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Allante collectibility??

Started by dulcidog, November 26, 2012, 09:18:41 PM

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Roger Zimmermann

Yes. It was mainly a manual top with a lever on the side to unlock it and an electric catch the close the rear, when you were lucky. Later, the front was also "electrified" but the whole thing was still a stupid construction. At the same time, Camaros and Firebirds had an motorized top.
1956 Sedan de Ville (sold)
1956 Eldorado Biarritz
1957 Eldorado Brougham (sold)
1972 Coupe de Ville
2011 DTS
CLCMRC benefactor #101

Guidematic


The convertible top really was a problem with these cars. They changed it almost every year as well, making specific parts even harder to find these days. In particular the seals were prone to leaking on the earlier models. That was an ongoing problem, they always seemed to be in the shop for waterleaks.

As far as the car being a bit of a commercial flop, that does not affect collectibility one bit. As a matter of fact, it can enhance it, particularly if the car becomes collectible for other reasons. Certainly 1969 Chevy II's with the 4-cylinder engine are not collectible because they made but a handful of them.

As I said earlier, the Allante possesses all the elements that will make it a collectible. But it still remains anyone's guess as to when values take off and to what heights they will go to.

Mike
1970 Fleetwood Brougham 68169
1985 Eldorado Coupe 6EL57
1988 Eldorado Biarritz 6EL57
1990 Brougham d'Elegance 6DW69
1994 Fleetwood Brougham 6DW69

Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621

#22
Quote from: 76eldo on November 27, 2012, 08:44:48 PM



Name ANY car that is a two seater convertible, especially built by a high end carmaker that isn't worth money...

Allante's, long-term, are smart investments, in my opinion.



I don't want this to get into a debate about the virtues/disadvantages, collectibility/non-collectibility of Allante'. However here are a few of my own thoughts and points regarding future long-range Allante' collectibility.

Everything is worth some money. However, if you'd like an example of a two-seater, built by a luxury car manufacturer that has not fared well as a collector car for appreciation, I submit the 1972-1989 Mercedes SL series. For many years long after production ceased, this model enjoyed tremendous value retention or appreciation however, their marketplace performance had been rather lackluster over the last decade or more. I personally know a half dozen people who bought these things who lost their shirt on them, to say nothing of the exhorbitant maintenence costs ownership entailed.

Secondly, the Allante' was never particularly successful, much less lusted-after when new. Resale/trade-in value was so dreadful that GM took the unprecedented step of subsidizing trade-in values by kicking in an extra $10,000 to GM dealers trading in an Allante' just to prop up Allantes' image. Compared with the competition of the day, there were a host of cars that a serious car enthusiast would've far rather had at Allante's price. BMW M Series and offerings from Porsche and Mercedes come to mind. GM had completely missed the target. 

Thirdly, Allante' styling had always been consider bland, "a high-dollar car that looks as though it had been designed by a committee..." were the words of more than one critic. Personally I always thought the car looked like a Celebrity when viewed directly from the front. Not exactly a comparison one spending mega-bucks on a supercar likes to be made.

Fourth, the Allante' is FWD. This is a major problem as serious high performance cars are never designed in that configuration for a multitude of reasons. FWD is widely regarded as a compromise design among automotive experts and this further hampered Allante's image as a viable competitor in the high-end market while further underscoring the philosophy behind the entire machine- and that was one of engineering compromise. Furthermore, FWD linked the Allante' with far more pedestrian offerings. Again, a major detriment to Allante's image as a prestige machine. 

Sixth, many Allantes had been collected an mothballed as new cars, ala 1976 Eldorado convertible. Therefore, there's no shortage of quality examples to satisfy marketplace demand. This is not going to be helpful to long term appreciation. This is almost never the case with cars that have become highly desirable and sought-after.

Finally, consider the 59-60 Eldorado Brougham. Here's a car that had been built in truly limited quantity, without any thought of being put away since new without being driven. It was a far more expensive car than the Allante' in inflation-adjusted dollars and yet it's not a particularly valuable car compared to the far more common (by a factor of 4x) of the 57-58. The 57-58 Eldo Brougham was distinctive; the 59-60 was not. Clearly, distinction plays a major role in future collectibility, and the Allante is hardly distinctive. While many foreign car offerings arguably lack distinction themselves, they did excel in terms of performance.

