The 1937 LaSalle I Am Going To Restore

[carlhungness]

Just received photos of the LaSalle I drove 110,000 miles, gave to a friend who is now returning it to me. I stored the original front sheet-metal "in a farmer's barn"  in Indianapolis and when I went to retrieve it he refused to give it back to me. It was Admiral Blue and in perfect condition. My replacement fenders are fine but the hood sides are horrible. Consequently if you know someone who purchased a blue front clip from the Indianapolis area, it was probably mine. It appears as though I have an extra hood side stored in the car. I stripped the paint off the body years ago and the car has been in dry storage ever since. Overall the body is just about perfect, not counting the hood. I hope to receive the car in Madison, IN sometime in the next three weeks and will keep up some progress reports.

[carlhungness]

I tried to attach these photos on my last post and they seemingly didn't load. Trying again.

[carlhungness]

More Photos

[Steve Passmore]

I've got lots of nosy questions. You gave it away,  Why? when?  You stored the front in a barn, when? since you have had it back or when you gave it away?    Why wouldn't the farmer let you have it back?  How long did you store it there? Did you owe him money? and what has he done with it?  Sorry, just my curiosity.

[carlhungness]

Here's a synopsis of me and my LaSalle. I had gone to work at Kenz & Leslie V-8 Service after coming back to Denver from New Orleans. I had run away from home at 15, returned when I was 17. A man named Vic Breeden came into K&L often to have his many vehicles modified. We became friends, he told me, "You're pretty sharp but not as sharp as you thin k you are." A couple of years later I tried to get into the University of Colorado and they denied me entry, no high school diploma, no SAT tests. About an hour after being rejected I was on a bus and came across a TIME magazine article that said two-thirds of those who enter four year degree programs don't graduate. I revisited the Registrar and used my profanity laced vocabulary to tell him he was a jerk and his job was to help people get an education. He relented and let me in for no credit.
     I had placed a 7-1 bet on Cassius Clay to beat Sonny Liston in their first championship bout on Feb. 25, 1964 and won. I quit work and began buying and selling cars. I was hitchhiking in Denver when Vic Breeden picked me up and said, "I understand you're a college student now." He said, "I want you to drive a car home for me." We went to Rickenbacker Cadillac and there sat this gorgeous Admiral Blue 1937 LaSalle Opera coupe. Vic began to drive out of the lot, stopped and came back to the coupe and  said, "A college man ought to have a nice car to drive, you just keep this thing until you graduate."
    I drove the car for the next four years, got accepted to George Washington University and the University of Southern California. I attended USC for a year and drove the LaSalle thousands of miles up and down the California coast selling my "Sink Clips" which were little clips that held in sinks to cultured marble tops.
    I gave the car back to Vic Breeden after graduation and a few weeks later I invented a newspaper for the famed United States Auto Club (USAC) to replace their newsletter, thus my name was instantly known throughout open cockpit racing.
    Vic called and said, "You've come a long way from puttin' on hubcaps to being the editor of the USAC NEWS. Charlene (his wife) and I want to give you a graduation present. I visited his home on Lookout Mountain in Colorado and after dinner we went to the garage where he had a brand new Corvette for me, and the LaSalle was sitting next to it. He said, "You really like that LaSalle don't you?" I replied in the affirmative and he said, "Well get the goddamn thing out of here."
    I drove it for the next many years, and he never sent the title. The engine quit, I replaced it with another flathead. Then Vic visited me and saw a 1942 Packard and said, "You ought to buy this." I did and basically restored it  with new paint, upholstery, wiring, Chevy engine etc. I didn't like the Packard, couldn't see out of the right rear. The LaSalle was in pieces, I had taken off the front end and gave it
to a man whose name I don't recall who said he'd store it on his farm. He was a very muscular, intimidating looking man. I must have known, and trusted him.
   I decided I was not going to finish the LaSalle and called up my friend Sam, whom I had worked with at Kenz & Leslie and told him I was going to give him both cars. I did so. Earlier, Vic Breeden had given Sam a nice 1940 LaSalle coupe which he sold.
   About 15 years went by and I tried to trade Sam another '37 coupe for the one I gave him and he didn't want to do the trade. He had not touched the LaSalle. Then a few weeks ago I wrote to his son whom I've known since he was a toddler, he called back and said I could come pick up my old coupe.
    So, sometime in the next two weeks the car will be on its way back to me. I think I purchased a set of side running board trim pieces years ago that are still in the car. But I am going to need hood parts, and Chevrons for the fenders.
    I'll restore the car outwardly, but will put an OHV Cadillac in it along with disc brakes. It will be a daily driver.
     I have logged 110,000 miles in this coupe and plan to do more.
     Personally, I progressed from inventing the USAC NEWS to convincing the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to allow me to produce Carl Hungness' Indianapolis 500 Yearbook, which I did from 1973-1997. The president of the Speedway, Tony George told me, "If you don't sell us your entire company for $36,000 we will take away your credentials and I know that will bankrupt you." The had been beating me up for 18 years to relinquish the title of my yearbook to them for free and ultimately bankrupted me. Here's a couple photos of my publications and some bronze sculptures I have done. The bronzes have been very successful, selling for $50,000 back in the day. I also served an apprenticeship as a violin maker and now play my own instrument in the Hanover College Community Orchestra.
    I have been a motorcycle rider for over 50 years and when I sold a piece of sculpture for $25,000 once about 28 years ago I bought the Vincent Black Shadow I saw when I was 18 and have totally rebuilt it.
    I started creating documentary wall posters in 1968 as a college senior and after being bankrupted went out on the street for the next 13 years selling them door to door. I should have made multimillion's from my unique Harley-Rider brand name, but could not get distribution. I owned the name for wearing apparel as well.
   Now I own an 1850's building in Madison, IN and get enough income so I don't have to be a street salesman any longer.
   Thus if you hear of someone in Indianapolis selling a '37 front clip it may be my old one.

[Steve Strickland]

Carl,

Thank you for sharing your story. I love cars with history and personal attachments.