Classic car showcase: Cadillac Allante - TheChronicleHerald.ca
In the 1970s Cadillac saw its reputation for technical leadership gradually being overtaken by such marques as Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Jaguar. It came to fruition as the 1987 Cadillac Allante, with its main target being the Mercedes-Benz 560S Roadster. The Allante was not only intended to showcase General Motors technology, but to inject some new spirit into Cadillac's staid, vinyl roof, wreath-and-crest image. And since General Motors had committed to front-wheel drive in the '80s, the Allante had front-drive. To accommodate the limited production quantities and add some European cachet, Cadillac contracted Italy's famed Turin-based stylist/coachbuilder Pininfarina to style and largely build the bodies. The traditional Cadillac egg-crate grille was retained, the windshield was slanted sharply and the rear end was dominated by huge, flush tail lamps. Not prepared to totally abandon its wreath, Cadillac placed one in the grille, one on each wheel cover and one tastefully integrated into the deck-mounted, high-level stop lamp. To assemble the Allante, Cadillac created what it called the "Allante Airbridge. Source: thechronicleherald.ca
