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©2021 Automodello®
- Year: 1987-1992
- Exterior Color: Black and Special Order with black interior
- Marque: Cadillac
- Scale: 1:24
- Features: Removable convertible and hardtops
- Build: 6
- Official Release Date: June 10th 2021
- Dream Disengaged Availability: Diecasm
Although we don’t consider the 1980s as the heyday of the 2-seater, it may surprise you to learn that General Motors offered far more distinctive 2-seat vehicles during the late ‘80s than it had in any other decade since the 1930s! For many observers the 1980s is defined by the shift to smaller, lighter, more economical front-drive platforms and away from larger, more traditional rear-drive V-8 performance and luxury. GM sought to counter that misconception by offering an expanded range of stylish, 2-seat sports and luxury models to serve as halo vehicles for their respective marques. Everyone knows Chevrolet’s Corvette, “America’s Sports Car”—and many remember Pontiac’s innovative little Fiero. The latter offered a unique economical take on a mid-engine sports car, while the former has been the iconic benchmark for domestic performance. They were joined in 1987 by the Allanté a distinctively Cadillac take on a two-seat personal luxury vehicle aimed not at the performance market, but at upscale European convertibles like the Mercedes SL and Jaguar XJS.
To help establish its bona fides as a competitor to the Euro-elite, Cadillac turned to an old friend in the legendary Pininfarina design studio. The partnership between Pininfarina and Cadillac stretched back more than 50 years—all the way back to 1931 and a special Speedster version of the extravagant V-16 Sport Phaeton. The enormous Speedster’s upright stance and swoopy boat-tail rear had paved the way for the 1987 Allanté’. The low, short, angular profile and simple straight-edged character lines proved how good proportions and clean uncluttered lines could be just as beautiful as busy, overly adorned styling. Virtually everyone agreed that Pininfarina had penned a masterpiece—the most exciting looking Cadillac in a generation!
The compact yet atypical Cadillac dimensions that gave Pininfarina its perfectly proportioned canvas were achieved using some clever repurposing of traditional Cadillac mechanicals. The structure started as a traditional E-body Eldorado coupe platform which was flown from Detroit to Pininfarina’s assembly facility in Turin, Italy, where nearly nine inches was cut from the wheelbase before the exclusive convertible bodywork was fitted, supplemented by both a removable hardtop and a folding soft top as standard equipment. The cars also received exclusive interiors featuring an ‘80s-tastic digital instrument panel and lavish 10-way-adjustable leather Recaro seats. The completed body shells were then flown back to Cadillac’s Hamtramck, Michigan factory to receive their running gear. This included firmer Eldorado Touring Suspension, special low-profile Goodyear tires on exclusive 15-inch wheels, 4-wheel disc brakes and—most interestingly—a significantly tuned up version of the Eldorado transverse-mounted 4.1L V-8 driving the front wheels.
Cadillac was no stranger to front-drive V-8s, having used them in the Eldorado since 1967. Among the improvements to the Allanté version of the 4.1 was an all-new valve train equipped with roller rockers, a set of specially ported high-flow cylinder heads, and sequential port fuel injection with tuned-length intake runners. All this resulted in a jump from the stock 135 hp Eldorado to 170 hp in the Allanté. And while this output still trailed Mercedes and Jaguar, the engine was enlarged to 4.5L and 200 hp for the 1989 model year, yielding a noticeable increase in performance. This combination would remain until the final year of Allanté production in 1993 when it received the highly-touted “Northstar System”…but that is a story for another time!
As astute historians of the brand will note, the Allanté represents the beginning of Cadillac’s reemergence as a global leader in sophisticated, stylistically bold sports-luxury vehicles. This is just one reason why, despite a production total barely topping 21,000 cars over its entire 7-year run, the Allanté retains a dedicated following of admirers and collectors 30 years after its debut. Which is why we’ve selected this modern-era Cadillac to be immortalized in scale. Automodello is proud to introduce the 1987-92 Allanté as part of the coveted ONE24™ series.
Special Order is Black with black interior instead of the tan interior on the Homage Edition. Special Order 24C029.S3 is limited to 6. Congratulations for being one of the fortunate few to own this exquisite tribute to Cadillac’s evolution.
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