1930 LaSalle 340 Convertible Coupe

Seeking to build “A car for every purse and purpose”, General Motors Chairman Alfred P. Sloan would launch the 'General Motors Companion Make Program' in the late 1920s which sought to fill the price gaps which had developed between their existing models.  Under this forward-thinking program, four new GM marques would pair with established brands and LaSalle, the most prestigious of the new marques, was slotted in between Buick and Cadillac.  With famed GM designer Harley Earl at the helm of creating the new LaSalle, it was decided to not just produce a 'junior Cadillac' but rather a stylish and more agile counterpart that still invokes the elegance of the larger Cadillac models.  Marketed as “The New Pleasure in Motor Car Driving”, LaSalle models were built by Cadillac with bodies from in-house coachbuilder Fisher.  Offered with a selection of seven Fisher bodies and six 'Special Custom' options from Fleetwood, 1930 saw an upgraded V-8 equipped to the new Series 340.

For consignment, a 1930 LaSalle Series 340 silver and black accented 2 door convertible coupe with a rumble seat and a trunk on the back bumper.  This car is in excellent condition and in fact is an AACA documented award winner claiming its National Senior 1st in 2007.  It has a beautiful and like new red leather upholstered cockpit, plenty of wonderful wood accents for the interior, and drives like a dream.  There is also a rumble seat to accommodate additional passengers on your tour of the countryside.

Note: This car is indeed a LaSalle, but carries Cadillac as the make on the title.  Please check your local, county, state, provincial, or country DMV for proper titling procedures.

Exterior
With straight as arrow bodywork, no rust, well minded gaps and an excellent deep end of the pool silver paint job for the cowled hood and the remainder of the body as it is led by a woven chromed radiator cover and shiny radiator cowl.  4 headlights grace the front of the car and a slightly curved dual bar bumper with large Trippe fog lamps framing the bottom with some extra shine.  On her sides are curved and shapely black painted fender which roll up and down and form a running board between the front fenders and the rear fenders.  This black paint and running board surfaces are all also excellent.  On top of the front fenders are turn signal lights, and tucked into each of them aft of front wheels is a full red painted wire spoked wide whitewall spare tires with rearview mirrors perched atop.  A square front hinged door with a chrome handle is nice and straight, and leads the way for the elongated curved down portion which is the back of the car and the rumble seat.  On the back is a black fuel tank and just above a full metal trunk is mounted on.  Another dual bar bumper in chrome is framing the bottom and on the passengers side, just aft of the door, is the feature unique to the Lasalle with a square small door which allows access to that is commonly referred to as the golf bag storage area.  It can also be used for extra space but it was marketed as a golf club storage area. The passenger compartment is covered with a sporty gray Haartz convertible top accented by landau bars on either side. 18-inch perfectly painted red wire wheels are wrapped by ultra wide whitewall tires in 7.00-18 form.

Interior
A swing of the doors gives us a near perfect red leather stitched door panel with highly polished cranks and actuators.  A pull strap is in the center and some red carpeting is on the bottom of their door.  For the front passengers, a long red leather bench that has aged very gracefully, sports padded tufted and buttoned seating for 3. The bench is mounted in a red leather tub.  Up front is a beautifully curved, highly polished, and lacquered walnut dash.  This is peppered with several chrome bezeled circular gauges, and a few chrome discs pull knobs.  A long shift lever reaches for the driver and also has a chrome knob topping it.  The original steering wheel is growing from this dash and is large, in charge,  and also excellent.  Red carpeting floods the floors, and the rumble seat is in the same pattern as the front bench and also nice and tight, red leather covered.

Drivetrain
Under the loving cowled hood is the fully restored and looking showroom 340ci L-head V8 engine.  It has shiny valve coverings, supple hoses and wiring and is fed by a single 2-barrel carburetor.  On the back is a correct 3-speed manual transmission, and way back is a 3/4 floating axle.  All surfaces under this hood are just perfectly restored.

Undercarriage
As with any show car we see no rust and nary even road dirt for this black painted undercarriage.  Within its confines are leaf spring suspension for front and rear, and mechanical drum braking for all 4 corners.  Lovely.

Drive-Ability
This car is quite the machine just to sit in and of course driving it was a real privilege.  It fired right up and ran a bit rough, most likely due to needing a tune up.  It still accelerated nicely despite this weight, and braking was very strong.  All functions are working save for the clock, but that is mainly due to my crack decoder failing to wind it.  We also noted that the convertible top will not fully lower as some of the frame mounting screws to the wood subframe have pulled out.

From its flying lady hood ornament, to the long hood and straight silver steel with black accenting, Haartz convertible top, and long sloping rear this car is a great example of a bygone era where money did not matter.  The golf bag storage is a unique plus and overall the car is very close to concours condition and certainly a top notch restoration.  Titled as a Cadillac, Made in Canada and even spent time in Puerto Rico it is well heeled.

Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special interest automobile showroom, featuring over 850 vehicles for sale with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle barn find collection is on display. This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914. Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.