Vehicle Description
The brainchild of legendary General Motors President Alfred P.
Sloan, the LaSalle was assigned to fill the gap between the
flagship Cadillac and lower-priced Buick, but its effect on the
automotive industry reverberated through its first decade as the
first car designed not by an engineer, but by a stylist, in this
case another automotive legend, Harley J. Earl. Just eight years
after the first Earl-designed LaSalle's 1927 introduction, however,
sales had decreased to the point that GM's Executive Committee
voted to replace LaSalle's position in the GM ladder with a
"Junior" Cadillac, but a last-minute presentation by Earl of a new,
bolder design earned a reprieve.
Styled under Earl's auspices by GM Staff Designer Jules Agramonte,
the 1934 LaSalle Eight was a stunning departure from the norm that
Agramonte, subsequently appointed head of the LaSalle section,
skillfully guided through an evolutionary process into the 1940
Series 52 Special model line, comprising four body styles. This was
the marque's swansong, but it was also a high point in LaSalle's
14-year history, most notably in the form of this lovely
"torpedo-bodied" 1940 LaSalle Series 52 Special Convertible Coupe
from the Don Williams Estate Collection.
In signature Earl fashion, the Series 52 featured clean, gently
rounded lines, spacious interiors and larger windows. The LaSalle's
trademark narrow grille remained a styling triumph, beautifully
flanked by vertical accents in the lower "catwalk" areas, but while
bullet headlights were still featured on Cadillacs, the 52
Special's sealed-beam units were smoothly integrated into the front
fenders. Mechanically, the Series 52 Special continued with the
Cadillac/Oldsmobile-derived 322/130 HP L-head V-8 engine with
Carter 2-barrel carburetion, a 3-speed manual transmission and
4-wheel hydraulic brakes.