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StPatty

                        St. Patrick's Day Edition


Cadillac & LaSalle

I mentioned before Cadillac was formed by Henry Leland from the Henry Ford Co. after a dispute between Henry Ford and his investors, Ford left the company along with several of his key partners in March 1902. Cadillac was named after the founder of Detroit, Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac. The 1903 Cadillac was essentially a Ford design with a Leland designed engine and was almost identical to the 1903 Ford Model A. Cadillac pioneered precision engineering and interchangeable parts. By the time General Motors purchased Cadillac in 1909 they evolved into a high quality luxury automobile.
In 1927 Cadillac introduced the LaSalle to fill the price gap between Cadillac and Buick. The LaSalle was mostly a junior Cadillac with a V8 engine from 1927 to 1933 and again from 1937 to 1940. From 1934 to 1936 it was more like an Oldsmobile with an inline 8. The LaSalle provided Cadillac with enough sales to help them weather the depression. By 1940 the price gap between Buick and Cadillac disappeared and LaSalle sales were cutting into Cadillac. Although they built 2 prototype 1941 models, GM dropped the Marque after 1940 and replaced it with the lower priced Model 61 Cadillac. After WWII Cadillac became the premier American luxury automobile.
The idea of the LaSalle never completely died. The 1963 Buick Riviera was originally to be sold by Cadillac dealers and carry the LaSalle name. Cadillac also considered the LaSalle name for their compact 1975 Seville.

 

Here are some 1/43 models, there are far too many to list them all here.

 

 

aqmericom 32 Caddy V16

1932 Cadillac V16 sedan from AmerCom.

 

 

AE33Caddy

1933 Cadillac Phaeton from American Excellence (NEO)

 

 

BR34LaSalle

1934 LaSalle sedan from Brooklin

 

 

BR-39LaSalle

1939 LaSalle sedan from Brooklin

 

 

BR47 Sedan

1947 Cadillac sedan from Brooklin

 

 

AE49 Sedanette

1949 Cadillac Sedanette from American Excellence (NEO)

 

 

 

BR52Sedan

1952 Cadillac sedan from Brooklin

 

 

AE57Coupe DeVille

1957 Cadillac Coupe DeVille from American Excellence (NEO)

 

 

TrueScake59 Limo

1959 Cadillac Limousine from True Scale Models

 


CLICK HERE for last week’s O Scale Motor Vehicle Chronicle

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  • AE57Coupe DeVille
  • TrueScake59 Limo
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Rextoys made some nice prewar Cadillacs. Here are a couple. I also have a Brooklin La Salle coupe. I'll take a picture of it later when I have time. 

 

 '38 coupe by Rextoys. Black car behind it is a Brooklin '36 Buick.

38 Caddy

 

Pink convertible with an "odd couple" of passengers - the Pope and the notorious Italian porn star and member of Parliament "La Cicciolina." Rextoys put out a few cars with famous or notorious passengers. Some previous owner of this car took the Pope figure from his car and put it in with Ciccio, making this one of a kind. There was also a stretch convertible with FDR. 

Cicciolina 1

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One thing I love about this thread is not just learning a lot, but learning a lot about my layout.  Until I went upstairs to look I did not realize just how many Cadillacs I had.  My grandfather was a Cadillac man from before I was born.  I grew up around a lot of them. 

 

Here are some of mine. 

 

Veranda Turbine with her first, in '52.

DSCN2193

 

Veranda Turbine in '59 - no matter how successful you are, it pays to marry money.

DSCN2195

 

 

One of those you had pictured. 

DSCN2197

 

Not sure who made this but it is nice . . . 

DSCN2200

 

Two converted to 'Streets.  the green '53 is repainted to resemble exactly my Grandfather's '53 Cadillac, the first Cadillac (and first new car) I ever rode in (age four).

DSCN2203

 

I have these three old ones.  The one in the middle is an ambulance version of their biggest version and is, near as I can determine, actually scale in spite of looking way to big.

DSCN2204

 

One of my favorites, this Neo is spectacularly detailed inside and out.  

DSCN2208

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Rich:  Certainly a topic worthy of your attention,  Cadillac, that is.  I sold Cadillacs for a Milwaukee dealer back in 1966-67-68.  Our agency actually licensed and titled it's demonstrators that we each drove.  No tell-tale "dealer plates" for us!  Was a great experience for a couple of years and right now I'm negotiating on a 1967 deVille Convertible that is in an estate.

 

I also have at least 10 Cadillacs on my layout varying from hearses and limos to converts.  No scarcity of those models.  Also have a couple of the Brooklin models including that LaSalle 2-door sedan in your photo.

 

Incidentally, the Lionel "Early Era Inspection Vehicle" is supposed to be a 1938 Cadillac, although they have taken certain liberties with it's overall shape.  I suspect that if I'm caught in a weaker moment, I might just pop for one of those, although I doubt if it will see much service.

 

Paul Fischer

AGHR:  Oooo...I envy that LaSalle....Your dad has very good taste in cars. My great aunt had a '37 sedan, that I rode in as a kid, and I came within a hair of getting one (and the guy who had storage got in a hissy fit with another customer and the car sold while I was trying to get him to trust me and let me have a space).  Probably priced way out of my reach, now. My great aunt's was an unusual gold color (that they, three maiden sisters, partially color blind, thought was too close to yellow and almost but did not, returned).  The one I almost got...yeah, lots of ones that got away stories... was black like your dad's.  I don't like black cars, but this, and that, is a LASALLE! And what I strongly consider to be the best year, the first year with the return of the V-8 and the last year with the floorshift, popular with hot rodders, but where I want it.  (not that I don't like the 1933's and the 1940's) The aunts before had driven Franklins and were not happy the Depression took out Franklin, and their brother recommended LaSalle.  I am not interested in modern Cadillacs, but if some of these new smaller models were badged LaSalle, that would be interesting to me.  A 1937 LaSalle coupe would be one of my vintage dream cars.  Sure wish Brooklin on its GM series kick,

or somebody cheaper!!,  would do a 1937 LaSalle series.  One of my tiny towns

would probably gain a Caddy dealer, with a lot full of them.

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