Cars

89 CAD ALLANTE VERT REDUCED YIKES 4999 FIRM
SOLD
SELLER INFORMATION

Rays Rods
516 E. Bristol St
Elkhart, IN
574|849|5323

Message Seller

MILEAGE
110000

YEAR
1989

ENGINE
8

LOCATION
Elkhart , IN

STOCK
MIKE.kok

FULL SPECS

Year 1989
Mileage 110000
Engine 8
Doors 2
Transmission Automatic
Make Cadillac
Model Other

Other 1989

Title Status Clear
Exterior Color BLACK
Interior Color CHESNUT BRN.LEATH.

DESCRIPTION

RARE ITALIAN BODY MADE FOR CADILLAC!
SAVE THOUSANDS NADA RETAIL VALUE FOR THIS CAR IS FROM $6500 TO $10,600
HAS IT ALL
V8
AT
COLD AC
OPTIONAL C HROME WHEELS
TOP IS EXTRA NICE LEATHER
PB PS ETC
RUNS DRIVES EXTRA NICE
HURRY WON LST LONG T THIS PRICE
FINANCING SHIPPING AVLB

MORE INFOR FROM GM;

Cadillac Allante. Photos courtesy General Motors.

In the early 1980s, General Motors came to the conclusion that it needed a halo car for its Cadillac brand, something that could stand toe to toe with the likes of the Mercedes-Benz SL. Such a luxury convertible would feature comfort without sacrificing handling, would wear a European-styled skin and, perhaps most significant of all, would attract younger buyers into Cadillac showrooms. Initial dialogue with design firm Pininfarina took place in 1982, and General Motors soon gave approval to a project code-named Callisto. In 1987, the car jointly developed between Cadillac and Pininfarina would debut as the Cadillac Allante, and it would go on to have a profound effect on both Cadillac and General Motors.

From the start, the project was ambitious. Price was not seen as an obstacle because the Allante would be positioned atop the Cadillac range, reserved for a mere 8,000 buyers per year, which was the brands original yearly sales estimate. While that number was almost insignificant to General Motors, it was very significant to low-volume manufacturer Pininfarina, which constructed a new factory in San Giorgio, Italy, to meet Cadillacs production expectations. The number was significant in another regard as well, as it represented roughly 50 percent of the luxury convertible sales market in North America; in other words, Cadillac had such confidence in the car that it was sure it could land half the market, virtually from the cars launch.

The Allante would be based on a shortened version of the Eldorados frame, which would be bodied by Pininfarina in Italy, then shipped back to the United States for final assembly at GMs Detroit Hamtramck plant. Logic would seem to dictate that sea freight was the most cost-effective way to handle this, but for GM, time was money. Using specially designed Boeing 747 freighter aircraft, Cadillac could reduce its pending inventory load to 300 cars at a time, while sea freight would have tied up 1,000 units of inventory for a far longer period of time. Sea freight would also have exposed the cars to potentially corrosive sea air and salt water, making the air freight shipment from Italy to the U.S. seem like the superior choice.

There was a catch here, too. To build the bodies, Pininfarina needed the frame assemblies, electronics, instruments, seats, steering assemblies and other components in Italy, which required air freight from Detroit. Once received by the San Giorgio factory, workers would shorten and weld the frame halves, mount the bodies, assemble the other components and ship the partially completed convertible to Detroit for addition of the powertrain and suspension components. This twice-across-the-Atlantic assembly process was called the Allante Air Bridge, but critics of the assembly method had another name for it, dubbing it the 9,000-mile assembly line.

Initially, Pininfarinas quality did not measure up to Cadillacs expectations. Building automobiles by hand, the process that Pininfarina was most accustomed to, produced far greater variation from car to car than robotized assembly. The firms standards for paint quality were lacking, too, as the Italian factory would overlook a certain amount of dust and dirt in the finish as being too trivial to remedy. Changes to improve quality (such as the use of laser measuring equipment for body construction) were quickly implemented, and few consumers were ever aware that manufacturing quality issues even existed (except, perhaps, with the weather sealing of the soft top).

When the Allante hit Cadillac showrooms for the 1987 model year, it was unlike anything that the brand had previously offered. Styling, though somewhat conservative, was still far edgier than anything else in the Cadillac portfolio. The convertibles 10-way adjustable Recaro seats were beyond indulgent, and Cadillacs general manager, John Grettenberger, went on record to say, Allante owners will find that even with the top down they will be able to carry on a conversation in normal tones. Proving that the Allante was more than just a summer toy, each came with a standard removable aluminum hardtop, and the car boasted a dizzying array of electronics, including digital instrumentation and Boschs latest generation of anti-lock brakes.

Power initially came from a 250-cu.in. fuel-injected V-8, rated at 170 horsepower and 235 pound-feet of torque and mated exclusively to a four-speed automatic transmission. Despite the cars front-wheel-drive layout,

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