LA SALLE

Cadillac Div., General Motors Corp. (1927-1940)
Detroit, Michigan

This is a La Salle radiator emblem (1927-1930)     mjs
Size: 130mm wide 44mm high   MM: D L Auld

The La Salle built by Cadillac (see Cadillac) was a commercial failure but was of great significance in the development of automotive styling and led directly to the introduction of an Art and Color department at Cadillac. The La Salle was introduced in 1927 and was powered by a 75  hp V-8 engine, which offered excellent performance as well as good looks, which were inspired by the Hispano-Suiza. In 1928, with help from La Salle, Cadillac production rose above 40,000 cars for the first time. By 1930 La Salle had sold nearly 50,000 cars.

But then the stock market crashed and the Great Depression began. Cadillac neglected La Salle and fewer than 3,500 La Salle cars were sold in each of the 1932 and 1933 model years. Sales rose a little following the recession but the Packard One Twenty introduced in 1935 had taken off like a rocket. Cadillac tried to revive La  Salle and in 1937 La Salle sales rose to 32,000 cars but this was still way behind Packard. Competition from the Lincoln Zephyr in the later 1930's made matters worse. The La Salle was discontinued following the 1940 model year.

Emblems

The La Salle was named after the 17th Century French explorer Rene Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle. and the greyhound and eight pointed star on the emblem were important heraldic elements of his family crest.

The first La Salle radiator emblem used from 1927 to 1930 was the red, blue, black and gold enamel La Salle radiator emblem shown above at the top of this post. This La Salle radiator emblem is scarce.

The following is a chrome casting of the La Salle initials mounted on a grille bar between the headlights but located above the headlight bar and used from 1927 to 1932:

This is a La Salle grille bar emblem (1927-1932)

The following is a red, blue and black painted La Salle wire wheel hub emblem as used from 1927 to 1929. From 1930 to 1931, the same hub emblem was used but without the two fixing holes:

This is a La Salle wire wheel hub emblem (1927-1929)   mjs
Size: 43mm diameter

There was a very slight change in radiator emblem in 1930 to a two-piece emblem with the knight's helmet as a separate piece riveted to the emblem, see red, blue, black and gold enamel La Salle radiator emblem shown below:

This is a La Salle radiator emblem (1930-1932)    mjs
Size: 130mm wide 44mm high    MM: D L Auld

The following chrome metal La Salle emblem was mounted on the luggage rack in 1932. This La Salle luggage rack emblem is scarce.

This is a La Salle luggage rack emblem (1932)    dnc
Size: 64mm diameter     MM: None

The following shows the La Salle hub emblem for 1932

This shows the La Salle hub emblem (1932)  thelostroad

The La Salle radiator grille emblem changed a little for early 1933 to become more v-shaped and with a more prominent knight's helmet but became a more stylized design later in 1933, see red, blue, black and gold enamel La Salle radiator emblem shown below. This La Salle radiator emblem is scarce.

This is a La Salle radiator emblem (1933)    mjs
Size: 142mm wide 44mm high   MM: D L Auld

There was also an additional La Salle emblem mounted on the upper right of the radiator grille from 1933, see La Salle model 345c shown below:

La Salle 345c showing radiator grille emblem (1933)  conceptcarz

This is the round chrome La Salle emblem shown below with a red backing plate:

This is a La Salle radiator grille emblem (1933-1935)   mjs
Size: 61mm diameter   

The following red, blue and black painted La Salle radiator emblem was used from 1934. This is a two-piece emblem, with the separate crest originally painted black, as shown, but the red and blue areas on the shield were originally either left in chrome finish, or also painted black. The red and blue paint seen here and on most of these emblems fitted to restored cars was added by restorers to make the emblems more colorful. 

This is a La Salle radiator emblem (1934-1937)    kmc
Size: 130mm wide 32mm high     MM: Fox

The following La Salle radiator emblem appears to be a variation of the previous emblem:

This is a La Salle radiator emblem (1934-1937)    mjs
Size: 130mm wide 32mm high   MM: Fox

The following is a 1934 La Salle radio delete plate:

This is a La Salle radio delete (1934)     kmc
Size: Unknown

The following is the La Salle grille emblem for 1936, which is similar to the grille emblem for 1933-1935 shown earlier but with a narrower chrome border:

This shows a La Salle grille emblem (1936)   john bartolone
Size: Unknown    MM: Unknown

There was a new La Salle grille emblem from 1937 to 1938, see red painted example shown below. This La Salle emblem was also used as a trunk lid emblem for 1938 to 1939.

This is a La Salle grille emblem/trunk lid emblem (1937-1939) mjs
Size: 108mm high 53mm wide   MM: D L Auld

The following photo shows the La Salle front bumper emblem used for 1937 and 1938. The same emblem was used for the rear bumper and the hubcaps.

This is a La Salle bumper & hub emblem (1937-1938)  classiccars

The following is a La Salle radiator emblem for 1938:

This is a La Salle radiator emblem (1938)    mjs
Size: 190mm wide 30mm high   MM: Fox

The following shows the La Salle horn button emblem used for 1939:

This shows the La Salle horn button emblem (1939)  rmsothebys

The following shows the La Salle hub emblem for 1939:

This is a La Salle hub emblem (1939)    eBay

The black painted La Salle radiator emblem and "La Salle" radiator grille script shown below were used for 1939:

La Salle rad emblem & script (1939) flickriver

The following is the 1939 black painted La Salle radiator emblem:

This is a Las Salle radiator emblem (1939)    ms
Size: Unknown    MM: Unknown

The following is the "La Salle" radiator grille script, which was used for 1939 and 1940. This "La Salle" radiator script is scarce.

This is a La Salle grille script (1939-1940)    mjs
Size: 207mm wide   MM: D L Auld

The "La Salle" radiator grille scripts shown above are finished in cream paint but they can also be found in white, see example shown below:

La Salle rad emblem & script (1940) jill reger

The following is a black painted La Salle radiator emblem used in 1940:

This is a La Salle radiator emblem (1940)     mjs
Size: 115mm wide 29mm high    MM: Fox

The following is a La Salle trunk lid emblem from 1940:

This is a La Salle trunk lid emblem (1940)    sam
Size:110mm high 52mm wide   MM: Unknown (some D L Auld)

The following is a La Salle horn button emblem used for 1940:

This is a La Salle horn button emblem (1940)   sites.google

The following is a hub emblem used for 1940:

This is a La Salle hub emblem (1940)    allcads

The following is believed to be a prototype La Salle trunk emblem planned for use in 1941. This prototype La Salle emblem is rare.

This is a prototype 1941 La Salle trunk emblem   kmc
Size: Unknown