SPECIAL HARLEY EARL LEGACY ISSUE

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Phone: (509) 329-6018 lasalleappreciationsociety@gmail com

A ' ri l ,- a y . / 0 1 2 o lu me I , Is s ue 3

0arley $arl1 "2tomoti3e *esign Pioneer

By Ronald E. arson! President! A"#

Inside This Issue: Issue:

Harley Earl, Automotive Design Pioneer The Prewar Automobile Industry Breakthrough on an 87 !r" #ld $ontroversy $hoosing a $ar %or &estoration, 't" III Designing (omen) Earl*s Damsels o% Design Ameri+an Automobile $lubs 1 1 2 2 2 3

Before the introduction of the LaSalle in 1927, the automobile was all about function, not form. Henry Fords odel !"# was $irtually the same throu%hout its history and there was little concern for ma&in% it aesthetically 'leasin%. (t was merely a means for %ettin% from 'oint ) to 'oint B* Stylin% sim'ly ne$er entered the 'icture, althou%h you could 'urchase the odel !"# in any color you wanted, (as long as it was black). +nter Harley +arl, the !,a-inci of ,etroit#, and e$erythin% chan%ed* .ith the introduction of the LaSalle, both form )/, function became im'ortant. )/, "H+ 01BL(2 3+S04/,+,* So did the entire automobile industry* (n this issue, we 'ay tribute to the man most res'onsible for %i$in% us an automobile which was not only functional but was also B+)1"(F1L. (f that were his only accom'lishment, he would deser$e our hearty accolades on this, the 56th anni$ersary of his 'assin%, but this doesnt e$en be%in to scratch the surface of his many accom'lishments.

.e are 'leased to ha$e as a %uest contributor in this issue (and hopefully in succeeding issues), r. 3ichard +arl, who is the youn%est %randson of the %reat Harley +arl. 0lease en8oy the interestin% insi%hts he offers in this !Le%acy# issue. )nd finally, allow me to than& you, our readers, for the way in which you continue to welcome and recei$e each issue of the L)S)LL+ )FF(2()/),4. .e are %rateful for the many 'ositi$e res'onses we ha$e recei$ed and continue to recei$e as well as hel'ful constructi$e criticisms. 0lease &ee' them comin%* .e lo$e to hear from you* (f you ha$e a story to share about your LaSalle or 'erha's a historical or technical issue, 'lease share it. 3emember, the L)S4 is all about you* .ere listenin%*

,he Pre4ar "2tomo5ile &n62stry in *etroit

By Ronald E. arson! President! A"#

)fter the turn of the century there were 126 automobile com'anies in the ,etroit area. otown became the e'icenter of automobile manufacturin% because of its 'ree7istin% sto$e castin%, ci%ar ma&in% and food 'rocessin% industries. "he otor 2ity had 'ro7imity to the nations ma8or centers of coal, iron, and co''er minin%. (n addition it was easily accessible by water, rail and land. 0roduction techni9ues were 'erfected by immi%rants, drawn to the o''ortunities of reli%ious freedom and 'ros'erity in /orth )merica.

By 1916, 1: out of the countrys 16 most 'o'ular car brands were in ,etroit. "ycoons and munici'al e7ecuti$es 'artnered to create a metro'olis that attracted millions from around the %lobe. )utomobile com'anies recruited s&illed craftsman and desi%ners from +uro'e, )sia and )ustralia. "he allurement of the ;6 a day labor rate dro$e the ho'eless and 'oor, whites and blac&s from sharecro''in% in the south to northern automobile 'lants. (f you were homeless, colored, an immi%rant, or a non<+n%lish s'ea&er you could find a middle class career with a 'ension and full benefits. (ncreased com'etition in the industry dro$e wa%es hi%her and car 'rices lower thus %eneratin% 'roduct im'ro$ements. 2om'anies were com'etin% for their share of the e7tra$a%ant and affluent automobile mar&et. 0resident .illiam "aft declared !( am sure the automobile comin%
Please see Prewar Automobile Industry on page 3

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" 7rea8thro2gh on an 89--ear (l6 'ontro3ersy

