The Cadillac Allante, much like the Chrysler TC by Maserati, hangs out there as an affordable classic with a fair amount of style mixed in. Unlike the TC, which forces you to hunt for the incredibly rare spec with the DOHC Maserati head and a 5-speed, the Allante came equipped with Northstar V8 power later in life to make it entirely more appealing as a collector car. While the later specs don’t necessarily move the needle on values, buying an Allante with the updated and far more powerful engine is the only way to fly when Allante shopping. Find this clean 1993 model listed here on Facebook Marketplace for $8,900.
Thanks to Barn Finds reader Lothar… of the Hill People for the tip. The Allante, like the TC, was doomed to fail after its high initial MSRP and lack of firepower under the hood scared away buyers. And in proper GM form, right when they figured out what the car needed to be commercially viable, they killed it – too many years of lackluster sales practically demanded it, no matter how much improved it was with the Northstar under the hood. The updates also extended to the suspension which is considered vastly improved over earlier models. Of course, you still got the attractive Pininfarina styling as standard equipment.
And while the Northstar engine certainly had its maintenance shortcomings, it was a boatload more powerful than the outgoing motor. In fact, 0-60 times were safely under 7 seconds courtesy of almost 300 horsepower. The 4T80E 4-speed automatic transmission was a stout unit and helped click off confident gear changes, while standard ABS helped bring everything to a standstill when called upon. The trouble was the superior engine arrived long past a point of reasonable return, as the reputational harm caused by the lackluster chassis dynamics, cheap quality control, and staggering MSRP sealed the Allante’s fate.
One critical detail about the Allante I often forget is that it was front-wheel drive. This alone is a strike against the car that is hard to overlook. While rear-wheel drive isn’t everything, the general school of thought is that high-end performance cars should be driven via the rear wheels. This may have also contributed to the sensation that the Allante was not a great driver’s car. Today, however, it’s a terrific value in the top-down enthusiast marketplace, and a car like this final year model will deliver a lot of smiles per the dollar. Do you think the ’93 Allante represents a good deal for a fun-in-the-sun car?
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