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Will Cadillac loyalists who refused to spend $25,000 on a car that seats six in 1986 be willing to part with $50,000 for one that seats only two in 1987?

Will those with $50,000 to spend gamble and switch to the Cadillac Allante that`s all new for `87 or stay with the familiar Mercedes-Benz 560SL at $53,000?

Allante is Cadillac`s attempt to enter the ultra luxury segment of a market that has been the exclusive domain of European imports.

To set the tone for the car, Cadillac held a black-tie dinner for the auto media here before unveiling its 1987 product line, the first time most had gotten an invite without “BYO“ at the end. But as a concession to the fact most writers won`t be Allante customers, Cadillac held the affair in the assembly plant.

Cadillac is trying to crack the $50,000 market when consumers aren`t making much of a dent in its $20,000 to $30,000 models. Before 2.9 percent financing, for example, the Cadillac Seville had more than a 200-day supply of cars in dealer stocks.

Allante is a two-seat, front-wheel-drive roadster with convertible soft top (with glass rear window) and removable aluminum hardtop; so you can opt for any type of driving.

The body was designed by Pininfarina of Italy, the Turin-based coach builder that did the body for the Ferrari Testarossa and last designed a body for Cadillac when it did the V-16 dual cowl Phaeton in 1932.

James McDonald, General Motors Corp. president, said there won`t be any Allante offshoots, but he didn`t rule out other Pininfarina cars.

Allante is a mutual effort. Pininfarina builds the bodies and completes the interiors and then the so-called “buck“ is passed 3,300 miles to Detroit. It is assembled with the power train and suspension at GM`s Hamtramck plant on the outskirts of Detroit.

Allante is built on a 99.4-inch wheelbase and is 178.6 inches long overall, which compares with a 101-inch wheelbase and 177.8-inch subcompact Caddy Cimarron. Power comes from Cadillac`s 4.1-liter V-8 teamed with 4-speed automatic.

It`s available in only four colors–white, silver, maroon and gold–and two interior options–burgundy or natural saddle leather upholstery–with a cellular phone.

For $50,000, you expect and get all the power goodies and creature comforts, four-wheel antilock brakes, air conditioning, power steering, 10-way adjustable power seats, leather wrapped tilt and telescoping steering wheel and a Delco-Bose AM/FM sound system.

Also of note, the body is made of double galvanized metal for rust prevention, the tank holds 22 gallons of fuel and there`s independent front and rear suspension. Allante sits on special Goodyear Eagle VL tires, the only car to offer them. The VLs are an upgrade of the Eagle GTs and are exclusive to Allante for at least one year.

After leaving the assembly line, each car is taken on a test track outside the plant here for 25 miles of evaluating: Acceleration, braking, handling, ride and quiet. The technician on board is responsible for making adjustments before the car is approved for shipment.

Cadillac will produce only 7,500 a year and it`s not saying when the car will appear, other than “early in the `87 model year,“ with November the current speculation.

Here`s a rundown on Cadillac`s other offerings for 1987:

In response to Cadillac owners who can`t tolerate downsizing, the front- wheel-drive Fleetwood adds a Sixty Special four-door sedan with a 115.8- inch wheelbase, 5 inches longer than other Fleetwoods. The added length provides more rear-seat room. Only 2,000 Sixty Specials are schedule for initial production. The car also will offer four-wheel antilock brakes as standard. It will be powered by Cadillac`s 4.1-liter V-8 with 4-speed automatic. The Sixty Special name hasn`t been used at Cadillac since 1972.

The front-wheel-drive Deville and Fleetwood also are longer, by 1.5 inches, but the length comes from new bumper extensions and tail lamps, not more interior room. The rear-wheel-drive Brougham sedan is back, and it looks like it may be around through 1990.

The optional 2.8-liter V-6 in the subcompact Cimarron boasts 5 more horsepower, to 125. The new 5-speed manual developed with Getrag of West Germany also is an option.

We previously reported (Autos/Aug. 24), sources said that Cadillac plans to offer Allante owners a 24-hour hot line to call if stranded and needing roadside service, similar to a program offered by Mercedes-Benz; that Allante owners would be offered a loaner when the car is in for service; that power train warranties will be extended to five years from four years and anticorrosion warranties will be increased to five years or 100,000 miles from three years/36,000 miles. Cadillac wouldn`t comment on those items or on reports that it plans to add an Eldorado convertible at midyear. It would say only that it is “talking about“ a convertible.

American Motors Corp. boasts that its new GTA performance version of the Alliance economy car is a pocket rocket, that the fuel injected 2-liter 4- cylinder engine teamed strictly with 5-speed propels the GTA like a bullet –zero-to-60 in 9.9 seconds–and will eat a VW GTI for lunch.

It doesn`t lack for pep. In traveling from Detroit to Chicago, we found ourselves having to merge onto the busy Int. Hwy. 94 with the semis in high gear. On one occassion, a semi moved out of the merge lane to allow the GTA to enter traffic only to find the GTA was gaining ground and the truck moved back into the far right lane.

The truck was just getting up to speed after leaving a weigh station, but the episode was memorable.

The GTA is neither rocket nor missile, but when you get behind the wheel you realize AMC did a pretty good job of transforming the stodgy Alliance economy sedan into a quick and lively sporty subcompact. Color-keyed ground- effects lower body sides, front-air dam and rear spoiler do a good job of camouflaging the Alliance economy car heritage underneath the plastic cosmetics.

But sports model, no. It gets you to cruising without wasting much time, but once up to cruising it gets a bit rough at times. The GTA features a performance suspension (gas-valved struts and firm springs up front, stabilizer bar in the rear) and 15-inch Michelin Sport XGT tires on aluminum wheels. The sports suspension did an admirable job holding the road in corners and turns, but when confronting bumps, the stiffness was teeth-jarring. The 5- speed is smooth, but there`s a bit too much play in the lever.

The GTA comes in two-door sedan and convertible versions. We drove the convertible. Standard equipment includes halogen headlamps, power brakes and steering, tuned exhaust, tachometer, trip odometer and AM radio. Base price of the convertible is $12,899, th e sedan $8,999.

The GTA is to the Alliance as the GT is to the subcompact Ford Escort, a car sporting good looks and better than average performance.

One irritant was the seat belt, which didn`t want to pull out very far from its retractor before locking. It meant a too snug fit that left little room to maneuver while driving. It is hoped that this problem was with only the car we drove.

Two big problems, however. AMC may have waited too long to put the sports cosmetics on the Alliance. There`s a variety of competition, starting with the Escort GT, which has the advantage of being sold at Ford dealerships. Ford outlets attract far more shoppers than AMC dealerships because Ford offers a full line of all size cars and AMC sells only small cars.

More important, the 2-liter engine is an orphan, offered only in the GTA and meaning low volume and the potential for problems in getting parts. Alliance is scheduled to be built through 1989. After tha , the fate of Alliance, and the GTA, is just a guess.