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, Rene-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