1934 LaSalle Series 350 Convertible Coupe

In the late 1920s, companion cars were all the rage at General Motors: Buick had Marquette, Oldsmobile offered Viking, Oakland featured Pontiac, and Cadillac offered LaSalle. By 1932, Marquette and Viking were dropped, Oakland too, as it was usurped by its understudy Pontiac. Inside GM, there was talk of dropping LaSalle, which bothered Styling Chief Harley Earl tremendously. LaSalle was, after all, his baby. The struggling early 1930s economy made it a tough go for automobiles, especially upstarts like Lasalle.

Harley Earl's solution was to present the LaSalle as an all-new car for 1934. Styled by Jules Agramonte under the tutelage of Earl, the new look was nothing short of sensational. The 1934 featured unique one-year-only bi-plane bumpers, though the streamlined styling continued for 1935.

Conceived as a 'baby' Cadillac, the LaSalle series was introduced on March 5, 1927. LaSalles presented a youthful, dashing image completely opposite from the staid and proper Cadillac. The LaSalle series was meant to be a stepping stone in a perceived gap between Cadillac and Buick in GM's lineup. Priced just above the Buick, the LaSalle was designed to be a complete model line that would adequately fill out GM's product roster.

The LaSalle was equally impressive from its design side. The new design styling for the 1934 model was considered to be dramatic and eye-catching. Featuring high-set headlamps in bullet-shaped pods next to a tall, narrow vee'd radiator, along with curvy 'pontoon' fenders at both the front and rear and biplane bumpers. Wheels were encased in chromed discs while hood vent doors gave way to 'ventiports'.

Power was supplied by a 248 cubic-inch, 95 horsepower straight-eight engine that shared much of its componentry with Oldsmobile. LaSalle was discontinued following the 1940 model year.