Yes, the Allante is a roadster, however that in itself is not enough to compensate for the areas in which it lacks, vis-a-vis its contempories. Had the Allante' been built in 1965, just as it is, it would be a completely different story. One of the primary factors of long range collectibility/desirability is derived from how a car stacked up against the competition of the day. As one analyst said it, "What new car of its time would a young man buy if money were no object?" I suspect very few young men would have chosen an Allante' in 1987-1993.

That said, none of this is meant in any way to denigrate Allante', nor cause offence to any Alllante' owner nor any of its partisans and it undoubtedly has some fine attributes. It is simply to put into perspective some of the questions regarding potential long-term Allante collectibility, within the context of historical criteria in regards to long-term desirability- from one market observer of many years.

What the future will hold for Allante' is anybody's guess but based on the above, I just don't see it happening for many decades, if at all.

One man's opinion. 

A Cadillac Motorcar is a Possession for which there is no Acceptable Substitute

Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621

One more thing I'd like to add is a short list of Cadillacs that I feel have not yet reached investment maturity potential:

1967 Eldorado

1980 Seville

1977-1980 Cadillac LeCabriolet (H & E Conversion)
A Cadillac Motorcar is a Possession for which there is no Acceptable Substitute

Guidematic


Logic does not always apply to the collector car market. An example of this is the 55-57 Chevrolet. They were pounded out like cultured bacteria (4.5 million over 3 years), they aren't particularly interesting in mechanical make-up. and they are not regarded as outstanding designs. They didn't exhibit exceptional, or even for the time, average quality. Yet they continue to demand big dollars.

Another would be the '65 Mustang. Thay made over 700,000 of them, they have very pedestrian mechanicals and aside from being "sporty" they are not particularly good designs.

The Allante is low production, high end, built by relatively exotic body builder. It has aesthetics that are quite tasteful and understated. However it may languish in the collector market for some time. But it has the potential. That is entirely dependent on the market and how it is perceived. No one can accurately predict it.

Time will tell.

Mike
1970 Fleetwood Brougham 68169
1985 Eldorado Coupe 6EL57
1988 Eldorado Biarritz 6EL57
1990 Brougham d'Elegance 6DW69
1994 Fleetwood Brougham 6DW69

Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621

#25
Tri 5 Chevys and Mustangs were hot when they were new. The vast majority were pounded, used and discarded leaving a relatively small population to satisfy millions who remember them fondly. Completely different dynamic than with Allante having no bearing whatsoever on the cars' mechanical merit. And the cars were decisive commercial successes in their day. The Chevys and to a lesser extent, Mustangs were never intended as high end cars for consumption by a few affluent customers, only to be dreamed of by the rest.

The main reason Allante and 59-60 Eldo Brougham was subcontracted out to Pininfarina was to reduce production costs.

I respectfully disagree, there most decidedly is some logic to future collectibility just as there is to any investment.

As you say, time will tell....
A Cadillac Motorcar is a Possession for which there is no Acceptable Substitute

Guidematic


Not being of car buying age when the Chevies were built, I can't comment from an first hand obverver's view. However I have spent much time thinking about this very matter.

Essentially it's the same as what made the '32 Fords so hot, and even the Hondas of today. When they were new, they weren't particularly sigificant. Except that the '55 was such a drastic departure from the '54 and created a completely new image for the brand. However compared to their contemporaries, they weren't particularly interesting.

As they became used cars, they were cheap, readily available and easily modified. That crated a real following for them. Yes, they were pounded and used up in many cases, used up as everyday transportation, beat to death as race cars and such. However, there was such a huge pool of these cars that it took a very long time before you could even begin to consider them as hard to find.

I agree Mustangs were the hot ticket when they were new. They were cheap, looked quite sporty and easily modified. They remained the canvas for teenagers and later adults for many years to come. But mechanically they were merely Falcons.

