'by Pinin Farina'

1991 Cadillac Allante by Pininfarina



(Collection of Dick Messer)



With its Italian styled body and American running gear, the Allante was an attempt by Cadillac to enter the luxury sports car market then dominated by established brands such as Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar. Endeavoring to give the car a sophisticated European look, Cadillac contracted with the famed Italian coachbuilder Pininfarina to design and build the Allante body. Once complete, the bodies were shipped from Italy in specially equipped Boeing 747s to Cadillacs plant in Detroit for final assembly. This long-distance collaboration made the cars too expensive to sell in profitable quantities although many experts blamed the poor sales on its front-wheel drive configuration, a rarity among luxury sports cars.



-MW