LaSalle
Encyclopedia
The LaSalle was an automobile product of General Motors Corporation
and sold as a companion marque
of Cadillac
from 1927 to 1940. The two were linked by similarly themed names, both being named for French explorers — Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac
and René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle
, respectively.
, noticed that his carefully crafted market segmentation program was beginning to develop price gaps in which General Motors had no product to sell.
As originally developed by Sloan, General Motors' market segmentation placed each of the company's individual automobile makes into specific price points. The Chevrolet
was designated as the entry level product. Next, (in ascending order), came the Oakland, Oldsmobile
, Buick
, and ultimately, the Cadillac. However, during the robust 1920s, certain General Motors products began to shift out of the plan as the products improved and engine advances were made.
In an era where automotive brands were somewhat restricted to building a specific car per model year, Sloan surmised that the best way to bridge the gaps was to develop "companion" marques that could be sold through the current sales network.
Under the plan, the gap between the Chevrolet and the Oakland would be filled by a new marque named Pontiac
, a quality six-cylinder car designed to sell for the price of a four-cylinder. The wide gap between Oldsmobile and Buick would be filled by two companion marques: Oldsmobile was assigned the up-market V8 engine
, Viking and Buick was assigned the more compact six-cylinder Marquette. Cadillac, which had seen its base prices soar in the heady 1920s, was assigned the LaSalle as a companion car to fill the gap that existed between it and Buick.
, would launch a thirty-year career as General Motors' Vice President of the newly created Art & Color Studios, that still guide General Motors' designs to this day. Built in General Motors of Canada after Cadillac in 1923 to 1935 and Olds 1920 to 1969 LaSalle was built here from 1927 to 1935.
Prior to the LaSalle, automobiles essentially followed a set pattern, with design changes set by engineering needs. The Ford Model T
evolved over its extended run, but ever so slightly, making a 1927 Model T almost identical to a 1910 Model T.
Harley Earl, who had been hired by the Cadillac General Manager, Lawrence P. Fisher, conceived the LaSalle not as a junior Cadillac, but as something more agile and stylish. Influenced by the rakish Hispano-Suiza
roadsters of the time, Earl's LaSalle emerged as a smaller, yet elegant counterpoint to Cadillac's larger cars, unlike anything else built by an American automotive manufacturer.
The LaSalle was offered in a full-range of body styles, including Fisher
and Fleetwood Metal Body
-built custom designs. The roadster could also be ordered in two-tone color combinations, at a time when dark colors like black and navy blue were still the most familiar colors produced by manufacturers. Earl's design even included a nod to the inspirational Hispano-Suiza
, with the marque's circled trademark "LaS" cast into the horizontal tie bar between the front lights.
Wheelbases ranged between 128 in (3,251 mm) and 134 in (3,404 mm). The LaSalles of this era were equipped with Cadillac's "Ninety Degree V-8", making the car fast, while its smaller size made it sportier and more agile.
On June 20, 1927, a LaSalle driven by Willard Rader, along with Gus Bell, on the track at the Milford Proving Grounds, achieved 952 miles (1,532.1 km), averaging 95.2 mi/h, with only seven minutes given over to refueling and tire changes. In comparison, the average speed at that year's Indianapolis 500
was 97.5 mi/h. The test at Milford would have continued; however, a problem in the oil system drew the test to an early close, approaching the 9:45 mark.
Later, the Great Depression
, combined with LaSalle's stalling sales' numbers, caused Cadillac to rethink its companion make. Both Buick and Oldsmobile had eliminated the Marquette and the Viking in 1930, their second model year. Cadillac also Built by General Motors of Canada Olds from 1920 to 1969, Cadillac from 1923 to 1935 and LaSalle 1927 to 1935, saw sales of its cars losing ground, as confirmed Cadillac buyers tried to trim pennies by buying the less expensive LaSalle. LaSalle sales also were falling, from a high of 22,691 models in 1929 to a low of 3,290 in 1932.
Beginning with the 1934 model year, a significant portion of the LaSalle was more closely related to the Oldsmobile, than to senior Cadillac
s. Again, Earl's work with the LaSalle resulted in a graceful vehicle, led by an elegant and thin radiator grille. Earl's other contribution was the modern, airplane-styled, semi-shielded portholes along the side of the hood. All bodies were now made by Fleetwood Metal Body
.
This new LaSalle was now priced $1,000 less than the least expensive Cadillac, its mission was not to fill a price gap, but to keep the luxury car division out of the red. Sales rebounded and almost doubled to 7,218 units for the year. A 1934 LaSalle Model 350 was chosen as the Pace Car for the Indianapolis 500
and a 1937 LaSalle Series 50 convertible also served as an Indy 500 Pace Car.
in its appearance and details. The narrow radiator grille opening was retained and was flanked by additional side grill work. Headlights, which had moved down and been secured to the "cat-walk", were again attached to the radiator shell. One interesting feature, adopted by LaSalle in these years, was a Sunroof
, marketed as the "Sunshine Turret Top". Sales again climbed in 1939 to 23,028.
