The Cadillac Allante has been the target of many car enthusiasts’ affections over the years, either because it remains an affordable classic in an increasingly expensive landscape, or because they have fond memories of it being a desirable acquisition when new. There’s a very real factor in some car purchases wherein the era in which it was made, or the connection a buyer feels with the brand, can dictate a passion purchase that otherwise doesn’t make much sense. This 1987 Allante listed here on Facebook Marketplace appears to have been a dealer trade based on the signage in the windows, and it clearly hasn’t seen much use since. It’s listed with an asking price of $9,300.
So, that yellow sign on the dash and the other one in the back glass (seen below) are identical to ones I saw on a minty Toyota Cressida traded into a local Lexus dealer. It basically says the car is not for sale, and you need to talk to the dealer about a potential release date. I figure this means the Allante was offered as a trade and the owner of the dealership had it sent over to his house as soon as any and all encumbrances were resolved. Perks of the job suggests you get first dibs on any survivors that roll in via trade, and based on how well-preserved the interior is, I suspect this Allante hasn’t seen much use in recent years.
This Allante is now in Cleveland, Ohio, but Integrity Cadillac is still an active dealership in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The fact that the dealer badge is still affixed to the trunk lid, in addition to the other obvious signs of preservation, suggest that the low mileage is indeed accurate, with the listing noting it has just 40,000 on the clock. The Allante sports a noticeable coating of dust, so it’s either been photographed in as-found condition, or whoever snagged it after it was traded in hasn’t done much with it since bringing the Pininfarina-designed convertible home.
The Allante in its early years was a bit of a let-down performance-wise, with the Northstar V8 arriving near the very end of production. With just 170 horsepower from the standard 4.1L V8 engine, the price tag far outpaced what you got under the hood. As we all know, the original MSRP was quite high due to production costs associated with the elaborate assembly line process, but these days, you can buy into the Allante legacy for a fraction of the original cost. Even so, at nearly $10,000, I suspect this garage-find Allante will need further discounting to find a new home.
There’s a ton of these out there. One just sold on BaT for $7100, same miles and in running driving condition. This one will probably need maintenance if it has been sitting for a while. $5000 at best. The ad is pretty sparse and its a B Lot dealer so beware!
An inexpensive way into the hobby. Mine has over 130,000 miles, this is a lot better. Good aftermarket support, none from Caddy dealer.
electrical nightmares
Only because the advanced electronics were unusal, and mechanics were scared of schematics they did not understand.
With my Allanté, I have had a couple of issues. The top pull down motor went bad, and drained the battery: New ones are available, problem solved. The passenger side window switch had a short, and required a new switch. Rebuilt available. Oh, and it’s really easy to leave the console open, draining the battery over 48 hours. Most electrical issues are peripheral, not due to the design
What is your personal experience with owning or driving an Allanté?
Love the color, hard top comes with. Priced way too high.
In the 1980s I did several focus groups for car models soliciting feedback on various details. My ownership at that time was not the influence for this fun since it was entirely driven by company-supplied cars. Reviewing and commenting on a Cadillac Cimarron, then the Allante provided some “what were they thinking” response on my part. The logistic complexity for the Allante was a consideration since GM went to great lengths to tell the reviewers about shipping cars, powertrains, etc all over the world, but I always liked the design.
Lovely car, priced a little high, but should find a buyer.
People fixate on the intercontinental assembly, but in fact, in the early 1980s, the value of the dollar soared to ridiculous levels due to massive borrowing by the US government, and was worth about 4 Deutchmarks or 10 French France, or 100 double-ply rolls of Italian Lira.
When the contracts were signed in 1982, it was actually much cheaper to build the cars in Italy than it would have been to build a brand new factory for a car that would be produced in very low numbers to better production tolerances in North America.
In 1985, you could buy a Mercedes Benz on the Champs Ellysées for half of the dealer price in the USA, and VW was making more money on currency trades than it was earning making cars…..and in the reverse of GM’s issues, the Pennsylvania Rabbit plant was closed because it was cheaper to make an inexpensive car in Germany than in the USA
Of course, when deficits exploded, Washington changed course and the dollar’s value declined precipitously, erasing that price advantage, making the cost of producing the car much higher than originally anticipated, and reducing Cadillac’s ability to adjust the car’s retail price.
interesting stuff !
Thanks. Owning a lot and Allantè has taught me a lot about the problems that GM and Cadillac faced in the 1980s and about product planning in general. It’s also actually a wonderful car to own.
Agreed. WAY WAY OVERPRICED.