Cadillac LaSalle 1940 images

LaSalle spent thirteen years as Cadillac’s stylish, budget-friendly companion make, only to be discontinued in 1940 at nearly the peak of its popularity. This surviving 1940 example rides on a modern V8 and automatic transmission far removed from its original L-head engine and manual gearbox. Its final year of production still puzzles collectors who wonder why GM walked away from a car selling so well.

1940 Cadillac LaSalle V8-455 BB 3 Speed Automatic

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By the summer of 1940, one of General Motors’ most stylish experiments was quietly disappearing from showrooms, and almost nobody outside Cadillac’s boardroom knew it was coming. For thirteen years, LaSalle had done something remarkable: it let buyers with more taste than fortune drive a car that shared its bones with the flagship Cadillac, wearing sharper, more youthful lines at a fraction of the price. The example pictured here carries a big-block V8 and automatic transmission that no factory LaSalle ever left the assembly line with, a clue that someone, somewhere along the way, decided this particular car deserved a second act. So what actually killed LaSalle at the peak of its popularity, and why does its final year still matter to collectors today?

A Junior Cadillac With Senior Ambitions

LaSalle launched in 1927 as Cadillac’s companion make, styled by Harley Earl to give buyers Cadillac-caliber design and engineering at a lower price. It was positioned for “successful young people on their way up,” sold through Cadillac dealers but priced below the marque’s flagship. Despite the pedigree, it never quite hit the sales volumes GM hoped for and was nearly cancelled more than once during its run.

The Final Lineup, and a Second Life on the Road

For 1940, LaSalle’s last year, the lineup split into two series: the base 40-50 on GM’s B-body shell and the sportier 40-52 Special on the new “Torpedo” C-body, priced from $1,280 to $1,535. Every 1940 LaSalle carried a 322-cubic-inch L-head V8 rated at 130 horsepower, paired with a three-speed manual transmission, a far cry from the big-block V8 and automatic gearbox riding under the hood of the car pictured here, which suggests this particular LaSalle has been treated to a modern driveline swap somewhere in its life. Even as GM pulled the plug on August 26, 1940, LaSalle went out on a high note: nearly 24,000 cars sold that year, its second-best total ever, proof the brand still had an audience even as corporate strategy moved on without it.

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