Allante Cadillac History 1987

The ultra-luxury Allanté’s body and interior was built by Pininfarina in Turin, Italy. The finished bodies were flown to GM’s Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant where the powerplant and suspension were installed. Each completed model was driven for 25 miles for an individual evaluation. The front-wheel drive Allanté was powered by a specially tuned version of Cadillac’s 4.1-liter V-8. It used special magnesium rocker arm covers and an aluminum oil pan.

The Allanté chassis was intended for use on a convertible. Its all-independent suspension consisting of front MacPherson struts and coil springs in conjunction with rear MacPherson struts and a composite transverse leaf spring provided skidpad readings of 0.82 g. Also found on the Allanté was a new Bosch II ABS and exclusive P225/60VR15 Eagle GT tires.

Only two interior options were available for the Allanté: a choice of two leather colors and a cellular telephone. The Allanté interior was available in either burgundy or natural saddle leather. The Allanté seats were manufactured by Recaro and featured a 10-way memory system.

The Allanté’s exterior design, characterized by a wedge-shaped profile and a pronounced forward rake, was very aerodynamic with a drag coefficient of 0.34. General Manager Grettenberger remarked that “Allanté owners will find that even with the top down they will be able to carry on a conversation in normal tones.” Sergio Pininfarina reported that working with Cadillac to produce the Allanté was “the realization of a life-long dream.”