“Gee our old LaSalle ran great, those were the days” as Archie and Edith Bunker harmonized back in the ’70s at the start of every episode of “All in the Family“. I remember the show well enough and knew that a LaSalle was a 30’s vintage car but that was about it for my knowledge base. That being the case, I thought it would be an interesting trip through the automotive past by reviewing this 1929 LaSalle Series 328. This big tourer is located in New Field, New Jersey and is available here on eBay for a BIN price of $38,900. There is a make an offer option too.

I knew that LaSalle was considered a “lesser” Cadillac but did not know that it was the brainchild of renowned GM auto stylist Harley Earl. Introduced in 1927, the LaSalle’s role was to fill the price point gap between the Buick Six and top drawer Cadillac. Placed on a Cadillac platform, or chassis, two-different wheelbase sizes were initially offered: 125 and 134 inches while coachwork was courtesy of both Fisher and Fleetwood. And of course, being a luxury car, only a V8 engine would do. Various two and four-door body styles, sedans, coupes, roadsters, and tourers, were produced over LaSalle’s fourteen-year (1927-1940) production run. Our subject car is technically a “Sport Phaeton” which according to the New Cadillac Database means that this car is one of only 201 assembled in ’29 and retailed for $2,875. The LaSalle was introduced just ahead of the great depression of 1929, a difficult period for automobile manufacturers (and everyone for that matter). Nevertheless, the LaSalle brand made its bones and survived the tumult that took out several other “plug the gap” GM brands like Viking, Marquette, and Oakland. As brands consolidated and marketing focus tightened, it was determined that Cadillac and Buick could better cover the luxury and near-luxury brand slots, respectively, and LaSalle was deemed to be superfluous, and thus the decision was made to end its run. You can read more about LaSalle here on Old Cars.

Our subject car is referred to as a Barn Find but it’s more of a survivor as it is original and runs. The paint is fair, there are some places where it is faded and/or peeling and the running boards are said to be deteriorating but this tourer is certainly a solid twenty-footer. The fabric top and trunk cover are in surprisingly nice condition. The seller suggests, “This LaSalle is an excellent candidate for restoration that will surely render its true potential or leave it as is and enjoy it“. That’s an important observation as restoration is really not needed and this LaSalle could be left alone.

The impressive-looking engine is an 85 HP, 328 CI, flathead V8 operating via a three-speed manual transmission. The seller adds, “Engine runs and the car drives great, the carb, fuel system, water pump were all gone over about 2yrs ago and the LaSalle has been driven many times since“. The 328 CI engine was new for ’29 and similar to the Cadillac powerplant but there were differences between the two.

Other than the split front seat upholstery, the interior is quite intricate with its dual cowl and folding backseat windshield. In addition to that feature, there are rear folding wing windows with side curtains which help to further cosset rear-seat passengers. The rear seat is also showing the effects of its 92 years of existence but it has fared far better than the front seat.

The instrument panel is about what one would expect to find in a car of this era. It’s a spartan affair and the clock appears to be more prominent than any of the engine function gauges.

The listing for this LaSalle includes a great pictorial and it’s worth spending the time to review all the images. This LaSalle is about as solid a survivor that you’ll find, its completeness and integrity make for an impressive find and solid project base. The question is, will there still be interest on anyone’s part in 2022 to take on an old tourer like this fine 1929 LaSalle?