Behind the Wheels
Story and photos by Richard Greene
A STYLISH
CADILLAC COMPANION
I
caught up with Brady and Vickie Richard and their stunning 1931 LaSalle 345A at the recent gathering of a few members of the Classic Car Club of America hosted by Mike and Joy Ames on their expansive lawn in South Arlington. For those not familiar with the CCCA, the organization consists of members who own a “Full Classic” – defined as a distinctive automobile built only between 1915 and 1948. So, the Ames’ annual gathering of about 20 of these unique vehicles offers an opportunity to see some truly amazing and rare domestic and foreign-made automobiles. Every year four or five members in attendance with recently acquired Classics arrive ahead of the audience to “debut” their cars. They are lined up, fully covered, in front of where everyone will be assembled so they can be rather dramatically revealed along with their stories that are always special. These “debutantes” are the center pieces of the occasion, surrounded by the other cars brought by the other guests some that have occupied center stage in previous years. Brady explains his recent acquisition while remotely attending an auction when the LaSalle arrived on the platform: “It just looked too good, and I had to have it.” It was a short and simple declaration, Brady and Vickie Richard are quite proud of their but it captured the essence of a pre-war recently acquired 1931 LaSalle 345A and debuted the General Motors vehicle without a familiar automobile at the Classic Car Club of America event in South Arlington not long ago. GM name. Founded 94 years ago by GM’s thenchairman Alfred Sloan to fill a gap between the company’s Buicks and Cadillacs, LaSalles were produced until 1940. Named after French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, it was considered the second-most prestigious marque in the company’s portfolio. Today, however, its standing in the world of collectors has brought an enhanced pedigree because of its rarity. There were only about 10,000 of the 1931 version like the Richards’ produced that year while GM was delivering some 620,000 Chevrolets and 139,000 Buicks occupying first and third place among all domestic cars built that year. When the LaSalle was first introduced in 1927 it came with an evolutionary design
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ARLINGTON TODAY • January 2022 • arlingtontoday.com
