Vehicle Description
This LaSalle is a 4 door sedan and produced as a sub model of the
Cadillac brand. Although the platforms were similar, the LaSalle
sported a lower and wider overall stance than the Cadillacs. This
example is powered by it's original 322c.i. flathead V8 engine
mated to a 3 speed manual gear box. Dressed in a rose grey paint
color featuring a grey / tan interior trim. This vehicle runs well
and would be a perfect candidate for entry into the classic car
collecting market. LaSalle was an American brand of luxury
automobiles manufactured and marketed, as a separate brand, by
General Motors' Cadillac division from 1927 through 1940. Alfred P.
Sloan, GM's Chairman of the Board, developed the concept for four
new GM marques - LaSalle, Marquette, Viking and Pontiac - paired
with already established brands to fill price gaps he perceived in
the General Motors product portfolio. Sloan created LaSalle as a
companion marque for Cadillac. LaSalle automobiles were
manufactured by Cadillac, but were priced lower than
Cadillac-branded automobiles, were shorter, and were marketed as
the second-most prestigious marque in the General Motors portfolio.
LaSalle's were titled as LaSalle's, and not as Cadillacs. Like
Cadillac - named after Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac - the LaSalle
brand name was based on that of another French explorer,
René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle. In its final years, the
LaSalle Series 39-50 was once again more Cadillac-like in its
appearance and details and was essentially identical to the
Cadillac Series 61. The narrow radiator grille opening was retained
and was flanked by additional side grille work which aided in heat
dissipation from the engine. Headlights, which had moved down and
been secured to the body between the grille and the fender, were
again attached to the radiator shell. LaSalle also added a sunroof,
marketed as the Sunshine Turret Top. Sales climbed from 15,501 in
1938 to 23,028 in 1939. The final 1940 LaSalle's were introduced in
October 1939 with a full array of semi-custom body styles, as it
had in its first year, including a convertible sedan. Earl oversaw
this redesign. The LaSalle emerged with a smooth-flowing design;
its thin radiator flanked by a series of thin chrome slots. In its
final year, sales of the LaSalle reached the second-highest level
ever at 24,133. In addition to the Series 40-50, there was also the
lower, wider Series 40-52 Special using General Motors' new
Torpedo-style body
