LaSalle Series 52
LaSalle's 1940 Series 52 Special paired torpedo-style Fisher bodies with Cadillac V8 engineering in the companion marque's final model year.
Overview
The LaSalle Series 52 Special, also designated Series 40-52, was the more expensive of LaSalle’s two passenger-car series for the 1940 model year. It accompanied the Series 50, combining Cadillac-associated mechanical engineering with GM’s new torpedo-style body. It belongs at the model-series level: “Special” identifies this parallel line, rather than an engine option or a generation of the Series 50. Final-year history.
Development and production period
The 1940 range was introduced in October 1939. That calendar date explains why the model year should not be used as an exact build date. The Special initially offered a coupé and sedan; convertible coupé and convertible sedan versions followed. Mac’s Motor City Garage distinguishes its new C-body shell from the regular Series 50’s B body. Introduction and body development.
Manufacture belonged to Cadillac’s Detroit operation in Michigan, United States. The Detroit Historical Society dates Cadillac’s move to Clark Street to 1921, placing that manufacturing base well before the Series 52 period. Cadillac factory history.
Design and body styles
The Special had lower bodywork and curved rear windows on closed cars. Headlamps were incorporated into the front fenders, while a slender central grille retained LaSalle’s identity. Fisher supplied the bodies. The catalogue identifies these passenger versions:
| Body style | Catalogue style number |
|---|---|
| Four-door sedan | 5219 |
| Two-door coupé | 5227-C |
| Two-door convertible coupé | 5267 |
| Four-door convertible sedan | 5229 |
These are body choices within Series 52, not separate generations. A Series 50 convertible should therefore not be identified as a Special merely because it shares the same model year and open body type. 1940 body catalogue.
Engine and chassis
The 1940 specification lists a 322-cubic-inch L-head V8, rated at 130 bhp at 3,400 rpm, for both series. It records independent front suspension, hydraulic brakes and a steering-column gear lever. These figures apply to the final-year specification, rather than every V8 LaSalle. Engine and chassis features.
Exports and specification boundaries
The catalogue separately records Series 52 sedans exported as completely knocked-down kits. It does not establish destination-specific equipment or overseas assembly locations. Its wheelbase headings conflict, so no dimension or reconciled production total is asserted here. Export entries and specification notes.
Discontinuation and legacy
LaSalle production ended in 1940 despite proposals for a 1941 range. Cadillac’s Series 61 occupied the former LaSalle market position for 1941. The Series 52 consequently represents the companion marque’s final move towards smoother, integrated body styling within a product strategy that GM then abandoned. It had no subsequent production generation under the LaSalle name. Discontinuation history.