to justify its sticker price. Buyers received leather trim, climate-controlled air conditioning, power operation for the windows, locks, mirrors, seats, and antenna, a tilt wheel, cruise control, and the “Premium Symphony Sound System.” This included not only an AM/FM radio, but also a CD and cassette player. This car’s first owner spent a few extra dollars on the digital gauge cluster, providing an almost sci-fi motoring experience. The interior’s condition is impressive, further supporting the mileage claim. There is no evidence of abuse or significant wear, and no signs of deterioration due to age or UV exposure. It looks like a supremely comfortable place to spend hours with the wind in your hair and the miles rolling effortlessly beneath the tires.
This 1993 Cadillac Allanté is a wonderful, low-mile survivor, and with only 21,430 of these classics rolling off the line during a seven-year production run, it is also relatively rare. The seller’s price is above the market average, but the figure isn’t unprecedented. However, this Allanté demonstrates why it is worth researching a classic before committing funds to a purchase. I located another listing for this Caddy, indicating that it sold less than a month ago for $10,000. That figure is relatively low by market standards, but it is still a worthwhile piece of information. The seller doesn’t indicate a willingness to negotiate, but if they are flipping this Allanté, that knowledge could give you room to move. Do you agree?
GM lost money on every one of these…
That’s not unheard of when selling a halo car. Ford lost money on the Continental Mark II and I’m sure there’s plenty more examples. Now, their loss can be your gain.
Obviously someone is flipping this. These were nice cars, but so many parts are unique to these, good luck finding new ones such as anything having to do with the cluster or console. I’d own this one but first I’d have to be sure there are no electrical gremlins.
It’s a dealership selling the car.
Steve R
The is a gentleman in West Palm Beach that probably has whatever parts you would need for this ride. He has an amazing inventory of both new and used parts. The Allante Source.
I believe there was also an Allante club, and the magazine was the “Allante’ Source.”
Parts are the same as any Cadillac Engine. Body parts 100 per-cent interchangeable except 93 doors. Join a club learn the car. They are the best buy out there.
Re: “The seller doesn’t mention verifying evidence for their mileage claim”, image #13 in the CL ad (maybe added after this article posted?) does show the digital gauge cluster lit up, with the odometer at the top of the right column showing 19,189 miles.
The CL ad indicates 19k original miles. The seller’s website has a link to a CarFax for the vehicle. According to the document in June 2012 the mileage was 52,308. The same document shows a mileage of 54,996 in June 2025.
Either this car was driven more than 64k miles since last June or … draw your own conclusions.
Weird; i too looked at the fox and didn’t see the higher mile postings at all. I do see that the same Caddy dealer maintained it, which is ‘good’?
The dealer has two Allante’s. You looked at the wrong one.
I love the Allanté, but honestly the dark grey interior in this example is boring.
Where’s the hardtop?
Hardtop was an extra-cost option for this year.
Bought a 1993 in 2002, and it was a phenomenal sports car for a Caddy due mainly to the NS engine. Be prepared to hold onto the wheel due to severe torque steer under full acceleration.
“Power top”? Nope…just 3 “pull-down” motors as the top is manual; you have to get OUT of the car to operate.
Be prepared to explain it’s not a Mercedes as PF duped their look.
“Italian” leather deteriorates quickly compared to the previous Recaro seats.
if you enjoy electrical nightmares then this is the car for you.
These things are often promoted as classic. I just don’t see the retail value. It’s a nineties style box from a manufacturer that was troublesome and expensive to repair in this period.
Hairy is right again
This is a nice one, kind of blah colors when so many nicer colors are available.
Hard to believe that a car in this shape with the low miles and original selling price is overpriced at the current ask.
Just not much value here, but I would love to own one.
Didn’t Kelly Bundy model the Allante in Married with children?
“The Bundy Bounce” became part of America’s vernacular.
low miles are from sitting in the repair shop. in the 15 yrs i was @ an olds dealer 3 of these were traded in with low miles at that time. all had electrical issues and they took them to auction rather than put their name on them and have to stand behind them. smart move.
There must have been many of them that escaped this issue because there have been many stories on BF of owners that love them.
These are nice cars if you could afford the repairs needed on them, there electrics are problematic and expensive, most likely this will be a future collectible being a Cadillac and a convertible. But the reason they are going relatively cheap is because of all the doo dads on these cars and because of that this car was a sales failure, some owners had good luck with these but many others did not most of them suffered financially taking this for repairs? You might want to do your homework if you are thinking about getting on of these models-these cars are expensive to keep up with when used on a regular basis….