20th Jul, 2011 13:45
The Pavilion Gardens
1930 La Salle Series 340 Seven-Passenger Sedan
Sold for £16,875
(including buyers premium)
Lot details
Registration No: SV 5276
Chassis No: 614857
Mot Expiry: Sept 2011
THE PROPERTY OF JAZZ TROMBONIST AND BAND LEADER CHRIS BARBER
Conscious that the $1,000-plus price gulf which existed between the most expensive Buick and cheapest Cadillac was costing it sales, General Motors unveiled a new marque for 1927. Named after the seventeenth-century French explorer René-Robert-Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle and penned by the soon-to-be-legendary Harley Earl, the first LaSalles had a decidedly European air about them (Earl freely admitting that he had taken his inspiration from the contemporary Hispano-Suiza range). Utilising much the same chassis and drivetrain technology as Cadillac (the two companies shared the same chief engineer Ernest W Seaholm) but exuding a younger chicer image, LaSalle became an overnight success. Indeed after just a couple of seasons, it was the older sibling aping the younger one and not vice versa. Launched in September 1929 for the following model year, the LaSalle Series 340 sat on a six-inch shorter wheelbase than its Cadillac Series 353 stablemate (134-inch vs. 140-inch) but shared numerous styling cues. Available with a choice of seven Fisher and six Fleetwood semi-custom bodystyles, the newcomer's substantial ladder frame chassis featured all-round semi-elliptic leaf-sprung suspension (underslung at the rear) and safety-mechanical four-wheel 15-inch drum brakes. Displacing 340 cu in (5572cc), its 90-degree 'flathead' V8 engine developed some 90hp @ 3,000rpm and plentiful torque. Allied to three-speed synchromesh manual transmission, it endowed the model with a surprising turn of speed. Depressed by the effects of the Wall Street Crash, total LaSalle production for the 1930 season amounted to 11,005 cars of which just 1,502 were Series 340 Seven-Passenger Sedans (though, today survivors are comparatively few and far between). Well built and nicely appointed, the Series 340 has long been accorded 'Full Classic' status by the Classic Car Club of America.
Finished in Grey over Black with Blue-Grey velour upholstery, this particular left-hand drive example is the property of well known jazz trombonist and band leader Chris Barber (www.chrisbarber.net). A Seven-Passenger Sedan, it is believed to have been purchased new by a garage proprietor in Connecticut and used for ferrying his best customers around. Apparently laid-up on bricks during World War Two due to fuel shortages, the LaSalle had become surplus to requirements by the time peace came and so remained dormant until 1989. Spotted by an enthusiast that year who sold it to Mr Barber shortly thereafter, the Series 340 was tired but highly original. The subject of an extensive 'chassis up' restoration by West Hoathly Garage of Sussex during the mid 1990s, the Seven-Passenger Sedan had attention paid to its wooden body support frame (all rotten timbers renewed and surviving originals treated), metal panelwork (bonnet / front wings / chassis valances etc zinc sprayed, new sections let into the door bottoms etc), paintwork (bare metal respray), chromework (re-plated headlights / taillights / bumpers etc), electrics (new wiring loom, conversion to 12-volt), engine bay (repainted), ancillaries (starter motor / dynamo overhauled, ignition system renewed), radiator (repaired), fuel tank (refurbished), upholstery (complete re-trim using original pieces as patterns), interior woodwork (refinished), wooden artillery wheels (rejuvenated, shod with new tyres), chassis (cleaned, repainted), brakes (drums re-machined, new retaining nuts / bolts made), instruments (overhauled, fuel gauge converted to 12-volt), windows (ground / polished) and ashtrays (remade) etc.
Completed prior to the LaSalle being UK road registered as 'SV 5276' on February 6th 1995, invoices on file for the work add up to £41,719.47 (though, doubtless it would cost more today). Returning to the same Rolls-Royce & Bentley specialist during late 2004, the Series 340 underwent a thorough service and had a bulkhead-mounted charging socket installed to prolong its battery life. Still an imposing machine, the Seven-Passenger Sedan boasts a period Falcon mascot, well stocked dashboard, windscreen peak, LaS headlamp bar, blade bumpers, HC cylinder heads, silk hand pulls, twin fold-out occasional seats and 'War of the Worlds' rear lights. Starting readily upon inspection and riding on the wooden artillery wheels, this elegant Vintage American Sedan is offered for sale with sundry paperwork, MOT certificate valid until September 2011 and current historic class (free) road fund licence.