By Ri$hard Earl! Earl! (uest %ontributor

(ts es'ecially si%nificant that the name of 2adillacs chief en%ineer, +rnest .. Seaholm, accom'anies the moni&er of Harley =. +arl, H=+, on the first La Salle automobile 'atent. Because, contrary to 'o'ular belief these days (most savvy auto aficionados believe HJE was just a " tylist"), it 'ro$es r. +arl was a %ifted en%ineer. "he followin% story of the LaSalle starts off with Harley mo$in% to ,etroit from Hollywood, 2alifornia. "he moment this man arri$ed in )merica>s auto ca'ital in 1927 to be%in remodelin% and 're<en%ineerin% ?eneral otors car lines, tensions were hi%h* "his es'ecially held

true with the myriad of hi%h le$el en%ineers inside this com'any for they could sniff chan%e was in the wind when H=+ recei$ed s'ecial treatment from the Fisher family and es'ecially Lawrence 0. BL0C Fisher, and ri%ht from the %et %o it was e$ident Harley had fi7ed thin%s ahead of time to ha$e some one<of<a<&ind mandate with many of ? >s to' leaders and lar%est shareholders. .ithout it, H=+ would ha$e ne$er %i$en u' his successful customiDin% business for mo$ie stars and millionaires stars in sunny southern 2alifornia to mo$e to ,etroit, ichi%an with its lon% winters. (t was on account of this arran%ement with L0 Fisher, the %eneral mana%er of ? s elite 2adillac brand, that was the ultimate deal ma&in% ace<in<the<hole for Harley. (t enabled him to %ain a foothold ed%e o$er the le%ions of traditional cor'orate en%ineers within ? when theyd come at him for a fi%ht re%ardin% the body style, and they always did. But o$er the years that followed headin% into the 19:Es, each en%ineer who fou%ht him, always ended u' re%rettin% it. For ob$ious reasons, r. +arl ne$er chose to 'ublicly tal& about all the delicious 'ressure %oin% on around ? >s new and more modern en%ineerin% desi%ns he was doin% inside ? s newly formed )rt F 2olour Section that was an all new de'artment dedicated to Harleys dream of what a ? car should be. Harley won this Please see A Brea/through& on page '

'27 LaSalle patent above. The filing date on this seminal patent above was ov. 15, 1926. t this time, !". #a"l was still an o$tside", living in %oll&wood, 'alifo"nia and a(ting as a )(ons$lting enginee") to 'adilla(. The patent is of 'adilla(*s othe"+b"othe", the new *27 L S LL#. This was the fi"st p"ofessionall& designed a$tomobile b& and a"tist,enginee" to eve" "oll off an assembl& line in -et"oit. fte" the deb$t, it be(ame an instant sales s$((ess selling ove" 27,... $nits its fi"st &ea"/.

'hoosing a 'ar :or +estoration1 part &&&

By A" "ta))

*esigning ;omen: $arl<s *amsels o: *esign

By *iranda +arrison! A"# "ta)) "ta))

) few final thou%hts on choosin% that $inta%e collector $ehicle@ 4f 'rime im'ortance, if you e7'ect your $ehicle to ha$e any resale $alue is to ensure that you are 'urchasin% a numbers matching car. Aour cars -ehicle (dentification /umber Bor -(/C, is used by the automoti$e industry Band the insurance industryC as a uni9ue serial number to identify your and distin%uish your car from all the others. (t can be decoded to 'ro$ide your insurer an accurate descri'tion of your $ehicle often includin% many o'tions with which it was e9ui''ed at the
Please see $hoosing a %ar& on page '

Bein% the only female on the L)S4 staff, and a female LaSalle lo$er in a male<dominated hobby, ( thou%ht that an article on Harley +arls !,amsels of ,esi%n# would be an a''ro'riate way to honor r. +arls le%acy. "here is, howe$er, 'recious little information readily a$ailable on these 'ioneerin% women in what is still a male dominated 'rofession today. r. +arl was not 8ust ahead of his time in brin%in% stylin% to ,etroit, but was one of the first to boldly solicit the !feminine touch# when desi%nin% automobiles, choosin% color combinations Bboth interior fabric and e7terior 'aintC, !female friendly# features, and e$en the namin% many of ? s automobiles. r. +arl brou%ht the first woman desi%ner on board in 195:* .ith the ad$ent of 'ower steerin%, 'ower bra&es, and automatic transmissions, more and more women were dri$in%, and becomin% more influential in family Please -omen& & on page . Please see ,esigning -omen