The final 1940 LaSalles were introduced in October 1939 with, as it had in its first year, a full array of semi-custom body styles, including a convertible sedan. Harley Earl also oversaw this redesign. The LaSalle emerged with a smooth-flowing design, its trademark thin radiator flanked by a series of thin chrome slots, giving it a futuristic look.
cars and proposed new consumer automobiles under the name. 1955 saw two Motorama
concept cars, the LaSalle II four-door hardtop and the LaSalle II roadster. Sent to the crusher, both the four-door hardtop and the roadster were instead hidden in a corner of the Warhoops Salvage Yard and were acquired, circa 1990, by Joe Bortz, a Chicago
area nightclub owner interested in restoring General Motors' Motorama
cars.
In the early 1960s, General Motors' vice president Bill Mitchell floated the idea that, if Cadillac decided to go forward with a personal luxury coupe currently being designed, it could be marketed as the LaSalle. Cadillac passed on the design and, instead, it was given to Buick and emerged as the Buick Riviera
. (The 1967 Eldorado
was Cadillac's entry into the personal luxury coupe market.) Again, in the 1970s when Cadillac was developing a new small luxury sedan, the LaSalle name was raised, but was passed over in favor of Cadillac Seville
.
. In the song Those Were the Days, Archie and Edith Bunker lament a simpler time, with the song's closing line "Gee, our old LaSalle ran great. Those were the days." After the first season, the song was re-recorded with the syllables in this line clearly enunciated, after viewers complained they could not understand the words.
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
and sold as a companion marque
General Motors Companion Make Program
General Motors pioneered the idea that consumers would aspire to buy up an automotive product ladder if a company met certain price points. As General Motors entered the 1920s, the product ladder started with the price leading Chevrolet marque, and then progressed upward in price, power and...
of Cadillac
Cadillac
Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
from 1927 to 1940. The two were linked by similarly themed names, both being named for French explorers — Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac
Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac
Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac was a French explorer and adventurer in New France, now an area of North America stretching from Eastern Canada in the north to Louisiana in the south. Rising from a modest beginning in Acadia in 1683 as an explorer, trapper, and a trader of alcohol...
and René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle
René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle
René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, or Robert de LaSalle was a French explorer. He explored the Great Lakes region of the United States and Canada, the Mississippi River, and the Gulf of Mexico...
, respectively.
General Motors Companion Make Program
The La Salle had its beginnings when General Motors' CEO, Alfred P. SloanAlfred P. Sloan
Alfred Pritchard Sloan, Jr. was an American business executive in the automotive industry. He was a long-time president, chairman, and CEO of General Motors Corporation...
, noticed that his carefully crafted market segmentation program was beginning to develop price gaps in which General Motors had no product to sell.
As originally developed by Sloan, General Motors' market segmentation placed each of the company's individual automobile makes into specific price points. The Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
was designated as the entry level product. Next, (in ascending order), came the Oakland, Oldsmobile
Oldsmobile
Oldsmobile was a brand of American automobile produced for most of its existence by General Motors. It was founded by Ransom E. Olds in 1897. In its 107-year history, it produced 35.2 million cars, including at least 14 million built at its Lansing, Michigan factory...
, Buick
Buick
Buick is a premium brand of General Motors . Buick models are sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Taiwan, and Israel, with China being its largest market. Buick holds the distinction as the oldest active American make...
, and ultimately, the Cadillac. However, during the robust 1920s, certain General Motors products began to shift out of the plan as the products improved and engine advances were made.
In an era where automotive brands were somewhat restricted to building a specific car per model year, Sloan surmised that the best way to bridge the gaps was to develop "companion" marques that could be sold through the current sales network.
Under the plan, the gap between the Chevrolet and the Oakland would be filled by a new marque named Pontiac
Pontiac
Pontiac was an automobile brand that was established in 1926 as a companion make for General Motors' Oakland. Quickly overtaking its parent in popularity, it supplanted the Oakland brand entirely by 1933 and, for most of its life, became a companion make for Chevrolet. Pontiac was sold in the...
, a quality six-cylinder car designed to sell for the price of a four-cylinder. The wide gap between Oldsmobile and Buick would be filled by two companion marques: Oldsmobile was assigned the up-market V8 engine
V8 engine
A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft....
, Viking and Buick was assigned the more compact six-cylinder Marquette. Cadillac, which had seen its base prices soar in the heady 1920s, was assigned the LaSalle as a companion car to fill the gap that existed between it and Buick.
