While tripping merrily through the mail, Tim Campbell was overheard
 JD> BTW. The last year for the LaSalle was 1940.
 TC> Sorry John, 1940 was not the last year for LaSalle.  They went on into
 TC> 1943 at least.  I think the war got in the way. 
FWIW, My "Car Spotter's Guide" doesn't list a LaSalle after 1940 (although
it's not a "definitive" listing).  Also, 1942 was the last model year before 
the war for ANY American car maker, with new "post war" models in late 1945 
for the 1946 model year, and even these were usually "rehashes" of pre-war
designs.  It wasn't really until about 1948-1949 for most makers that really
"New" cars came out.
Also, I know this thread started about the first automatic transmission.  
The GM may well have been the first "production" automatic, but I have read
that Pierce-Arrow had some sort of "clutchless automatic" as early as the
1920's.
Don
... He then left in a Huff (A small German sportscar).
---
---------------