1937 LaSalle Series 50 Convertible Sedan

LaSalle was Cadillac's companion car, built from 1927 to 1940. It was typically a smaller car than the Cadillac. LaSalle models were also priced slightly below comparable Cadillac models.

The 1937 LaSalle was very modern in appearance and was also markedly more similar to contemporary Cadillacs than had been its predecessors. In fact, the Series 50 LaSalle now spanned the same 124-inch wheelbase as the lowest-priced Cadillac Series 60 line. A LaSalle Convertible Coupe was selected to pace the 1937 Indianapolis 500 race. It was driven by famed race driver Ralph de Palma. The first LaSalle models used a V8 engine of the same basic design used in the Cadillac. However, LaSalle would be powered by an Oldsmobile-derived L-head straight eight during 1934-1936. Then, in 1937, LaSalle became a V8-powered car equipped with what was essentially a Cadillac V8 with reduced displacement.

This car is one of only 530 4-door Convertible Sedans - a new model for 1937 - built that year. Its original price was $1,485. David Kruddener, the publisher of the Des Moines (Iowa) Register donated this car to the Cadillac & LaSalle Club Museum & Research Center. His father owned Kruddener Cadillac of Des Moines, one of the first dealerships in Iowa.