General Motors' Redesigned Four-Door Sedan Bodies for 1940

Aside from limited-production eight-passenger/limousine bodies, in 1940 General Motors had three mass-production automobile bodies named A, B, and C.  The redesigned for 1940 A-Bodies were used by the entry-level Chevrolet brand as well as some Pontiacs and Oldsmobiles.  C-Bodies, also new for 1940, were for Cadillac's new Series 62 and LaSalles' Series 52, along with some Buicks and top-of-their-lines Oldsmobiles and Pontiacs.  By 1942 some Chevrolets used C-Bodies.  B-Bodies in 1940 were carryover from a 1939 redesign.  They were found on mid-range Pontiacs and Oldsmobiles, Buick Specials and Centurys, and entry-level LaSalles.

This post deals with four-door sedans of each of the body platforms.  It's part history and part spotter's guide.  Unless noted, images below are of cars listed for sale.

Gallery

C-Bodies

Cadillac 62 Sedan, Barrett-Jackson photo
C-Body four-door sedans are easy to spot because they are a four-window type.

LaSalle 52 Touring Sedan
LaSalles were the best-selling cars in Cadillac's line.  But the brand was replaced for 1941 by the Cadillac 60 Series that continued the use of C-Bodies.

Buick Roadmaster Touring Sedan, Hyman Auctions photo
This photo shows that trunks were now well-integrated into GM bodies.

Oldsmobile Series 90 Sedan, Barrett-Jackson
Line-topping 90 Series Olds' received C-bodies, mid-range 70 Series Olds' had B-Bodies and the entry-level 60 Series had A-Bodies.  This arrangement held for Pontiac's three lines.  C-Body sedans were attractive, but not exciting-looking.

Pontiac Torpedo Sedan
The Pontiac brand was the next-to-lowest on GM's totem pole, but its Torpedo line did get C-bodies.  Compare this photo with the one above, noting the comparatively stubby hood and front end of the Pontiac.  A casual viewer of this and the LaSalle pictured earlier might not realize that they shared the same basic body.


A- and B-Bodies

Chevrolet Special DeLuxe Sedan
A 1940 Chevrolet four-door sedan A-Body.

Chevrolet Special DeLuxe Sedan, auction photo
Now for a comparison with the B-Body introduced in 1939.  The A-Body Chevy pictured here is a six-window type, and all the windows' corners are radiused.

Buick Century Sedan
A 1940 Buick sporting a B-Body.  It also has six windows, and at first glance might seem the same as the Chevrolet in the previous image.  But there are differences. The trunk of the B-Body is more squared-off, less gently curved.  The B-pillar and C-pillar window corners along the beltline are sharp, not radiused.

Pontiac Special Sedan
Entry-level '40 Pontiac showing the curved A-Body trunk lid.

LaSalle 50 Touring Sedan, auction photo
This shows a top-of-the-B-Body-line four-door sedan with its more squared-off trunk.