Automobile Lasalle Series 345-C Five-Passenger Town Sedan 1933 in vendita

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Sold | $22,400 USD

One of 3,381 LaSalles produced for 1933 and one of only 752 Five-Passenger Town Sedans built that model year
Formerly owned by Pennsylvania-born Broadway and silent-film actress Clare Krall
Later inherited by her niece, Clare K. Lane of Pennsylvania
Believed to be in preserved, largely original condition
Displaying just 9,614 miles at the time of cataloguing
A CCCA Full Classic

For the 1933 model year, LaSalle offered its new Series 345-C in eight different body styles—seven by Fisher and one by Fleetwood. As in years past, its styling and features borrowed liberally from big brother Cadillac. For 1933, that meant a new radiator and grille design, deeply skirted fenders, no-draft ventilation, and vacuum-assisted brakes. All 1933 LaSalles were powered by an L-head V-8 engine with a cast-iron block and aluminum crankcase, backed by a three-speed synchromesh transmission with a twin-disc clutch. Despite the model’s inherent beauty and quality, the depths of the Great Depression limited total LaSalle production for 1933 to just 3,381 cars.

This particular Five-Passenger Town Sedan was one of only 752 examples built to this design by Fisher on LaSalle’s 136-inch-wheelbase chassis. According to a copy of its build record on file, it was originally finished in Glenbrook Green with a black roof, rear quarter panels, mouldings, window offsets, and fenders, complemented by Billiard Green pinstriping and color-matched wheels. Equipment included dual side-mounted spares with metal covers and LaSalle’s distinctive “Torpedo” radiator mascot. Ordered in August 1933, the car was shipped to Brooklyn, New York, on 6 September.

The LaSalle is believed to have been originally purchased by actress Clare Krall. A native of Schaefferstown in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania—not far from Hershey—Krall was a member of a prominent family whose ancestors were said to include Molly Pitcher, William Penn, and Lord Fairfax. She graduated from Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania, at the age of 15, with honors in classical, musical, and elocutionary courses, and parlayed those talents into a successful stage career spanning from the 1890s until her marriage to New York banking executive Harry Freeman in the 1920s.

Her early performances were with the Lebanon Academy of Music, but Krall eventually made her way to Broadway, where she appeared in the original cast of John Cort’s 1912 production of C.O.D. and was later cast by Arthur Hammerstein in the 1913 musical comedy High Jinks. She also made the transition to silent film, appearing in several shorts under the name Clare Kroell. A highlight of her film career came with her portrayal of Russian Princess Parlova in the 1914 feature The Million Dollar Mystery. During the height of her career, Krall was photographed by noted southern society photographer O. Pierre Havens; a copy of this period portrait accompanies the car.

Krall apparently acquired the LaSalle during her married life while residing in Roslyn, on the North Shore of Long Island, New York. Intriguingly, multiple Sunoco A to Z Lubrication reminder stickers from the Roslyn Estates Garage remain affixed to the driver’s door jamb, tangible evidence of the car’s early life there.

The LaSalle later passed to Krall’s niece, Clare K. Lane of Pennsylvania, in whose name it was titled in April 1988. A history and geography teacher, Lane was an avid chronicler of her family’s past and preserved the LaSalle as part of a large collection of material relating to generations of the Krall and Lane families. She would cherish the car at her home for more than 23 years before it was offered at her living estate auction in 2012, an event noteworthy enough to receive coverage in the local newspaper. The LaSalle is believed to have been acquired there by Mike Omay and was subsequently acquired by James G. Robinson.

Remarkably well preserved, the LaSalle displays the graceful aging expected of a car that has apparently escaped comprehensive restoration. Its finishes show the passage of time but are believed to remain largely as they left the factory, aside from normal wear items replaced over the decades. At the time of cataloguing, its odometer displayed just 9,614 miles, a figure that appears consistent with the surviving lubrication stickers, although Lane’s 1988 title does not record mileage and therefore the total cannot be independently confirmed.

Like all LaSalles, this Series 345-C is recognized by the Classic Car Club of America as a Full Classic, making it eligible for CCCA judging and CARavan tours. It is accompanied by a copy of its LaSalle build record, a copy of the period photograph of Clare Krall, and newspaper clippings chronicling her career.

With its remarkably preserved character, fascinating history, and association with a Broadway and silent-film actress from the golden age of American theatre, this 1933 LaSalle offers considerably more than its handsome Fisher coachwork alone. Its gently aged finishes and remarkably low indicated mileage convey the kind of authenticity that cannot be recreated—a compelling survivor whose character has been earned over more than nine decades.To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/auctions/hf26/.

1933 LaSalle Series 345-C Five-Passenger Town Sedan by Fisher | RM Sotheby's | The Hershey Auction

1933 LaSalle Series 345-C Five-Passenger Town Sedan by Fisher | RM Sotheby's | The Hershey Auction

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