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"merican "2tomo5ile 'l25s

By 0ohn Agamon! A"# "ta))

(n 19E2, there were an estimated 2:,EEE motoriDed $ehicles com'ared to 17 million horsesG$arious ma&es with $aried desi%ns and styles. )rchi$es indicate at least HE motor clubs were %enerated by the collecti$e interests of car lo$ers. For a number of reasons ( would wa%er that )LL of the members loo&ed li&e meGwhite male. )utomobile clubs were a 'lace for members to study, socialiDe, and $enerate the brand. 3ecent statistics indicate that traditional car clubs are at a crossroads. )ttrition and the annual 9uietus rate is a''ro7imately 1EI. "oday the hobby member color continues to mirror my ima%e. "his 'ath will lead to e7tinction. For e7am'le, there are more non<2L2 2adillac and LaSalle car owners in other clubs than 2L2 members by a ratio of ten to one. ?enerally s'ea&in% today>s auction buyers are not students of automobiles 8ust turn<&ey s'ecialists or tro'hy room builders. Aummies Byoun% urban malesC are buyin% electronic toys instead of cars for fun. 4ur ob8ecti$e should not be to ")3?+" women and minorities. "he )( should be to in$ite and retain automobile enthusiasts %lobally that H)00+/ to be women and minorities. .hether we li&e it or not, this is the demo%ra'hic with funds to fuel the automobile club hobby. 4nce firmly im'lanted we can en%ineer their dri$e to be club leaders. "he %rowth of our hobby is more im'ortant than our anima. .e want this crossroad to be a freeway to a successful car club in the future. (f you are 'onderin% why you should 8oin the L)S4 the answer is elementary. .e do not ha$e directors or e7ecuti$es. Aou 8ust need a desire to ha$e fun and an affinity for the Harley +arl LaSalle brand. "his or%aniDation is free and im'lemented by you the team member. .e e7ist to assist e$ery LaSalle owner family with all of their needs. 4ur %oal is a friendshi' with the 'erson first, then your LaSalle. +n%a%e "hat ?ear

in as a toy of the wealthier class is %oin% to 'ro$e the most useful tool of them all, to all classes, rich and 'oor.# For the common man, ? and ,u0ont introduced the conce't of 'urchasin% a $ehicle on credit with the establishment of the ?eneral otors )cce'tance 2or'oration in 1919. ? )2 by'assed financin% throu%h ban&s, and sales lea'ed for ? . (n 192H, 76I of all automoti$e ac9uisitions were transacted by credit. (n 1926, the 1nited States a$era%e for annual consumer %asoline consum'tion e7ceeded 57: %allons. )utomobiles were both a necessity for tra$el and a status symbol for those with e%os. 0rohibition created a meltin% 'ot for carousin% in a s'ea&easy, but the Blueblood wanted his carria%e to distin%uish his ele$ated status. "he .orld 2lass ,ri$er wanted style and o'ulence from his 'iece of trans'ortation. "he )ristocrat wanted to differentiate himself from the !hoi polloi! by the barouche he steered. "he horse became his 'et instead of his tra$el com'anion. )fter the crash of 1927, a wa$e of automobile com'anies san& amid 'oor mana%ement, increased com'etition and the decline of the u''er class. any firms were mer%in% with more 'rofitable com'anies to stay afloat. "he streets were lined with families newly destitute searchin% for a daily meal. Schools were $acant due to the abandonment of the 're$ious lu7ury of learnin%. ,ri$in% throu%h urban streets in a beautiful chariot was seen as %asconadin% and 'om'ous. ost u''er and middle class owners of hi%her end $ehicles also needed a re%ular car to na$i%ate safely in 'ublic. )lfred Sloan %a$e a youn% desi%ner, Harley +arl, the o''ortunity to sol$e this conundrum with the launch of his LaSalle. (n the 19:Es ? became the mar&et leader with Ford sli''in% to second and 2hrysler third. Statistics re$eal the B(? : were res'onsible for 9EI of total car sales. Ford wanted to continue the hi%h 'rofit use of mass 'roduction, mandatory o$ertime, unfair 'romotion 'ractices, and unsafe wor&in% conditions. He re8ected the 19:6 .a%ner )ct establishin% trade union ri%hts. He refused to 8oin 2hrysler and ? in their 'ost stri&e a%reements with the 1nited )utomobile .or&ers 1nion ("#$). (nstead, he used com'any enforcers and s'ies to a$oid unioniDation. "he 19:7 !Battle of the 4$er'ass,# in which the enforcers attac&ed and se$erely in8ured can$assin% union re'resentati$es, mar&ed an historic moment in labor union e$olution. Ford was censured by the /ational Labor 3elations Board. He finaliDed a contract with the 1). in 1951.
Please see Prewar Automobile Industry on page '