Mass appeal certainly is a factor in a car becoming a high priced collectible. As it is, not a lot of people even know the Eldorado Brougham even exists, let alone the '59-'60 version.

But look at the Duesenberg J. Thare were a few more than 500 examples of these cars built. They can command millions. That may be in part because the cars are so well known by the public, which of coarse makes them even more desireable.

Perhaps the Allante may never get to any real values. It may peak at a point where it is still affordable by folk with smaller bank accounts.

In 1965, who would have ever thought that any 1959 Cadillac would have been worth anything?

Mike
1970 Fleetwood Brougham 68169
1985 Eldorado Coupe 6EL57
1988 Eldorado Biarritz 6EL57
1990 Brougham d'Elegance 6DW69
1994 Fleetwood Brougham 6DW69

Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621

#27
Quote from: Guidematic on November 28, 2012, 12:16:41 PM


Mass appeal certainly is a factor in a car becoming a high priced collectible. As it is, not a lot of people even know the Eldorado Brougham even exists, let alone the '59-'60 version.


In 1965, who would have ever thought that any 1959 Cadillac would have been worth anything?

Mike

How many people even know about the Allante' today let alone 20-30 years from now? I have a few friends in their 30's who never even heard of it. In all honesty, it's very difficult to imagine many 20-30 somethings of today just having to get an Allante' decades from now. Some perhaps, but very few would be my guess.

A Dusenberg represented the outer limits of technological & styling limitations of its day. A zero compromise machine, bumper to bumper. The car was a legend from the second it was built. No matter who you were, what walk of life you came from, everybody knew what a Dusenberg was and what it represented. It's even the origin of the the expression, "It's a Dusey..."  An 18-25 year old would be turning handstands for one in 1930. 

As far as the '59 in 1965- answer to that is: My father! lol! He always said that was going to a hot car one day. (Gotta give the old man his due- he's always a knack for picking winners) He-he. :)
A Cadillac Motorcar is a Possession for which there is no Acceptable Substitute

Guidematic


Right. How many will know that the Allante even existed. But if there is some spark in the public eye on these cars that may bring the car out again, people may remember. There are a lot of forgotten cars out there that get rediscovered.

The Duesenberg was perhaps the pinnacle of the classic era. They were fast, every one carried custom coachwork, and they were stunning. There were others too that are much more scarce, more technically intriquing. An example would be the Mrmon V-16, and maybe even some examples of the Cadillac Series 452.

Indeed it would be nice to have reliable foresight to call future collectibles, particularly those that go to the top of the heap. If I could do that, I'd be a rich man.

Mike
1970 Fleetwood Brougham 68169
1985 Eldorado Coupe 6EL57
1988 Eldorado Biarritz 6EL57
1990 Brougham d'Elegance 6DW69
1994 Fleetwood Brougham 6DW69

TJ Hopland

How about the Buick Reatta?   

That was the same period and similar in many ways, not actually physically but as to what it was meant to be and where it fit in the lineup.
StPaul/Mpls, MN USA

73 Eldo convert w/FiTech EFI
80 Eldo Diesel
90 CDV
And other assorted stuff I keep buying for some reason

Guidematic


The Reatta was an interesting car. Certainly not on the same level as the Allante. But interesting nonetheless. And I think it fringes on one of those forgotten cars today.

Mike
1970 Fleetwood Brougham 68169
1985 Eldorado Coupe 6EL57
1988 Eldorado Biarritz 6EL57
1990 Brougham d'Elegance 6DW69
1994 Fleetwood Brougham 6DW69

Walter Youshock

The Allante' was a neat car when new.  My college roommates liked them and I still preferred the Brougham, but the Allante' was on my list as well.  For as different as they were then, I prefer the XLR today.
CLC #11959 (Life)
1957 Coupe deVille
1991 Brougham

Guidematic


Yeah, they were pretty cool then. We looked at them from a differant perspective from what we see them today. They were quite advanced in the electronics dept if nothing else. They were the first cars to use multiplexing, something that is very commonplace today.

