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Car History: Car History Year 1993
Posted on Monday, September 27 @ 14:45:34 CDT by Cars |
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The idea of having an exotic car body designed in Europe and then installing an American V8 engine into it isn't a new one. It wasn't new when Cadillac introduced the Allante in the late summer of '86 as a 1987 model. What was different about the Cadiliac ultra-luxury two-seater was the fact that the bodies were handbuilt in Turin, Italy, by Pininfarina and then flown across the Atlantic - 56 at a time - in a Boeing 747 freighter known as the "Airbridge." Some of the body components actually made the eight-hour flight in both directions, because the Allante was based on an Eldorado underbody and these were shipped out to Italy (along with various other parts) for modification.
After Pininfarina's craftsmen shortened the Eldorado platform slightly and assembled the Allante body onto it, the finished unit was fully painted and trimmed before being sent to Detroit for completion. In a relatively small corner of the GM Hamtramck assembly plant the front-wheel-drive powertrain and suspension were added to produce an unusual combination of Italian style and US muscle. Unfortunately, although the understated (for a Cadiliac) looks were generally well received, the performance of the Allante never quite lived up to potential customers' expectations.
The interior, with its hugely intrusive rectangular central console set into the dash was also criticized, as was the amount of plastic used on as $50,000 automobile. And|||| disappointing 4.1-liter V8 only produced which gave the *87 Allante a 0-60mph time seconds and a top speed of around 120mph. those figures aren't too bad, a Road & comparison test with a Mercedes-Benz showed the German sportster to be two quicker to GOmph and more than 15mph faster.
Allante sales in the first year amounted to only 3,363 cars, and the figure dropped to 2,569 in '88. A bigger 200 horsepower engine was fitted for '89 and this, together with the uprated suspension, helped the performance aspect, with various improvements to the interior being another step in the right direction. An antilock braking system was introduced in 1990 but, positive though these changes were, Aliante couldn't seem to shake off its image as being a luxury cruiser rather than an exclusive, high-performance machine. Sales hovered around the 3,000 mark for most years, but fell disastrously to 624 in '92.
The 1993 Allante was by far the best yet, thanks to the arrival of the fabulous Cadillac Northstar V8. This 4.6-liter all-aluminum engine, with double-overhead camshafts for each cylinder bank and 32 valves, pumped out a mighty 290bhp, turning the Allante into the quickest and fastest Cadiliac ever tested by Road & Track. Zero to 60mph was achieved in 6.7 seconds, while the top speed had jumped to 145mph. In recognition of the Allante's elevation to performance car status, the Cadiliac was chosen as the Pace Car for the Indianapolis 500 and it was said to have undertaken the role in completely standard form (apart from additional safety equipment, like the roll bar). But it still wasn't enough. Demand remained depressingiy low and the '93 model was decreed to be the last after approximately 3,500 were built - it was a sad ending. The Allante, particularly fitted with the North Star V8, was a potential winner, not only in the domestic market, but across the world - if only the price had been right.
1993 was also celebrated as the centenary of the gasoline-powered American automobile. It was on September 21 1893 that Frank Duryea took his buggy for its first test drive on public roads in Springfield, Massachusetts. Steam-powered contraptions had been around for much longer of course, but the Duryea is usually regarded as the forefather of the modern car.
Specification
1993 CADILLAC ALLANTE
Engine
V8-all aluminum
Displacement
279 cu. ins
Bore and stroke
3.66 x 3.31 ins.
Horsepower
295
Body styles
Convertible coupe
No. of seats
4
Weight (lbs)
3,776 Ibs
Price
$61,675
Produced
4,670
Specification
1993 FORD PROBE
Engine
V6- Cast iron block with aluminum head
Displacement
153 cu. ins
Bore and stroke
3.33x2.92 ins.
Horsepower
164
Body styles
Coupe
No. of seats
4
Weight (lbs)
2,730 Ibs - 3,000 Ibs
Price
$12,730-$14,857
Produced
50,517
Specification
1993 BUICK RIVIERA
Engine
V6 - Cast iron block & head
Displacement
231 cu. ins
Bore and stroke
3.80x3.40 ins.
Horsepower
170
Body styles
Coupe
No. of seats
5
Weight (lbs)
3,504
Price
$26,320
Produced
4,555
Specification
1993 CHEVROLET BLAZER
Engine
V6 - Cast iron block with alu-minum head
Displacement
262 cu. ins
Bore and stroke
4.00 X 3.48 ins.
Horsepower
190
Body styles
2/4 Door ATV
No. of seats
4
Weight (lbs)
3,611 Ibs-4,134 Ibs
Price
$25,000
Produced
-
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