The Allante was originally conceived in 1982 under the codename of LTS, which stood for luxury two-seater. The Allante was the most expensive American car in history, with a price of $54,700. It was meant to compete with the Mercedes 560SL and Jaguar XJ-S. The Allante bodies were hand-built by Pininfarina in Italy and the shipped to Detroit for final assembly and testing. The Allante came with Cadillacs 4.1 liter V-8, but this incarnation had 170hp. The Allante came as a convertable and also included a hardtop.

The Allante entered its first full model-year in 1988. It received two more colors in its selection- red and black.

The Allante got a new 4.5 liter V-8 that produced 200hp. The Allante also got a new speed-dependant suspension. At higher speeds, the car would become firmer and more stable, while at lower speeds, it focused on smooth road feel.

For 1990, the Allante came in two seperate body styles. It could come as the convertable hardtop as before, or it could come as a convertable without a hardtop. The Allante also went through several interior revisions, and a revision of the transmission.

For '91 and '92, the Allante got minor changes in its interior and on the exterior.

For '93, the Allante got the 4.6 liter Northstar engine. The car now had 295hp. The car also got several new options and new colors, as well as Cadillac's new rear suspension and Road Sensing Suspension.

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