Mario's Tribute to the 1955 Cadillac LaSalle II Sedan Concept Car

1 1955 Cadillac LaSalle ll Concept Car 4 door Sedan original advertisement.

2 The Engine is a 2.5 Liter V-6 with 150 hp, Independent suspension, fuel injection and turbine-style wheels with brake drums cast into their center sections.

3 The four-door (with the rear doors being the suicide type) had a wheelbase of 108 inches and an overall length of 180.2 inches with a fiberglass body and aluminum roof.

4 1955 Cadillac LaSalle II Sedan. The side coves became a part of future Corvettes in 1956. The hardtop stood 69.5 inches high.

5 1955 Cadillac LaSalle II Sedan. The fiberglass body rests on a custom-built steel frame with an independent suspension utilizing torsion bars in the front.

6 1955 GM Motorama Car Show. GM design chief Harley Earl spearheaded the 1955 Cadillac LaSalle II series Concept cars for that year's GM Motorama traveling auto show.

7 1955 GM Motorama Cadillac LaSalle II sedan on center stage display.

8 1955 Cadillac LaSalle II Sedan Concept Car. The exhausts exited through a port in each lower quarter panel on the sedan.

9 1955 GM Motorama showcasing the LaSalle Sedan and Biscayne Concept Cars.

10 1955 LaSalle II Sedan at the GM Motorama Waldorf Astoria Hotel NYC.

11 Concept Cars at the 1955 GM Motorama Car Show. Harley Earl created two Cadillac LaSalle II dream cars for display at their Motorama Car Shows.

12 Both LaSalle cars featured a range of technological advancements including independent suspension, V6 engines with fuel injection and turbine-style wheels.

13 Original interior of the 1955 Cadillac LaSalle II 4 door sedan.

14 1955 GM Motorama brochure introducing the Cadillac LaSalle Concept Cars.

15 1955 Cadillac LaSalle II 4 door Sedan Review.

16 1955 LaSalle II 4-door hardtop full size clay model at the GM tech center, circa 1954.

17 1955 LaSalle II 4-door sedan at the Warhoop Junk yard in MI as found by Joe Bortz.

18 GM Motorama specialist Joe Bortz found the LaSalle II Sedan in unrestored condition in the late 80’s at the Warhoops Salvage Yard in Michigan.

19 Harry Warholak Jr (L) and Joe Bortz (R) circa 1988. The LaSalle II Sedan remains basically the way it was when discovered by Joe Bortz.

20 One of the 4 cars from the Great Warhoop Find was the 1955 LaSalle Sedan.

21 Finding this car was quite a discovery as the Concept car was originally ordered to be destroyed by GM Management.

22 Out of the 4 Concept cars discovered at the Warhoop salvage yard in 1988 (1956 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham Town Car, 1955 Chevy Biscayne, 1955 LaSalle II Roadster and 1955 LaSalle II Sedan) only the LaSalle Sedan was fully intact but in need of restoration. Joe Bortz eventually restored the other 3 cars and is restoring the Sedan now.

23 The 1955 LaSalle Sedan as it exists today is in basically the same condition that it came out of the junkyard in The Great Warhoops Find of 1988.

24 The windows were replaced by Mel Francis for the showing at Amelia Island in 2013 to emphasize the dramatic lines of the design.

25 The front grilles featured vertical bumpers, bullet guards, and LaS emblems. All 4 Concept Cars are currently on display at the Petersen Auto Museum in California.

26 The LaSalle sedan is currently undergoing restoration and is featured at the Petersen Auto Museum GM’s Marvelous Motorama Dream Cars from the Joe Bortz Collection.