The Art and Color of Harley Earl
What emerged as the LaSalle in 1927 is widely regarded as the beginning of modern American automotive styling. Its designer, Harley EarlHarley Earl
Harley J. Earl was first Vice President of Design at General Motors. He was an industrial designer and a pioneer of modern transportation design. A coachbuilder by trade, Earl pioneered the use of freeform sketching and hand sculpted clay models as design techniques...
, would launch a thirty-year career as General Motors' Vice President of the newly created Art & Color Studios, that still guide General Motors' designs to this day. Built in General Motors of Canada after Cadillac in 1923 to 1935 and Olds 1920 to 1969 LaSalle was built here from 1927 to 1935.
Prior to the LaSalle, automobiles essentially followed a set pattern, with design changes set by engineering needs. The Ford Model T
Ford Model T
The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Henry Ford's Ford Motor Company from September 1908 to May 1927...
evolved over its extended run, but ever so slightly, making a 1927 Model T almost identical to a 1910 Model T.
Harley Earl, who had been hired by the Cadillac General Manager, Lawrence P. Fisher, conceived the LaSalle not as a junior Cadillac, but as something more agile and stylish. Influenced by the rakish Hispano-Suiza
Hispano-Suiza
Hispano-Suiza was a Spanish automotive and engineering firm, best known for its luxury cars and aviation engines in the pre-World War II period of the twentieth century. In 1923, its French subsidiary became a semi-autonomous partnership with the parent company and is now part of the French SAFRAN...
roadsters of the time, Earl's LaSalle emerged as a smaller, yet elegant counterpoint to Cadillac's larger cars, unlike anything else built by an American automotive manufacturer.
1927-1933
Built by Cadillac to its high standards, the LaSalle soon emerged as a trend-setting automobile. Earl was then placed in charge of overseeing the design of all of General Motors' vehicles.The LaSalle was offered in a full-range of body styles, including Fisher
Fisher Body
Fisher Body is an automobile coachbuilder founded by the Fisher brothers in 1908 in Detroit, Michigan; it is now an operating division of General Motors Company...
and Fleetwood Metal Body
Fleetwood Metal Body
Fleetwood Metal Body was an automobile coachbuilder. The name derives from Fleetwood, Pennsylvania, home of the company at the start, and lived on for decades in the form of the Cadillac Fleetwood and various Fleetwood trim lines on Cadillac cars....
-built custom designs. The roadster could also be ordered in two-tone color combinations, at a time when dark colors like black and navy blue were still the most familiar colors produced by manufacturers. Earl's design even included a nod to the inspirational Hispano-Suiza
Hispano-Suiza
Hispano-Suiza was a Spanish automotive and engineering firm, best known for its luxury cars and aviation engines in the pre-World War II period of the twentieth century. In 1923, its French subsidiary became a semi-autonomous partnership with the parent company and is now part of the French SAFRAN...
, with the marque's circled trademark "LaS" cast into the horizontal tie bar between the front lights.
Wheelbases ranged between 128 in (3,251 mm) and 134 in (3,404 mm). The LaSalles of this era were equipped with Cadillac's "Ninety Degree V-8", making the car fast, while its smaller size made it sportier and more agile.
On June 20, 1927, a LaSalle driven by Willard Rader, along with Gus Bell, on the track at the Milford Proving Grounds, achieved 952 miles (1,532.1 km), averaging 95.2 mi/h, with only seven minutes given over to refueling and tire changes. In comparison, the average speed at that year's Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
was 97.5 mi/h. The test at Milford would have continued; however, a problem in the oil system drew the test to an early close, approaching the 9:45 mark.
Later, the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, combined with LaSalle's stalling sales' numbers, caused Cadillac to rethink its companion make. Both Buick and Oldsmobile had eliminated the Marquette and the Viking in 1930, their second model year. Cadillac also Built by General Motors of Canada Olds from 1920 to 1969, Cadillac from 1923 to 1935 and LaSalle 1927 to 1935, saw sales of its cars losing ground, as confirmed Cadillac buyers tried to trim pennies by buying the less expensive LaSalle. LaSalle sales also were falling, from a high of 22,691 models in 1929 to a low of 3,290 in 1932.
- Indented line
1934-1938
Cadillac
Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
s. Again, Earl's work with the LaSalle resulted in a graceful vehicle, led by an elegant and thin radiator grille. Earl's other contribution was the modern, airplane-styled, semi-shielded portholes along the side of the hood. All bodies were now made by Fleetwood Metal Body
Fleetwood Metal Body
Fleetwood Metal Body was an automobile coachbuilder. The name derives from Fleetwood, Pennsylvania, home of the company at the start, and lived on for decades in the form of the Cadillac Fleetwood and various Fleetwood trim lines on Cadillac cars....
