1940 Series 52 LaSalle Coupe. The LaSalle was a junior series car marketed by the Cadillac Division of General Motors from 1927 through 1940. The LaSalle is a very important car in GM history, and was conceived as follows:
In the twenties GM adopted a marketing strategy to provide a car for every pocketbook. For example, the young buyer just starting a career with limited financial means would join the GM family of cars by purchasing a Chevrolet. As his career blossomed, he was able to afford a medium priced car, maybe an Oldsmobile or Buick. Then with the kids graduated from high school or college and financial security was achieved, his reward might be a luxury car; hopefully, GM's Cadillac. The idea was to keep the buyer in the GM family throughout life, gradually moving step by step up the GM ladder of cars. GM execs in the twenties had some rather large gaps or missing "rungs" in that ladder that needed to be filled. For example, an Oldsmobile cost nearly half as much again as a Chevrolet. An even larger gap existed between the top of the line Buick at $1,925, and the lowest priced Cadillac at $3,195. In 1926 the gap between Chevy and Olds was eliminated with the introduction of the Pontiac by the Oakland Division of GM. And in 1927, GM resolved the upper medium price gap with the introduction of the LaSalle at Cadillac. The name "LaSalle" was chosen because the Cadillac had been named for a French explorer, and LaSalle was also the name of a French explorer.
As mentioned earlier, LaSalle was a very important car in GM history. It was designed under contract with GM by a young custom car builder from the west coast by the name of Harley Earl. It was the first "stylist" car to reach mass production. With its dashing good looks and fine performance, and Cadillac quality at a reasonable price, it was enthusiastically received. GM was so impressed that Harley Earl was hired and asked to head up a new in-house design and style department called "the Art & Colour Section",
the first in the industry. Of course this was the beginning of a long and successful relationship between Earl and GM that would last until Earl's retirement 32 years later.
From that time and beyond, GM became known as the unquestioned design and styling leader of the American Automotive Industry, only briefly challenged by Virgil Exner and Chrysler in the mid and late nineteen fifties.
Another important fact about the LaSalle. The LaSalle motor car is probably responsible for Cadillac's survival. During the Great Depression, LaSalle made Cadillac quality more affordable, and at that crucial time, expanded the division's sales base. LaSalle's share was usually substantial and critical, and ultimately sustained Cadillac through those difficult years.
LaSalle throughout its fourteen year lifespan was known as the Industry's styling leader. It was admired as a car of distinction, refinement, and class. Many believe the most beautiful LaSalle was the last. Ken's excellent photograph represents that last year's beautiful Series 52 1940 model coupe. It had a 123 inch wheelbase and an eight cylinder engine developing 130 horsepower. This high fashion automobile bore the trademark tall, slim verticle grille flanked by a series of verticle chrome bars between the grille and fenders, oftened referred to as the "catwalk". The 52 series featured headlamps and parking lamps that were integrated within the fenders.The 52 series had a smoother lower appearance because of the new GM torpedo inspired C-Body. The other 1940 LaSalle series 50 was basically a carryover of the 1939 model and was based on the corporate B-Body used by Buick. Each series had a coupe and sedan, and a convertible coupe and sedan. The series 52 convertible and sedan were not available until mid year and are very rare, with only 75 convertible sedans produced. Overall LaSalle production reached 24,130, the second best single model year total.
Other highlights include LaSalle being named as the pace car for the Indianapolis 500 in 1934. LaSalle's highest production year was 1937 when 32,000 cars were sold. Many at GM had hoped that LaSalle would get a last minute reprieve and a full size clay of the proposed 1941 model was readied. But it was not to be. Later in the early sixties, the GM personal luxury coupe that became the 1963 Riviera was originally slated for the Cadillac Division, and early prototypes carried LaSalle name badges. Then in the early seventies, Cadillac came out with a new smaller car that was initially to revive the LaSalle name; that is, until a GM executive read a magazine article that described LaSalle as "Cadillac's only failure". Once again the name was pulled off the car at the last minute, and the car debuted as the "Seville".
GM should never forget that the stylish LaSalle gave them Harley Earl and Industry Leadership for 40 years and saved Cadillac from extinction during the Great Depression.
Archie and Edith Bunker of "All in the Family"were right when they sang " Gee our old LaSalle ran great.....those were the days!"
