Cadillac Allante

Cadillac
	Cadillac Allante (1987-1993)
Allante
Production period:	1987-1993
Class :	Upper class
Body versions :	Cabriolet
Engines:	; Petrol engines : 4.1–4.6 liters ; (127–220 kW)
Length:	4539 mm
Width:	1864 mm
Height:	1308 mm
Wheelbase :	2525 mm
Empty weight :	1687 kg
successor	Cadillac XLR

Rear view

The Cadillac Allanté is a luxury convertible launched by Cadillac and was available from spring 1987 to summer 1993.

The vehicle

Development and production

With the Allanté originally developed under the code name “Callisto”, Cadillac entered direct competition with the Mercedes-Benz SL . The chassis and engine initially came directly from the Cadillac Eldorado , while the Allanté shared other components with the Buick Reatta , the Buick Riviera and the Oldsmobile Toronado .

The floor pan and chassis were built at the Cadillac plant in Detroit and were air freighted to Pininfarina in Turin, where the body was assembled; the half-finished cars were then shipped back to the USA by Lufthansa Cargo , where final assembly took place. The press spoke of the "longest assembly line in the world".

The Allanté cost $ 54,000 when it premiered, making it by far the most expensive model in the Cadillac range. Due to the high price, only around 21,000 copies of the Allanté were made. In Germany, the Allanté was available from GM dealers (mostly large Opel dealers) for around DM 130,000.

Technology and body

The Allanté was designed as a 2 + 2-seater convertible, but eventually went into series production as a pure 2-seater. The convertible was initially powered by the in-house 4.1-liter V8 (type HT-4100) with electronic fuel injection, which developed 125 kW (170 hp) at a speed of 4300 rpm. Front and rear wheels were guided over strut axles, disc brakes all around were part of the standard equipment.

With the 1989 model year, a new 4.5-liter V8 (type HT 4500) was used, which developed 149 kW at the same speed and 366 Nm at 3200 rpm. In addition, the Allanté received a speed-dependent chassis control, which was called "Speed Dependent Damping Control" or SD²C for short and made the chassis harder from a speed of 40 km / h and, in a second stage, from 60 km / h. The tightest setting also supports starting up to a speed of 8 km / h. The speed-dependent power steering was also new.

In addition, the Allanté underwent only a few changes until its end of production in the summer of 1993. However, in the spring of 1992, the roadster still received the brand new Cadillac Northstar V8 with two overhead camshafts and a displacement of 4.6 liters. This machine otherwise had an output of 213 kW, for use in the Allanté Cadillac gave the output of 220 kW at a speed of 5600 rpm and the maximum torque of 393 Nm at 4400 rpm. At the same time, a new multi-link rear axle was installed, which came from the Cadillac Seville and Eldorado models and improved the road holding. Another innovation was the "Road Sensing Suspension", an electronically regulated active shock absorber control. Also new were improved disc brakes, a lower front spoiler and the elimination of the wind deflector behind the A-pillars.

The Allanté with Northstar engine won a comparison test by the US magazine "Car & Driver" ahead of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL and the Jaguar XJ-S V12 Cabriolet. The Cadillac received high marks for its engine, but with road holding penalties due to the front-wheel drive configuration. Finally, the Allanté won the race thanks to its relatively low price of just under 65,000 dollars - the Jaguar cost a good 72,000 dollars, the Mercedes over 90,000 dollars.

Quantities

1987: 3363
1988: 2569
1989: 3296
1990: 3101
1991: 2500
1992: 1931
1993: 4670
Total: 21,430

Web links

Commons : Cadillac Allanté - collection of images, videos and audio files

Timeline of Cadillac models from 1980 to present
Type	1980s										1990s										2000s										2010s										2020s
Type	0	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	0	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	0	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	0	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	0
Middle class			Cimarron																								BLS						ATS								CT4
upper middle class																		Catera						CTS					CTS						CTS					CT5
upper middle class	Seville						Seville						Seville						Seville							STS							XTS
Upper class	DeVille					DeVille									DeVille						DeVille						DTS						XTS
	Fleetwood					Fleetwood								Fleetwood																							CT6
						Brougham
Personal Luxury	Eldorado						Eldorado						Eldorado
Crossover SUV																																									Lyriq
																																							XT4
																									SRX					SRX							XT5
																																								XT6
SUV																				Escalade			Escalade					Escalade								Escalade
Roadster								Allante																	XLR