1937 - 1938 LaSalle V-8 Coupe
Provided by Hemmings

Values Today
Low: $10,000-13,000
Average: $15,000-20,000
High: $18,000-22,000

The LaSalle debuted in late 1927 as a lower-priced companion car to the Cadillac. This was part of an overall strategy at General Motors during the late '20s to fill niches in the market with alternate marques sold through existing dealerships. Oakland had Pontiac, which eventually outsold the parent car to emerge as an established member of the GM lineup, the only "companion car" to do so. Oldsmobile was given the Viking, and Buick the Marquette. Cadillac, as mentioned, got LaSalle.

LaSalle's styling caused a sensation. Borrowing liberally from design themes originating on the prestigious and costly Hispano-Suiza, it caught the eye and the imagination of the flapper era like no other new car introduced at that time. Sales immediately soared past 10,000 in the first year. With the onset of the Depression in 1930 LaSalle, like every other automaker, saw their deliveries drop and by 1932 only 3,386 cars found customers. For a time in 1933, when sales for LaSalle improved by only 98 cars for the entire year, GM officials were seriously considering killing off both LaSalle and the venerable Cadillac badge as well!

The story goes that LaSalle was saved by a dramatic styling coup by Harley Earl and his design group. With styling mainly created by Jules Agramonte, it was nearly as sensational as the original car of 1927 but struck off in a bold new direction of streamlining and Art Deco detail. Split "biplane wings" bumpers; a tall, narrow grille; pontoon fenders; "porthole"-style hood louvers; and large disc style wheel covers all helped to set LaSalle apart from its Cadillac brethren. Mechanically, too, the LaSalle was very different from Cadillac. Engineers at Cadillac dug into the Oldsmobile parts bin, borrowing the straight-eight Olds engine and numerous other components for the 1934 LaSalle's underpinnings. After massaging the engine to 105 bhp, Cadillac pronounced it fit to wear a LaSalle name. Prices were slashed, but after 1934 which saw just 7,128 LaSalles sold, the marque had even harder slogging when Packard introduced its companion 120 models in 1935, followed by Lincoln's memorable Zephyr in 1936. Only an improving national economy allowed LaSalle to increase its sales in these two years.

Cadillac executives apparently concluded that the engine rather than the styling needed changing on 1937 models, so again LaSalle became exclusively V-8 powered, using a slightly less powerful version of Cadillac's excellent and rugged 346 flathead engine. This seemed to do the trick for in 1937, thanks to the new drivetrain and even lower prices; LaSalle sold a record 32,005 cars - a number that would never be surpassed.

In 1938 LaSalles received a modest facelift inside and out. They still used the '37 body shell but now the grille, still tall and narrow, was vertical rather than set back at a slight angle. Inside, a new dashboard design was about the only noticeable change. Sales, however, dropped to the 15,000 area, mainly because of a recession that affected the entire economy during that year. Because of so few differences in the cars, we will consider both the 1937 and 1938 as a single entity as their appearance and their current market values are so very close.

Of all the 1938 LaSalles, the convertible sedan at 265 cars produced is certainly the rarest of the lot. But the convertible coupe with only 819 examples built isn't exactly thick on the ground, either. Far and away the most common body style, then and now, is the four-door sedan with 9,765 originally built while the coupe saw production of 2,710.

On the flip side, LaSalles, particularly the later ones, are pleasurable cars to drive. They have more than adequate power from that whisper-quiet V-8 for keeping up with modern traffic. They also possess very good brakes, a silky, fast-shifting transmission that made it a priority item among the original hot-rod set, and some of the most attractive styling to emerge from GM in the mid to late 1930s.

If you're lucky enough to find a convertible sedan in good restorable condition figure on paying $20,000-$25,000 purchase price. One that's restored to #1 shape will likely set you back $40,000-$50,000. Convertibles should be a bit less-say, $15,000-$20,000 for good unrestored examples and $35,000-$45,000 for a #1 car. Closed cars, as with most makes, will cost considerably less with a good unrestored coupe going for $10,000-$13,000, and a #1 coupe in the $18,000-$22,000 area. Four-door sedans in good, completely unrestored shape can run between $5,000-$8,000; and show cars will land in the $14,000-$18,000 bracket.

If you study those prices you may conclude that buying a restored car in excellent order probably makes more sense than stepping up for a decent unrestored machine; and you'd be right. Restoration costs today can add up startlingly fast; and unless you can do a good bit of the work yourself to a very good standard, chances are you'll invest more in the car and its restoration than it's worth when completed. Bear in mind, too, that despite their good looks and excellent drivetrain the LaSalles built after 1933 are non-classics, and that will keep their values in the ranges discussed here for some time to come.