Cadillac-La Salle, Cadillac & La Salle

[Rusty Shepherd CLC 6397]

Im getting ready to mail off my ballot and Ive got to say I wish we had line-item veto capability so that we dont have to take all the changes as a package (my local school board learned this lesson after several package bond elections failed, sinking the entire bond boat...the new elementary school went out with the Astroturf for the high school stadium).  I really think this Cadillac-La Salle Club vs Cadillac & La Salle Club issue is an answer to a question that few, if any, have asked since 1958.  No one confuses Lincoln and Mercury because the division name is styled Lincoln-Mercury (confusing the Milan and the Zephyr is understandable, but for an entirely different reason)and if people confuse Cadillac and La Salle, its because La Salles have not been manufactured in 66 years. And wouldnt it be reasonable to think that a club devoted entirely to La Salle would be called the La Salle Club?

[Bruce Reynolds # 18992]

Gday Rusty,

You have a very valid point there.

I thought that the reason for the Constitution change was to insert the "&" or "and" in place of the hyphen.   And, not ALL the other stuff.

On this, I dont have a problem with as our cousins have been surely left out and thought of as a poor cousin and just tacked on at the end.   The use of the Hyphes is an afterthought, as the word "and" or "&" would make them feel wanted, and warmer.

Bruce,
The Tassie Devil(le),
60 CDV

[Doug Houston]

Dont take it too hard, guys. A funny little nitpick thing, but they have a point I feel, especially after Paul Ayres explained it to me. It seems that many prople, who werent around when LaSalle was built, think that  LaSalle is a part of the Cadillac name, and not the separate name of a differewnt car. Its true that a LaSalle was completely a Cadillac, with not a lot of difference to a Cadillac. They tend to think that, while LaSalle was in production, it was called a Cadillac-LaSalle, as Ive extracted from Paul. The club moguls feel that it would be less misleading, and more self-explanatory to have the "and" between the names, and not let a hyphen imply that the names were used together on one car. The "&" will positively separate the names.
Its mainly a matter of what you feel about the idea.

 As far as Im concerned, its not going to change anything about the way our cars are regarded, especially by us.

 We know, if nobody else, that a LaSalle is a car marque by itself, and was a companion car to Cadillac. As a matter of fact, the main reason that LaSalle was discontinued was that in the 1940 model year, there were three LaSalles sold for every Cadillac in all series combined. Nicholas Dreyatadt, general manager at the time, saw a re-play looming in front of him of the 1932 situation, where Pontiac, the companion car to Oakland, outsold the slats out of Oakland, so Oakland was dropped, and Pontiac took its place. Dreystadt wasnt about to have LaSalle wipe out Cadillac, so even that some of the 41 LaSalle tooling was already in, LaSalle was dropped, and all of the divisions cars became Cadillac. I understand that the car that became the Cadillac series 63 in 41 and 42 was to have been a body dedicated to LaSalle. It was a simple matter to bolt a Cadillac front clip to the body, and Guala!, a Cadillac 63.

And theres more yet! In the earliest days of the Cadillac-LaSalle Club, the name included the word;"car". Thus, it was originally called the Cadillac-LaSalle CAR club. Reportedly, there was unfavorable comment from Cadillac Division of an implication  that the club was affiliated with Cadillac division, GMC. The word "car" was dropped. In the 1960 (first) grand national, the trophy ribbons did carry the word "car".

[Rusty Shepherd CLC 6397]

Interesting information always when Doug posts.I didnt know about the car part of the clubs name early on.  As for companion cars, Im glad things turned out as they did; Oakland GTO just doesnt sound right and neither does Viking Ninety-Eight or Marquette Roadmaster.

[Bruce Reynolds # 18992]

Well, I suppose it could have been worse, and got Ford DeVille, or Ford Eldorado.

Bruce,
The Tassie Devil(le),
60 CDV

[Rhino 21150]

Then of course there is the problem of the Halladay. What part of GM made that thing? Excuse me, that was a Colby. Did Billy Durant have anything to do with those people?
Im thinking of some car that was produced around 1920 by GM, anyone have any idea what I cant remember?

[Brad Ipsen CLC#737]

I have always been fascinated with the power of the LaSalle name with the general public.  I have had a 39-9033 (V-16 divider window limo) on the road since 1985 and have put about 20,000 miles on it.  I cant count the number of times that people thought it was a LaSalle or their Uncle had one just like it except it was a LaSalle.  Usually if they make a couple of comments or I ask a couple of questions I will know that it was not really like it.  One time in Northern CA on the way home to WA a gentlemen followed me into a gas station.  He said he had a car just like.  A few questions later and it turned out he did have one just like it.  He was not in any of the clubs and the car was unknown at the time.

[Robert Bothwell CLC #20850]

Yeah, but the Oakland Gran Prix sounds pretty neat (like a race course?)
Bob B.

[Johnny #662]

What prompted the founding fathers of the CLC to name the club Cadillac LaSalle Club? Why not just the Cadillac Club?  Sure the LaSalle is part of Cadillac history and an important part at that, but the fact remains, it still was its own marquee.

[Jerry]

Interesting that there is a Pontiac Oakland Club International but only an Oldsmobile Club of America or National Antique Olds Club.  Didnt someone say that the Olds had a companion car - Viking?  Do Viking owners feel neglected and forgotten?  Did Buick ever have a companion?

[Don Boshara #594]

Marquette

[Rhino 21150]

Buick had Marquette. GM started building them in August of 1929. Then all hell broke loose. They canceled the car in March of 1930 (I think). There is a club dedicated to the Marq (cute, eh?) called M.O.R.E., Marquette Owners Registry for Enthusiasts. homepage.mac.com/kaholton/topsdown/marquette/marquette.html

[Doug Houston]

Yes, Cadillac had LaSalle; Buick had Marquette, Oldsmobile had Viking, Oakland had Pontiac, and there was none for Chevrolet.

This was Alfred Sloans plan to have a "companion car" to fill in the gap in pricing between the divisions. It came off decently until the depression hit, and then it was a different ball game altogether. Oakland and Viking each had V8 engines in that brief time, and when Pontiac replaced Oakland in 1932, it had the V8 for that one year. In 1933, Pontiac got a new straight 8.  

LaSalle was hanging on by a hair, when Jules Agramonte sketched up a new 1934 LaSalle, that Harley Earl fell in love with. His selling genius kept LaSalle alive for another 8 years, with the 34-36 models keeping it breathing.

For those who may not have heard, V8 engines came and went through the years. Chevrolet had an OHV V8 in about 1918 for only about a year. Ive seen pictures of it. It was an OHV engine with no rocker covers!  Oldsmobile had a V8 in the early twenties. theres one in the Flint area.  

[Robert Bothwell CLC #20850]

There is a fellow here in Indiana who has a beautifully restored 1932 (or maybe 33) Pontiac coupe with a V-8. When G.M. discontinued the Oakland, the remaining V-8s were put into Pontiacs. They are similar to the L-head Cadillac 16 in shape.
bOB b.