A Passion for Italian Bodies

Detroit automakers go to Europe to shop for style and mystique

The sleek convertible that General Motors is formally unveiling in Detroit this week looks a bit out of place wearing the ornate Cadillac nameplate. The car has no fins, no bulk, virtually no chrome, not even a backseat. In fact, the new Allante (price: about $50,000) looks more like a sports car than the kind of Cadillac young, wealthy car buyers can remember their grandparents driving. But that is precisely what its creators at GM had hoped. Determined to shed the stodgy image that has caused the company to lose so many upscale U.S. buyers to Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar and other imported...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!