Collector Car Corner/Cars We Remember; General Motors’ popular ‘almost a Cadillac’ LaSalle was Harley Earl’s first solo design

By Greg Zyla —

Q: Greg, I really enjoy your articles when I get to see them in Auto Roundup magazine and online newspapers. I really appreciate it when you touch on television shows that are impacted by a certain car or truck like your “Columbo,” “Superman,” and “Beverly Hillbillies” articles.  

Personally I loved the Archie Bunker “All in the Family” show every week, as the show would start with the song “Those were the days” sung by Archie and Edith. In the song I always wondered about the fine running LaSalle automobile they sung about and wonder if you can give my letter that special nostalgic touch you give in your columns? Thanks very much, Gary L., Lancaster, Pa.   

A: Yes, Gary, I’d be more than happy to oblige. The song’s exact words are “Gee, our old LaSalle ran great”, sung by Archie and Edith (Carol O’Connor and Jean Stapleton). This song that led into the show for nine years resulted in giving the General Motors built Lasalle a new group of nostalgic enthusiasts.

To better explain, the LaSalle was a General Motors division offering that began in 1927 to fit between consumers of Buick and Cadillac, zeroing in on buyers who couldn’t yet afford a Cadillac. The LaSalle was built to make it easier to make the move from Chevrolet to Cadillac in a new six-step move up the GM Ladder. Back then, in 1927, it went from entry Chevrolet to next up Pontiac, then mid-luxury Oldsmobile, splendid Buick, opulent and new LaSalle, and finally arriving at top line luxury Cadillac.

Overall, the LaSalle enjoyed a 14-year run in this “second best” luxury position, and when discontinued in 1941 it took Buick up until 1960 to debut a model with a name close to LaSalle called the Lesabre. Buick also debuted with other new model names in 1960 including Invicta, Electra, and Electra 225.

LaSalle, meanwhile, was a General Motors division vehicle that began in 1927, positioned properly between Buick and Cadillac. LaSalle enjoyed a 14-year run in this luxury position, and when discontinued in 1941 it had served its purpose.  

In addition to its popularity as a television show lead-in song with Archie Bunker, the LaSalle is also remembered for thrusting GM’s “Godfather of Automotive Design” Harley Earl into national prominence.

Specifically, Harley Earl designed the very first LaSalle in 1927 in his first ever-solo effort. Known as Cadillac’s less-expensive choice, the LaSalle was built on a shorter wheelbase than big daddy Cadillac, and its popularity was instant. As for engines, LaSalle utilized the big flathead V-8 engines for most of its run, including Cadillac’s 353-inch V-8 during the depression years. For many years, and according to plan, LaSalle outsold Cadillac, which is the way the Buick-LaSalle-Cadillac pyramid theory was intended to work.

However, when Cadillac sales outnumbered LaSalle in 1931, GM took another look at the brand in how to better the results. By 1934 LaSalle was using Oldsmobile’s inline straight-eight engines and assembled on shorter wheelbases than Cadillac. However, things did not improve and by 1937 LaSalle was back using the Cadillac 60 Series L-head (Flathead style) V-8 engines and stretching the wheelbase. The car was again a hit, and sales moved upward over 32,000 units. 

In 1938, however, sales were down and in its final two years, 1939 and 1940, LaSalle was still a most respected car by consumers, but better sales by Packard and Lincoln spelled its doom. In 1941 LaSalle was dropped, and Cadillac introduced its new “Sixty One” series, which officially replaced the LaSalle division, bringing LaSalle consumers to Cadillac showrooms. 

As for pricing, the entry level LaSalle in 1939 was $1,280 all the way up to the most expensive $1,800 convertible. The Sixty One Series Cadillac was priced at $2,445 in 1941, which explains why Cadillac sales improved. (Auto Round-Up Publication article I did in 2014.) The engines used in the final two LaSalle years were L-head 322-inch V-8s, putting out 130 horsepower.

Wheelbases were 120 inches in 1939 and then 123 inches the final year of 1940. (Note on L-head and flathead engines: These engines find both the intake and exhaust valves inside the engine block and not the cylinder heads.) 

Hope this all helps, and thanks for your question.

In summary, remember that the LaSalle was built at the Cadillac Division, thus the attention to luxury-brand detail only the Cadillac assembly line workers could provide. The LaSalle engines were intentionally “de-tuned” for smoother and quieter performance. Overall, LaSalles were marketed as the second-most prestigious brand in the GM lineup, thus living up to Archie Bunker singing that the Lasalle sure ran well.

Thus, from Harley Earl to Archie Bunker, the grand memories of this many times forgotten General Motors gem of a luxury car are brought back to life by a new generation of nostalgic automotive enthusiasts who want to know what a LaSalle is.  

Hope this all helps, and thanks for your very kind words.   

(Greg Zyla is a syndicated auto columnist who welcomes reader interaction on collector cars, auto nostalgia and motorsports at greg@gregzyla.com, or at 303 Roosevelt St., Sayre, Pa. 18840.)