Cadillac allante

15-08-2018

1992 Cadillac Allante Start Up, Exhaust, and In Depth Tour

In 1987, General Motors launched a model codenamed "Cadillac Callisto" to fight a strong rival to the Mercedes-Benz SL. The suspension and engine for the new car were taken from the Cadillac Eldorado, although components from the Buick Reatta, Riviera and Oldsmobile Toronado were also used in the design. The car went to the series with the name Allante and was sold to 1993, occupying the niche of luxury roadsters.

This model is unique for many reasons. Her body was designed and manufactured by the Italian company Pininfarina from the city of Turin. Finished bodies (56 units per flight) with special Boeing-747 aircraft were sent from Italy to a plant in the city of Hamtramick, Michigan, where they installed power units and chassis. Thus, the Cadillac Allante passed the world's longest assembly line - 3300 miles long across the ocean. The wits called Allante "The Flying Italian Cadillac", which means "Flying Italian Cadillac". This front-wheel-drive sports car embodies many of the technical innovations of the Cadillac, including the anti-skid system and the Northstar engine.

The car was originally equipped with an aluminum engine 4.1 L HT-4100 V8. In 1989 a new 4.5 L V8 appeared, which developed a power of 200 hp. (149 kW) at 4300 rpm and had a torque of 366 Nm at 3200 rpm. Models of release of 1993 were equipped with new 4.6 liter Northstar DOHC V8. 290 hp Later, Cadillac forced this engine to 295 hp. (220 kW) at 5600 rpm

Cadillac

In general, the car has a difficult fate. The idea of a front-wheel drive on a car of this class and such a price was sharply criticized (Cadillac Allante cost 54 thousand dollars and was at that time the most expensive Cadillac in the line). Expensive sports cars are equipped, as a rule, with a classic layout - rear wheel drive. This helps to more correctly distribute the weight on the axles and improve handling at high speeds and in steep turns. By the way, the closest competitor Allante - Mercedes 560SL was exactly the rear wheel drive.

Automotive press and enthusiasts blamed Pininfarina rather than Cadillac for such a “short-sighted” decision and did not predict a brilliant future for the expensive and “wrong” roadster. Although, Allante had its own “star hour”.

In 1992, the Cadillac Allanté, equipped with a Northstar engine, according to a benchmark test conducted by Car and Driver, defeated its formidable competitors: the Jaguar XJS V12 convertible and Mercedes-Benz 300SL convertible. Despite the commendable reviews of the new engine, the car was still criticized for mediocre (as for the roadster) handling, which was the result of a front-wheel-drive layout.

Most likely, Cadillac was able to become a leader, due to the fact that at that time the prices of competitors' products had increased rapidly. Price Cadillac Allanté in 64 thousand dollars looked frivolous, compared with $ 90,335 for Mercedes-Benz. But such a price gap did not save the situation. Cadillac Allante made the first impression on everyone as a car for the show, but not for the track. And I could not get rid of this image. A total of 21 thousand cars were released with the name Allante.