Registration No: SV 5276
Chassis No: 614857
Mot Expiry: Sept 2011
THE PROPERTY OF JAZZ TROMBONIST AND BAND LEADER CHRIS BARBER
Conscious that the $1,000-plus price gulf which existed between the most expensive Buick and cheapest Cadillac was costing it sales, General Motors unveiled a new marque for 1927. Named after the seventeenth-century French explorer René-Robert-Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle and penned by the soon-to-be-legendary Harley Earl, the first LaSalles had a decidedly European air about them (Earl freely admitting that he had taken his inspiration from the contemporary Hispano-Suiza range). Utilising much the same chassis and drivetrain technology as Cadillac (the two companies shared the same chief engineer Ernest W Seaholm) but exuding a younger chicer image, LaSalle became an overnight success. Indeed after just a couple of seasons, it was the older sibling aping the younger one and not vice versa. Launched in September 1929 for the following model year, the LaSalle Series 340 sat on a six-inch shorter wheelbase than its Cadillac Series 353 stablemate (134-inch vs. 140-inch) but shared numerous styling cues. Available with a choice of seven Fisher and six Fleetwood semi-custom bodystyles, the newcomer's substantial ladder frame chassis featured all-round semi-elliptic leaf-sprung suspension (underslung at the rear) and safety-mechanical four-wheel 15-inch drum brakes. Displacing 340 cu in (5572cc), its 90-degree 'flathead' V8 engine developed some 90hp @ 3,000rpm and plentiful torque. Allied to three-speed synchromesh manual transmission, it endowed the model with a surprising turn of speed. Depressed by the effects of the Wall Street Crash, total LaSalle production for the 1930 season amounted to 11,005 cars of which just 1,502 were Series 340 Seven-Passenger Sedans (though, today survivors are comparatively few and far between). Well built and nicely appointed, the Series 340 has long been accorded 'Full Classic' status by the Classic Car Club of America.
Finished in Grey over Black with Blue-Grey velour upholstery, this particular left-hand drive example is the property of well known jazz trombonist and band leader Chris Barber (www.chrisbarber.net). A Seven-Passenger Sedan, it is believed to have been purchased new by a garage proprietor in Connecticut and used for ferrying his best customers around. Apparently laid-up on bricks during World War Two due to fuel shortages, the LaSalle had become surplus to requirements by the time peace came and so remained dormant until 1989. Spotted by an enthusiast that year who sold it to Mr Barber shortly thereafter, the Series 340 was tired but highly original. The subject of an extensive 'chassis up' restoration by West Hoathly Garage of Sussex during the mid 1990s, the Seven-Passenger Sedan had attention paid to its wooden body support frame (all rotten timbers renewed and surviving originals treated), metal panelwork (bonnet / front wings / chassis valances etc zinc sprayed, new sections let into the door bottoms etc), paintwork (bare metal respray), chromework (re-plated headlights / taillights / bumpers etc), electrics (new wiring loom, conversion to 12-volt), engine bay (repainted), ancillaries (starter motor / dynamo overhauled, ignition system renewed), radiator (repaired), fuel tank (refurbished), upholstery (complete re-trim using original pieces as patterns), interior woodwork (refinished), wooden artillery wheels (rejuvenated, shod with new tyres), chassis (cleaned, repainted), brakes (drums re-machined, new retaining nuts / bolts made), instruments (overhauled, fuel gauge converted to 12-volt), windows (ground / polished) and ashtrays (remade) etc.
Completed prior to the LaSalle being UK road registered as 'SV 5276' on February 6th 1995, invoices on file for the work add up to £41,719.47 (though, doubtless it would cost more today). Returning to the same Rolls-Royce & Bentley specialist during late 2004, the Series 340 underwent a thorough service and had a bulkhead-mounted charging socket installed to prolong its battery life. Still an imposing machine, the Seven-Passenger Sedan boasts a period Falcon mascot, well stocked dashboard, windscreen peak, LaS headlamp bar, blade bumpers, HC cylinder heads, silk hand pulls, twin fold-out occasional seats and 'War of the Worlds' rear lights. Starting readily upon inspection and riding on the wooden artillery wheels, this elegant Vintage American Sedan is offered for sale with sundry paperwork, MOT certificate valid until September 2011 and current historic class (free) road fund licence.
Auction: The Pavilion Gardens, 20th Jul, 2011
All successful bids must be paid in full by midday the day after the auction at the latest.
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