.
This new LaSalle was now priced $1,000 less than the least expensive Cadillac, its mission was not to fill a price gap, but to keep the luxury car division out of the red. Sales rebounded and almost doubled to 7,218 units for the year. A 1934 LaSalle Model 350 was chosen as the Pace Car for the Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
and a 1937 LaSalle Series 50 convertible also served as an Indy 500 Pace Car.
1939-1940
In its final years, the LaSalle once again became more Cadillac-likeCadillac
Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
in its appearance and details. The narrow radiator grille opening was retained and was flanked by additional side grill work. Headlights, which had moved down and been secured to the "cat-walk", were again attached to the radiator shell. One interesting feature, adopted by LaSalle in these years, was a Sunroof
Sunroof
An automotive sunroof is a fixed or operable opening in an automobile roof which allows light and/or fresh air to enter the passenger compartment. Sunroofs may be manually operated or motor driven, and are available in many shapes, sizes and styles...
, marketed as the "Sunshine Turret Top". Sales again climbed in 1939 to 23,028.
The final 1940 LaSalles were introduced in October 1939 with, as it had in its first year, a full array of semi-custom body styles, including a convertible sedan. Harley Earl also oversaw this redesign. The LaSalle emerged with a smooth-flowing design, its trademark thin radiator flanked by a series of thin chrome slots, giving it a futuristic look.
1941
A 1941 LaSalle was planned and reached the design phase, before General Motors ended the product line. In its place, Cadillac fielded the "Series 61", which made the prestigious Cadillac name attainable to a larger group of customers. In its first year, the "61" enjoyed a production of over 29,000 units, almost three times that of LaSalle's 1940 production.LaSalle hopefuls
There was great nostalgia for the LaSalle name, and at various points in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, General Motors issued MotoramaMotorama
The General Motors Motorama was an auto show staged by GM from 1949 to 1961. These automobile extravaganzas were designed to whet public appetite and boost automobile sales with displays of fancy prototypes, concept vehicles and other special or halo models. Motorama grew out of Alfred P. Sloan's...
cars and proposed new consumer automobiles under the name. 1955 saw two Motorama
Motorama
The General Motors Motorama was an auto show staged by GM from 1949 to 1961. These automobile extravaganzas were designed to whet public appetite and boost automobile sales with displays of fancy prototypes, concept vehicles and other special or halo models. Motorama grew out of Alfred P. Sloan's...
concept cars, the LaSalle II four-door hardtop and the LaSalle II roadster. Sent to the crusher, both the four-door hardtop and the roadster were instead hidden in a corner of the Warhoops Salvage Yard and were acquired, circa 1990, by Joe Bortz, a Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
area nightclub owner interested in restoring General Motors' Motorama
Motorama
The General Motors Motorama was an auto show staged by GM from 1949 to 1961. These automobile extravaganzas were designed to whet public appetite and boost automobile sales with displays of fancy prototypes, concept vehicles and other special or halo models. Motorama grew out of Alfred P. Sloan's...
cars.
In the early 1960s, General Motors' vice president Bill Mitchell floated the idea that, if Cadillac decided to go forward with a personal luxury coupe currently being designed, it could be marketed as the LaSalle. Cadillac passed on the design and, instead, it was given to Buick and emerged as the Buick Riviera
Buick Riviera
The Riviera by Buick is an automobile produced by Buick in the United States from the 1963 to 1999 model years, with 1,127,261 produced.A full-size coupé or personal luxury car, the early models of the Riviera in particular have been highly praised by automotive journalists and writers.A common...
. (The 1967 Eldorado
Cadillac Eldorado
The 1953 Eldorado was a special-bodied, low-production convertible . It was the production version of the 1952 El Dorado "Golden Anniversary" concept car, and borrowed bumper bullets from the 1951 GM Le Sabre show car...
was Cadillac's entry into the personal luxury coupe market.) Again, in the 1970s when Cadillac was developing a new small luxury sedan, the LaSalle name was raised, but was passed over in favor of Cadillac Seville
Cadillac Seville
The Cadillac Seville is a luxury-type car that was manufactured by the Cadillac division of American automaker General Motors from 1975 to 2004, as a smaller-sized top-of-the-line Cadillac...
.
All In The Family
The LaSalle was honored in the opening theme song to the popular 1971-79 television show All In The FamilyAll in the Family
All in the Family is an American sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS television network from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. In September 1979, a new show, Archie Bunker's Place, picked up where All in the Family had ended...
. In the song Those Were the Days, Archie and Edith Bunker lament a simpler time, with the song's closing line "Gee, our old LaSalle ran great. Those were the days." After the first season, the song was re-recorded with the syllables in this line clearly enunciated, after viewers complained they could not understand the words.