John Agamon

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)t the end of the 0rewar +ra, the now oli%o'olistic ,etroit )utomoti$e (ndustry be%an focusin% on mar&etin% strate%ies and 'roduct inno$ation as o''osed to unsa$ory business 'ractices to secure their sustainability. "he tra%edy of 0earl Harbor brou%ht a tem'orary end to the fulfillment of the )merican dream and to the automoti$e boon. "he re%ular
A BREA4T+R#1(+& )rom page 2

automoti$e wor&er was called to defend his country and his s'ouse too& his 'lace on the line, to now 'roduce war materials. "his %lobal catastro'he stalled the rise of ,etroit as the )utomoti$e 2a'ital of the .orld.

trust of the cor'oration because hed built nearly a thousand s'ecial custom bodies, out .est, that sold for to' dollars. any of these sensational desi%ns won to' auto show awards before his in$ol$ement with ? , and ultimately, it was this mans wor& that e$entually cau%ht the attention of the Fisher Brothers who in$ited him to come to ,etroit !to ma&e a difference# desi%nin% all of ? s cars. "hus be%an his lon% auto desi%n odyssey that 'ut his ,/) in e$ery car ? made in the future.

The onl& othe" La Salle patent in e0isten(e, feat$"ed above, is the slip+st"eamed 1912 'adilla( La Salle3 noti(e too, the"e*s onl& one enginee"*s name on this one4

Harley was ne$er 'i%eonholed in one 'osition li&e most auto e7ecs and he didnt e$er climb the cor'orate ladder, so to s'ea&. (nstead, he built his own ladder that went on to
%hoosing a %ar& )rom page 2

re$olutioniDe the entire industry of ma&in% cars, for Harley in$ented the )utomobile ,esi%n 0rofession.

factory. "hese numbers also a''ear on other 'arts of your car (like the t%ansmission, the %ea% a&le, and chassis). ) numbers matchin% car will ensure that these 'arts were all on the car when it left the factory. 4ther 'arts that could be numbered include the alternatorJ%enerator, carburetor, distributor, water 'um' and heads, amon% others, and while it would be interestin% to see all these numbers matchin% also, it isnt as crucial as the first three, because on older cars, many of these items ha$e been re'laced a time or two (hopefully with new old stock ('( ) 'arts. How rare is the vehicle? ) little research will tell you how many of a 'articular model were built. 4b$iously, the less that were manufactured, the more rare that car will be, and that can certainly dri$e the 'rice youll 'ay, but you must also realiDe that this will mean that a$ailable 'arts will be more difficult to find. /e$er 'ass u' a chance to 'urchase s'are 'arts, e$en if you dont need them now* Original paint. "here are many collectors who are concerned

