HISTORY OF THIS 1993 CADILLAC ALLANTE
ONE OF 4,670 PRODUCED
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This 1993 Cadillac Allante comes from the model’s final year of production and accumulated 64 miles before being registered in California where it has remained for its entire life.  The car is finished in “Euro Red” over tan leather, and power is from a transverse 4.6-liter Northstar V8 paired with a four-speed automatic transaxle. Additional equipment includes a black convertible top, automatic climate control, a Delco Symphony sound system with a CD player, an onboard computer, and 16″ alloy wheels.  The Allante also features the desirable factory hardtop as shown in the numerous photos.

The Cadillac has had 3 long time owners with the current owner acquiring the car in 2015 and accumulating only ~2K miles during his ownership.  Currently showing 67,775 miles, the Allante has a clean Carfax that chronologically documents the cars low mileage, a clean California title, and file including documentation of repairs and maintenance.

Included with the car are the following: spare keys, owner’s manual, car cover, aftermarket wind-stop and a factory spare tire and jack.

SUMMARY & CONDITION

The Allante’s Pininfarina-designed bodywork was manufactured in Italy and transported to the US via air freight for assembly by GM in Detroit, Michigan. This example is finished in “Euro Red” and features a black soft top with heated rear glass that is in excellent condition along with a factory hard top, also in beautiful condition having been stored inside for the majority of the car’s life.  The ’93 Allante features a black chin spoiler that is in good condition with only minor scrapes.  The car shows no signs of accident or re-paint with only minor exterior imperfections including small scratches and rock chips that are too minor to be seen in the detailed photographs but normal for cars of this age and mileage.  The exterior includes Pininfarina badges, and single-piece side windows.

The 16″ aluminum wheels are fitted with attractive thin striped Continental Procontact whitewalls that were installed in 2016.  The independent suspension features a Speed-Dependent Damping Control system with electronically controlled variable-rate dampers. Stopping power is provided by four-wheel disc brakes that reportedly received new pads in the last 1,500 miles.

The two-place cabin features seats upholstered in tan leather along with contrasting gray carpets and a rear parcel shelf and is in excellent overall condition reflecting the cars low mileage and limited use as a fair weather, California car. While the driver seat shows minor wear on the left side bolster, it is free from significant cracks, tears or damage.  Amenities are extensive and include power-adjustable seats, automatic climate control, an onboard computer, cruise control, and a Delco Symphony sound system with an in-dash CD player, all of which are functional.

The leather-wrapped steering wheel is equipped with an airbag and a 150-mph speedometer, a 7k-rpm tachometer, and gauges for oil pressure, voltage, coolant temperature, and fuel level. The six-digit odometer indicates just over 67k miles, approximately 2,000 of which were added by the current owner over the past 6+ years.

For its final model year, the Allante was powered by an improved engine compared with earlier cars.  The 4.6-liter Northstar V8 features dual overhead camshafts on each bank and four valves per cylinder. Factory-rated output was 295 horsepower and 290 lbs.-ft of torque, which is routed to the front wheels through a four-speed 4T80-E automatic transmission.

HISTORY OF THE CADILLAC ALLANTE

More than 50 years ago, Cadillac truly stood as “The Standard of the World” with the stunning Eldorado Biarritz, the Series 62 convertible and the very expensive, hand-built, limited-edition 1957 and 1958 Eldorado Broughams, which listed for more than $13,000, a pretty penny for the time. After the 1950s, Cadillac no longer offered any custom-made cars.

Heading into the mid-1980s, then, Cadillac had to create something new if it wanted to remain competitive in the luxury car market; it needed an automobile that captivated the masses, and that people could aspire to–a truly world-class car. Cadillac wanted to harness the prestige of European design and the skill of a renowned coachbuilder to compete with Mercedes and Jaguar.  Enter the Allanté.

Originally created under the code name “Callisto,” the Allante was designed and built in Turin, Italy, by noted coachbuilder Pininfarina. It was a true Italian-American offspring, because below its sleekly styled Italian bodywork rested an American V-8 engine and transmission, as well as other reliable mechanical systems. In all respects, the Allante represented the best of both countries, a car imbued with an impeccable pedigree of style.

