1940 La Salle Convertible Sedan Information Needed

[Lukaszek]

Hello CLC members, I am new to this forum and CLC and this is my first post.  I recently acquired a collection of antique and classic cars, one of which is a 1940 La Salle Convertible Sedan, another a 1958 Cadillac Convertible. I understand the La Salle is quite rare being 1 of 75 built and the last year for La Salle but I have not found any reliable valuations.  I am looking to sell this one but I'm unsure if I should take it to auction and let the bidders decide or determine it's value and post it for sale, any help with valuation would sure be appreciated. I received a bunch of documentation and receipts with the car and have summarized it as follows:

1940 LaSalle Series 54 Convertible Sedan
Chassis Number 4E11459
332ci Straight Eight 130hp
1 of only 75 Convertible Sedans produced in 1940 (Last Year of LaSalle Motor Company)
Navy Blue, Red Leather Upholstery, Beige cloth top
Clean Clear Arizona title indicates mileage unknown; Odometer currently reads 2652 miles

Documented History:
Older Concours Restoration to showroom condition
First shown at the 1994 Meadowbrook Concours d'Elegance
Later shown at the 2004 Cranbrook Concours d'Elegance
2006 – Sold at RM Auction Amelia Island $60,500
2013 – Listed for sale by Hyman, Ltd. Classic Cars - St Louis, MO for $62,500
September 2013 – Purchased by Paradise Valley, AZ auto collector for $56,000
September 3013 through March 2024 – over $10,000 spent on service and maintenance
March 2024 – Acquired as part of the entire collection. Carburetor was rebuilt starts, runs, drives, and still looks great.
All receipts, documented history, and an original shop manual are included.

Thanks in advance for any and all information and/or offers.

[Bob Hoffmann CLC#96]

The trick is to sell private party & not have to pay usurious auction fees. Also the # you list is NOT the VIN. It's the engine unit #. The VIN is stamped on the LH frame rail near the cowl.
HTH, Bob
 

[Barry M Wheeler #2189]

I have heard from friends that selling on "Bring a Trailer" will sometimes bring good results. Although, I would also place a reserve on the car, as even very nice older cars aren't bringing what one might have expected some years ago. One thing they mentioned was to take lots and LOTS of pictures.

Even with the known 60K result some time ago, it is possible that you might not realize anything close to that figure nowadays. So, you might have to make a couple of stabs at disposing of the car. Best of luck.

[Tom Boehm]

Bob is right, That is the engine unit number, not the vin/chassis number. The frame serial number/vin is on the top of the frame, left side, but on the diagonal closer to the steering box.

Also I'm pretty sure you have a series 52 Lasalle. There was no such series 54 Lasalle.

The serial number confusion is due to the fact the surface on the engine where the engine unit number is stamped also is where the serial number/vin is stamped. The serial number is a 7 digit number with no letters. If the serial number on the engine and the frame match, then that car has the original factory engine. If not then the engine has been  changed at some point. If that is the case, then the serial number on the frame should be the vin number on the title in my opinion.

[Lukaszek]

Thank you for the conversations and information. The Series statement was my typo mistake, it is indeed a Series 52 and all documentation reflects that. The VIN vs engine number is interesting,  all prior sales documentation only refers to the engine number that I have referenced and even the AZ title has this number documented as the VIN.  I'll need to get back down to the storage unit and put some eyeballs on the recommended places to identify the correct numbers.  Thanks again!

PS - I kind of thought the prior owner paid top dollar for this one because he fell in love with it.  I did not expect to net what he paid for the car now but my ballpark thoughts on a reasonable price is 40-50k?

[Tom Boehm]

In my opinion, I would leave the present VIN alone. Especially if you are going to sell the car. There is a history of trouble free ownership transfers with the present VIN. The unit engine number is not the ideal VIN, BUT it is unique to that engine/car and is not technically incorrect.

If a future owner changes the engine for some reason then the VIN on the title would need to be changed to the frame serial number.

[Abe Lugo]

I would 100% make sure the VIN on the chassis matches what ever is on the title or papers you have on the vehicle.  Be it bill of sale or pink. 

To register anywhere out of state these have to match to make it easy on the next guy.

I would do some research on the sales of these in the past couple of years. Compare and formulate an amount you are comfortable getting on it. 

Being that it is rare. Does translate into valuable. 
I saw a reasonable priced 1941 Cad sedan convertible sit for a year before it was finally sold.  Running driving car. 

Just figure out what you're happy with and go from there. 

Post it here if you are a member.

[tcom2027]

Good morning,

Don't enter the byzantine world of DMVs, regardless of state (I live in California.) If the number on the title matches the number on the car even if it's the transmission casting number, use it. Especially if you are going to turn it. I changed the number from the engine number to the chassis number for my Chrysler. It was moderately painful but took time and a couple of trips to the DMV offices. VIN and number on the title are the two most important matching numbers on a classic car.

California and Arizona used engine numbers back when the cars were new.

As for valuation, for a relatively rare car like yours, everything is dependent on condition. Past show records and restoration docs from years ago have value. However current condition says it all. You are selling the car, not the story.

Have an independent appraisal done by a licensed appraiser. It'll cost you around 6-700$. Try to find one versed in prewar cars if possible. You may be able to find a knowledgeable individual in a Cad/Las Club Region near the cars location who is willing to do it.


On marketing the car: Yes, the auction houses are expensive. BJ is around 17% currently, plus there are transport charges, a quick detailing before the sale, a premium for Saturday or Sunday morning placement. I don't know about the Amelia Island or Mecum sales. All have current marketing data on cars they and other auction houses have sold along with the stall prices on reserved cars. They can give a pretty good estimate what the car will bring.

I sold my '41 coupe at Barrett Jackson and did extremely well, even after all the expenses were deducted. Problem with BJ is their focus is on sixties and seventies muscle and pretty much all cars of that era. Consequently prewar buyers aren't attracted to the sales as previously. A big part of their audience is made up of guys viewing the sale as the biggest car show of the year (sorry GoodGuys)

Another alternative is consigning the car to a large outfit like Volo Auto Museum or Gateway. Your car will be featured along with extremely high end offerings. Plus they, as professionals, can give you a ball park value of your car based on pictures, description,  appraisal, etc. Their sales staff may not know enough to know if the correct year and month Libby Owens safety bug on the windshield is  correct or if the starter has the correct starter end plate attached,  they know enough and have research available to answer questions sufficient for anyone but the fussiest (non)buyer. If you decide to consign they will take care of the sale, financing, taxes. shipping etc. Consider that. You won't get lowballed, offered Model As in trade, etc.

You can use BAT, Classic Cars online and any of the other online marketers. I guarantee it will be an experience. BAT is good, but only has a small section for prewar cars. Currently BAT has nine listings, from a Ford 9N tractor to a Packard Super 8 Phaeton. Reading the comments on these cars is interesting.

I tried to sell a couple of cars on ClassicCars.com, Classic Cars for  Sale and AutoTrader. I had no success but was offered a number of interesting trade and financing options along with hearing from brokers touting their services, mostly from LAs Vegas and Florida.

Once you settle on a value by all means advertise it here but you have to be a member to list and respond, as I understand it. Our publication, "The Self Starter" has a classified section. I believe you can advertise in it without being a member.

Classic Car Club of America (CCA) is an excellent source as they have an approved list of cars accepted for membership. Fortunately your '40 is. All LaSalles 1927-1940 are.

 Good luck, Let us Know when you list it and where so we can see the description and get a look at it.

tony