Mike
1970 Fleetwood Brougham 68169
1985 Eldorado Coupe 6EL57
1988 Eldorado Biarritz 6EL57
1990 Brougham d'Elegance 6DW69
1994 Fleetwood Brougham 6DW69

D.Yaros

Is the "gas guzzler" tax, applied to purchases of the Allante still in effect today?

Yes the Allante was quite advanced in terms of electronics.  So advanced that there was not room on the instrument panel for separate right & left turn signal indicators on the dashboard!
Dave Yaros
CLC #25195
55 Coupe de Ville
92 Allante
62 Olds  

You will find me on the web @:
http://GDYNets.atwebpages.com  -Dave's Den
http://graylady.atwebpages.com -'55 CDV site
http://www.freewebs.com/jeandaveyaros  -Saved 62 (Oldsmobile) Web Site
The home of Car Collector Chronicles.  A  monthly GDYNets newsletter focusing on classic car collecting.
http://www.scribd.com/D_Yaros/

Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621

Gas guzzler taxes only apply when a vehicle is sold new in the US. I doubt it would've applied to Allante' in any case. The tax did apply to the Brougham/Fleetwoods in the '90s I believe.
A Cadillac Motorcar is a Possession for which there is no Acceptable Substitute

76eldo

There was a gas guzzler tax on 93's when new of $1700.00.

See pic below.  it's the window sticker from my 93.

Brian
Brian Rachlin
Huntingdon Valley, Pa
I prefer email's not PM's rachlin@comcast.net

1960 62 Series Conv with Factory Tri Power
1970 DeVille Conv
1970 Eldo
1970 Caribu (?) "The Cadmino"
1973 Eldorado Conv Pace Car
1976 Eldorado Conv
1980 Eldorado H & E Conv
1993 Allante with Hardtop (X2)
2008 DTS
2012 CTS Coupe
2017 XT
1956 Thunderbird
1966 Olds Toronado

Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621

#36
A Cadillac Motorcar is a Possession for which there is no Acceptable Substitute

76eldo

It may have had to also do with the price of the car.
Brian Rachlin
Huntingdon Valley, Pa
I prefer email's not PM's rachlin@comcast.net

1960 62 Series Conv with Factory Tri Power
1970 DeVille Conv
1970 Eldo
1970 Caribu (?) "The Cadmino"
1973 Eldorado Conv Pace Car
1976 Eldorado Conv
1980 Eldorado H & E Conv
1993 Allante with Hardtop (X2)
2008 DTS
2012 CTS Coupe
2017 XT
1956 Thunderbird
1966 Olds Toronado

Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621

#38
That would be the luxury tax which is a seperate bill. At any rate, a Brougham cost considerably less than Allante' which was assessed the guzzler tax in the '90s. My guess is that the 1993's Allante's MPG rating dipped just below the threshold of what the government deemed a "guzzler". Possible performance enhancing mechanicals exclusive to the model? The '93 Allante' might be the only Northstar car to have been so penalized.

By way of interest, all trucks were exempt from the gas guzzler tax. Large SUVs, (ie: Suburban, Tahoe, Expedition etc) were also classified as "trucks" exempting them from the "guzzler" tax as well.
A Cadillac Motorcar is a Possession for which there is no Acceptable Substitute

D.Yaros

Quote from: ericdev on November 30, 2012, 09:35:49 AM
Gas guzzler taxes only apply when a vehicle is sold new in the US. I doubt it would've applied to Allante' in any case. The tax did apply to the Brougham/Fleetwoods in the '90s I believe.
It certainly did apply to Allantes sold new.
Dave Yaros
CLC #25195
55 Coupe de Ville
92 Allante
62 Olds  

You will find me on the web @:
http://GDYNets.atwebpages.com  -Dave's Den
http://graylady.atwebpages.com -'55 CDV site
http://www.freewebs.com/jeandaveyaros  -Saved 62 (Oldsmobile) Web Site
The home of Car Collector Chronicles.  A  monthly GDYNets newsletter focusing on classic car collecting.
http://www.scribd.com/D_Yaros/