The last 1940 model was arguably the best-styled LaSalle of all. Shown here;
The Series 52 Special sedan.
LaSalle was the most romantic and longest-lived of the several General Motors “companion” makes that appeared in the late Twenties. The 1940 models were the last of the line, and they were arguably the best. In retrospect, Cadillac was correct to drop its “junior edition” when it did. But it’s a tribute to this marque’s enduring aura of class, style, and distinction that the division has occasionally flirted with the idea of a new LaSalle over the past 75 years-as recently as the early Seventies, in fact.
Along with Buick’s Marquette, Oakland’s Pontiac, and Oldsmobile’s Viking, the LaSalle was born out of GM president Alfred Sloan’s desire to offer “a car for every price and pocketbook.” Its mission was to fill the price gap Sloan had detected between Buick and Cadillac, and it amply accomplished that in its early years. Introduced in 1927, it accounted for fully 25 percent of total division sales and by 1929 it was outselling Cadillac 11 to 9. LaSalle immediately established itself as a style leader thanks to the efforts of young Harley Earl, whom Sloan had hired specifically for this project. It was the 1927 model that launched him on an illustrious 3O-year career as Detroit’s dean of design.
Throughout the Thirties, LaSalle provided the sales volume that helped Cadillac survive in the decimated Depression market. Though total division output rarely exceeded Packard’s, LaSalle’s share was often substantial and sometimes crucial. But GM managers wanted much more, so LaSalle was transformed from a less expensive luxury product into an upper-medium-price entry for 1934, with less distinguished coachwork and an Oldsmobile L-head straight eight in place of the previous Cadillac built V -8. The formula changed again for 1937, as LaSalle adopted the 322-cubic-inch V -8 from the 1936 Cadillac Series 60 while continuing with the corporate B-body, by then boasting all-steel “Turret Top” construction. Production set a new record, only to fall by half the next year due to the 1938 recession. Sales again proved disappointing for 1939, which brought all-new styling, more glass area, a shorter wheelbase, an optional metal sunroof for sedans, and slightly lower prices.
The problem was obvious. By 1940 the LaSalle had been all but squeezed out of its once well-defined market niche by the costlier Buicks and the lesser Cadillacs, both of which it had come to resemble closely. An improving national economy and Cadillac’s decision to concentrate solely on the luxury field also hastened the junior make’s demise.
But LaSalle was never better than it was in 1940. The V-8 tacked on five horsepower for a total of 130, and interiors were more spacious thanks to a three-inch wheelbase stretch (to 123 inches). The smooth, clean styling was marked by sealed-beam headlamps artfully integrated into the front fenders and striking “catwalk” openings either side of the LaSalle grille, which had always been narrower and more delicate than Cadillac’s. There were now two distinct series for the first time. The plusher 52 Special offered four-door sedan, two-door coupe, and convertible coupe and sedan. The base Series 50 added a two-door sedan to these styles. Prices ranged from $1240 for the Series 50 coupe to $1895 for the 52 Special four door convertible, of which only 75 were produced.
LaSalle contributed 24,130 units to Cadillac’s overall 1940 volume of about 37,000, but that wasn’t enough to prolong its life. Though the division went as far as a full-scale mock-up for a ’41 LaSalle, the make was superseded by the new low-price Cadillac Series 61, which sold well, largely by dint of its more prestigious nameplate.
LaSalle lasted only 15 years, but it’s never been forgotten by old hands at GM. In 1955, Harley Earl’s studio created two design exercises for that year’s Motorama, a two-seat roadster and a hardtop sedan, both called “LaSalle II.” The name cropped up again on early proposals for what became the 1963 Buick Riviera, then a decade later as a suggestion for the compact 1976 Seville sedan. Cadillac may yet revive LaSalle. Until then, we can rejoice in the glorious ’40.
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