The Petersen Automotive Museum is showcasing a pivotal chapter in General Motors history with a new video feature on the LaSalle II concept cars, first unveiled at the 1955 GM Motorama. Hosted by Jonee Eisen, Associate Curator at the Petersen, the video is part of the museum’s Marvelous Motorama exhibit, which highlights the groundbreaking designs of the GM “dream cars” from the 1950s.
GM’s Motorama ran from 1949 to 1961, and was much more than the traditional car show we know today. It was more of a traveling “spectacle,” combining automotive innovations with live performances, music, and cutting-edge product demonstrations.
However, at the center of this exhibition were the concept cars, or “dream cars,” previewing features and designs that often anticipated broader automotive trends by decades.
The video spotlights the LaSalle II Roadster and Sedan. After the discontinuation of the LaSalle brand in 1940, Harley Earl, GM’s legendary head of styling, envisioned reviving LaSalle to once again serve as a sister brand to Cadillac with models that were smaller and slightly less expensive. The Roadster, with its fiberglass body and sleek design, was aimed at challenging European sports cars, and featured innovative elements like an independent rear suspension and side scoops that later inspired the 1957 Chevy Corvette.
Meanwhile, the Sedan reflected more European influences with compact dimensions with futuristic features like a bubble windshield, wraparound rear window, and an aluminum roof, all hallmarks of Space Age aesthetics.
Despite their innovation, the LaSalle II cars were non-functional and housed experimental all-aluminum V6 engines, a concept well ahead of its time.
Notably, the survival story behind these “dream cars” is as fascinating as their design – following GM’s directive to destroy the Motorama cars to protect proprietary technologies, six vehicles were secretly saved and hidden in a junkyard during the late 1950s. Decades later, collector Joe Bortz recovered them in the 1980s, restoring most while leaving the LaSalle II Sedan untouched to preserve its original state.
Check out the full feature video right here:
Comment
I worked at the Tech Center in the 80s. Every day, on my way home, I would see that “Warhoops” junkyard sign and wondered what might be stashed there. I should have looked.