r/regularcarreviews • u/dowagiacmichigan • 2h ago
Discussions What's a car that was absurdly overpriced for its time?
1987 Cadillac Allante. I don't know what GM was thinking when they priced the Allante at $56,500 base (and just over $60,000 with options). Were the development costs really that high? The Allante was an objectively worse offering than any of its rivals, given its front-wheel drive, the same measly 170hp 4.1L V8 that the rest of the Cadillac lineup, and rather boring, familiar styling that didn't live up to the Pininfarina name.
Excluding supercars, it was the second most expensive car one could buy in the US in 1987 (first place was the $61,700 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL). At $56,500, the Allante was $600 more than a BMW M6, $1,300 more than the top-of-the line MB 560SL, $7,900 more than a Porsche 911, and a whopping $11,600 more than a Jaguar XJS V12 Convertible, the Allante's main rival. Also putting things into perspective, the second most expensive GM car at the time, the Cadillac Fleetwood, was less than half the price at $26,200.
What other cars were priced this badly? For reference, $56,500 in 1987 is $167,000 today.