about 'reser$ation and will choose not to restore a $ehicle and would rather lea$e the $ehicle in its ori%inal state with all its 'atina* (f you car has its ori%inal 'aint 8ob and its still 'resentable, %i$e some thou%ht to not re'aintin%, and if you do 'lan a com'lete restoration with ma8or body wor&, if you &ee' the car the ori%inal color, it will retain its $alue much better than if you choose a color that wasnt in $o%ue in its day. "here are certainly other items to consider, but if you %i$e consideration to the thou%hts ($e shared in these three monthly articles, you will ha$e the information you need to ma&e an informed buyin% decision. From 'ersonal e7'erience, the most difficult thin% you will face is &ee'in% emotion out of the decision. (f we didnt L4-+ cars, we wouldnt be loo&in% to own one* /ow its decision time. ,o you ha$e the time, a'titude, ca'ital, and fortitude to see this throu%h to com'letionK Ha''y motorin%*

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automobile 'urchases. r. +arl was determined to ta&e ad$anta%e of that trend. "hat, as you mi%ht ima%ine, was not without o''osition. (n a ay 2H, 1967, 'ress release, ()ong afte% the )a alle had been put to %est) +arl is 9uoted as sayin%@ !LBesides bein% color and fabric s'ecialists, our women desi%ners are tuned es'ecially to the woman dri$er>s 'roblems and they>$e tau%ht us a lotL "hey are stron% ad$ocates of the si7<way seat for %reater comfort and $isibility. "hey ha$e desi%ned windshield wi'er &nobs and other dashboard controls which are easier to find at ni%ht. )nd, of course, they are always on the loo&<out for anythin% that mi%ht sna% their nylonsL So many talented %irls are enterin% our field of desi%n that in three or four years, women may be desi%nin% car e7teriors.# SuDanne -anderbilt, one of r. +arls !,amsels# who is best noted for her wor& with 2he$rolet, is credited with the followin% 9uote@ M/ot too lon% a%o, mana%ement %a$e the women desi%ners at ? Stylin% the o''ortunity to e7'ress our $iew'oints on cars desi%ned es'ecially for women. +ach %irl was as&ed to desi%n two cars for the ,i$isional Studio in which she wor&ed. .e were as&ed to choose new fabrics and e7terior colors and ori%inate new trim desi%n and hardware. "hese feminine cars caused much comment and were fa$orably recei$ed by cor'orate mana%ement and others. But ( thin& the most si%nificant
The LASO is a PROUD SUPPORTER of the WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT We encoura e !ou to "oin us is su##ortin A$ERICA%S HEROES&

thin% about this 'ro%ram is that the desi%ns were as a''ealin% to the men who saw them as the women. (t was desi%ners> 'aradise, and we 'articularly en8oyed 'ro$in% to our male counter'arts that we are not in the business to add lace doilies to seat bac&s or rhinestones to the car'ets, but to ma&e the automobile 8ust as usable and attracti$e to both men and women as we 'ossibly can.M

Sadly, when r. +arl retired from ? , his successor had no lo$e for the !,amsels#, but from 195: to 1969, nine women %ot to desi%n some truly inno$ati$e conce'ts that would ha$e im'ro$ed the automobile, had r. +arls successors cared to listen.

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PLEASE PAT O!"#E O$

A%&E T"SE S ' THE( )A*E TH"S !E+SLETTE POSS",LE

!a#alle "ppreciation #ociety (rgani>ation

Phone: (509) 329-6018
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lasalleappreciationsociety@gmail com

LASO Logo Polo ShirtsSince res'onse has been o$erwhelmin% and our first order has sold out, we$e decided to ta&e orders for a bul& 'urchase* "his will enable us to offer shirts at a re.uce. price, thus, ma&in% it a$ailable to more 'eo'le. .ith an order of fifty or more we can offer these shirts for ;2EJeach. "hats a /0.12 savings 'er shirt* Shi''in% will remain the same. .hen we reach our 6E shirt %oal, we will 'lace the order. )t the rate these are sellin%, it wont be lon%* Aoull ha$e them in time for car show season* )$ailable in /a$y Blue for onl3 /45.55 $S% plus /2.55 shipping. 0roceeds from this 'roduct will enable us to ser$e LaSalle 4wner Families. 2ontact us at lasalleappreciationsociet36gmail.com with 9uantity and siDe re9uirements.

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