What could very well be Canada’s oldest new model for sale right now, an unused and unregistered 1993 Cadillac Allante, has been discovered in pristine condition at a GM dealership in Barrie, Ontario.

Granted, the Allante was far from Cadillac’s finest moment, but it wasn’t one of its worst either. So, how did the Pininfarina-designed and –built roadster end up staying on a showroom floor for nearly a quarter of a century?

Well, it’s one of those things that just happens, according to Canada’s Autotrader where the car is listed for sale at CA$77,743 (equal to US$59,500 at today’s rates), and which spoke to a salesman from the GM dealer, Paul Sadlon Motors:

“Apparently, the owner got a few offers for the vehicle when it was new, but wasn’t happy with them. That means that people come look at it. And when they do, hopefully, they’ll take a look at the other cars on the lot. After a few years, you’ve got the only brand new one left, and that’s not only cool but valuable. A chat with some of the dealership employees revealed that the owner is a big fan of some unusual cars, and is attached to this Cadillac, so maybe doesn’t really want to part with it.”

And with such a high asking price, it doesn’t look like the dealer really wants to sell the Allante – more like to create some buzz than anything else. A quick look on eBay supports that theory, as the most expensive Allante sold was a 1992 model with 15,500 miles for US$10,725. True, an unregistered car with only a few miles on the odo can command more money, but not six times more.

The Allante, which was Cadillac’s fruitless attempt at going after the established Mercedes-Benz SL, is not what you’d call a collector’s car in demand. Not by a long shot, and that’s reflected in current asking prices, despite the fact that only around 21,000 units were made.

Presented in 1986, the two-seater was designed and manufactured in Italy by Pininfarina to add some European cachet, with the completed bodies transferred by air to GM’s Detroit plant where they placed on top of a shortened version of the front wheel drive Eldorado’s chassis. Early models came with an underwhelming 170hp 4.1-liter V8 that was replaced by a stronger 200hp 4.2L V8 in 1989 and a 295hp 4.6L Northstar V8 in 1993. All engines were paired exclusively to a 4-speed automatic.

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