1933 LaSalle 345-C 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, the stylish LaSalle. By 1932, both Marquette and Viking had been dropped; Oakland, too, as it was usurped by its understudy Pontiac. Inside GM, there was talk of dropping LaSalle which bothered Harley Earl tremendously. LaSalle was, after all, his baby, and he was responsible for its styling since LaSalle's introduction in 1927. Ultimately, the struggling early Thirties economy made it a tough go for automobiles, especially upstarts like LaSalle. The nameplate was discontinued following the 1940 model year.

This car was in the possession of its second owner for seven decades before it was purchased by its current caretakers.

The 1933 LaSalle shed its rectangular body in favor of modern, curvaceous, and streamlined lines with skirted fenders, horizontal hood ventilator doors, and a V-shaped radiator shell and grille.

This particular example is one of 146 Convertible Coupes built for the 1933 model year. The current owner acquired it in 2012 from its previous owner of seventy years. Service work performed by Stone Barn Restoration soon commenced with receipts totalling $39,000. In 2016, Frank Scudese of Hardwick, New Jersey, was commissioned to restore the LaSalle to factory specifications. The work included sourcing a proper (non-original) 1933 engine to replace the incorrect one that was installed in the car when the current owner purchased it. The work was completed in 2021 with receipts totaling in excess of $300,000.

This LaSalle wears a Fawn Beige exterior with black accents over a dark red interior and matching wire wheels. There is an accessory trunk rack and dual side-mounted spare tires.

By Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2024