The Allanté proved popular in Hollywood. J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman) drove a silver Allanté in the later years of the hit TV show Dallas; Sylvester Stallone drove one in Tango and Cash, and an Allanté was driven by Joe Pesci in one of the Lethal Weapon movies.

The 1987-’88 Allantés used the HT 4100 4.1-liter V-8, an underpowered 170hp engine that suffered from weak intake manifold gaskets, which, in part, could lead to internal engine failure. From 1989 through 1992, a far better 200hp 4.5-liter V-8 was used, with reports of numerous 4.5 engines lasting more than 300,000 miles.  In contrast to other engines of the era, the 4.5 V-8 is easy to work on.

By 1993, Cadillac had the right stuff with the all-new and all-aluminum Northstar. The name “Northstar” itself came from Cadillac’s quest for something to guide the marque back to prominence; a state-of-the-art engine, it lived up to those lofty expectations, and still powers many Cadillac sedans today. The Northstar was the first domestic overhead-cam V-8 to employ 32 valves, four cams and four valves per cylinder. The ZR-1 Corvette incorporated this technology a few years earlier, with the Cadillac design representing a domestic innovation.

The 1993 Northstar V-8 displaced 279 cubic inches and featured a 3.66-inch bore and short 3.31-inch stroke with a fairly high 10.3:1 compression ratio. The 295 horsepower was realized at 5,600 rpm, while its maximum torque rating of 290-lbs.ft. registered at 4,400 rpm. Fuel was delivered via electronic-tuned port injection.

This engine was designed from the ground up with absolutely no previously made Cadillac or GM parts used, and was able to run between 60 and 100 miles without any coolant in the block. One unique feature of the new design was the location of the starter inside the engine block, under the intake manifold. This proved to be a good design choice, as most engineers will tell you that dirt and water thrown up from the road are the two biggest culprits leading to premature starter failure.

Transmissions: Several automatic transmissions were used through the Allanté’s production. From 1987 through 1992, a Turbo Hydra-Matic 440 F7 was used. We know of many TH 440s that have gone more than 200,000 miles without any trouble, so long as the fluid and filter were changed regularly. GM introduced the 4T80E, a stout four-speed automatic overdrive transmission, with a lock-up torque converter, for the 1993 Allanté. The final drive ratio came in at 3.71:1

Suspension: Unlike the Cadillacs of yesteryear, the Allante utilizes a modern, road-hugging suspension design. The front featured struts located by one lateral link and one trailing link, coil springs, electronically-controlled shocks and an anti-roll bar. This system, called Speed Dependent Damping Control, debuted on the 1989 models and worked by firming up the suspension at 25 mph and again at 60 mph. The firmest setting also was used when starting from a standstill until 5 mph. Also introduced in 1989 was a variable-assist steering system.

The rear suspension was also independent, and incorporated unequal-length control arms, a toe-control link, fiberglass transverse leaf spring, electronically-controlled shocks and an anti-roll bar.

Brakes: “The early models had a Bosch-made braking system, which was terribly trouble-prone.  The later disc brake system incorporated several improvements, which proved reliable. Ironically, GM chose Bosch to produce the updated braking system.

Interior: The interior was a comfortable two-seat arrangement swathed in butter-soft leather; the steering wheel and the shifter handle also were leather-wrapped. The only option from 1987 through 1989 was a telephone, and the 1988-’93 models could be had with either analog or digital instrument clusters, unlike the earlier models, which only came with digital instrumentation. In 1991, the Allanté received a 200-watt, eight-speaker Delco-Bose stereo system. In its final year, 1993, a newly redesigned console module featured dual fold-out cup holders.

Body/Frame: As mentioned earlier, the bodies were built in Italy and then flown to the Hamtramck, Michigan, facility for powertrain installation. The hood, trunk and hardtop were aluminum, while the remainder of the body had steel panels. The hardtop became an option in 1990 and lasted through the end of the line. Chrome wheels were optional in 1993 only. Changes for 1993 included a deeper front spoiler and single-piece side windows.

Production 1987: 3,363 1988: 2,569 1989: 3,296 1990: 3,101 1991: 2,500 1992: 1,931 1993: 4,670

Please let us know if you have any questions.

Thank you,

Tripp White
Classic Cars Ltd.
925-989-9547