The Cadillac Allanté was a two-seat luxury roadster with an Italian body and a Detroit chassis. To join the two, Cadillac’s Allanté Air Bridge flew finished bodies from Turin to Detroit aboard specially equipped Boeing 747s. Each flight carried 56 bodies.

It was an unusual way to build a car. Still, it let Pininfarina style, build and trim the body in Italy while Cadillac fitted the engine and running gear at home.

The car ran from the 1987 to the 1993 model year. During that time, the airlift became better known than many of the Allanté’s specs.

Why Cadillac went to Pininfarina

Pininfarina agreed to the deal with General Motors in 1983, according to Hagerty’s history of the Allanté. By 1986, Hagerty says, the Italian firm had opened a facility in San Giorgio, outside Turin. There, workers fitted interiors, trim and electronics.

Wikipedia’s Allanté entry adds that Pininfarina designed the car under Sergio Pininfarina’s direction. In addition, the firm built the bodies at its new plant in San Giorgio Canavese. As a result, the body, interior and trim all came from Italy before the flight.

Curbside Classic agrees on the split. Its history says Pininfarina designed, engineered and built the body, while Cadillac handled final assembly in Detroit.

How Cadillac’s Allanté Air Bridge worked

First, trucks carried the finished bodies in aluminum cargo modules to Turin’s airport, according to Hagerty. Then specially equipped Boeing 747s operated by Alitalia and Lufthansa flew them to Detroit. Hagerty says the flights ran three times a week, with 56 bodies on each one.

Likewise, the Curbside Classic history of the Allanté gives the same 56 units per flight on Alitalia and Lufthansa 747s. Wikipedia also uses the name “Allanté Air Bridge” for the route, which ended at Detroit City Airport.

From there, the bodies went to Cadillac’s Detroit-Hamtramck plant. Once they arrived, workers joined them with chassis and powertrains, Hagerty explains.

Freight in both directions

Cadillac’s Allanté Air Bridge did not only run one way. According to Hagerty, about 80 Allanté parts flew from Detroit back to Turin. For example, those included underbodies, rear and engine compartments and major electrical components.

Curbside Classic describes the same loop. In its account, frames, engine compartments and major electronics went from the U.S. to Italy, while completed bodies with interiors came back.

Because of that loop, the program earned a nickname. Bill Buschman, the Allanté manufacturing operations director, recalled it to Hagerty as “the longest assembly line in the world.” Similarly, Wikipedia says the car became known for “the world’s longest assembly line.”

Price and power

The 1987 Allanté had a base price of $54,700, Hagerty reports. That price included a removable aluminum hardtop and a seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty. Later, Curbside Classic notes, Cadillac dropped the hardtop from standard equipment for 1990, which cut the base price by “several thousand dollars.”

Power grew over the years. At launch, the car used a 4.1-liter V8 rated at 170 horsepower, according to Curbside Classic and Wikipedia. For 1989, a 4.5-liter V8 brought 200 horsepower, as Hagerty, Curbside Classic and Wikipedia all agree.

Finally, the 1993 cars got the 4.6-liter Northstar V8. Hagerty rates it at 290 hp, while Curbside Classic and Wikipedia list 295 hp. Meanwhile, Wikipedia notes that a 1993 Allanté paced the 1992 Indianapolis 500 with Bobby Unser driving.

How many Allantés were built

Sales never reached Cadillac’s plans. According to Hagerty, the car fell short of launch forecasts of 6,000 to 8,000 a year. Even so, 1993 was its best year, with nearly 4,700 sales, according to Curbside Classic.

Hagerty also lists output by model year. It shows 3,003 cars for 1987, 2,569 for 1988 and 3,298 for 1989. After that, it lists 3,101 for 1990, 2,500 for 1991, 1,964 for 1992 and 4,671 for 1993.

However, production totals vary by source. Hagerty gives 21,106 cars over seven model years. By contrast, Curbside Classic and Wikipedia give 21,430, and Wikipedia cites Pininfarina’s records of 21,395 bodies. In short, Cadillac built about 21,000 Allantés.

The last one left Detroit-Hamtramck on July 16, 1993, according to Hagerty, which records it as VIN 129311.

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This article was created with the help of AI and was reviewed and edited by Fast Lane Only editors before publication.