Convertibles

Convertibles have always been the fantasy cars Americans dream about before they buy sedans or station wagons. One of the snappiest convertibles in the early 30s was this '34 Ford with rumble seat. In fact, it was not a true convertible, but was a roadster. Most collectors say a convertible must have a power top and roll-up side glass.

This '37 LaSalle is a true convertible. The LaSalle was a smaller "companion car" introduced by Cadillac in 1927 and built through 1940. It was not a commercial success, but it was definitely an aesthetic and historical success. The first LaSalle was the first car to be designed by a new profession, the stylist. Always a fashionable and beautiful car, it ate into sales of the more expensive Cadillac and did not fare well against the "Junior" Packards and the Lincoln Zephyr. The LaSalle was discontinued in 1940 after 205,000 had been built.

One of the big successes of the Depression era was the Mercury, launched by Ford Motor Co. with the '39 model, shown here. The Mercury filled the fairly large price gap between the Ford and Lincoln lines. The brainchild of Edsel Ford, it greatly enhanced Ford Motor Co.'s position in the immediate pre-war and, more importantly, in the post-war market.