Styling was at the height of the great evolutionary transition from boxy cars with discrete elements such as fenders, running boards, headlight assemblies, non-integrated trunks and such to designs that blended those features with the appearance of streamlining. Given the pathbreaking, it's not surprising that most designs of that era seem awkward to us because stylists were groping for attractive themes while constrained by the state of metal and glass shaping art of the time (that also was in a period of change).
Today's post deals with coupé styling by GM's Art and Colour group led by the famous Harley Earl. Such cars might be expected to be stylish because coupes are intrinsically less massive than four-door sedans. Yet it wasn't until the 1940 introduction of GM's C-body line that its coupes were really nice looking.
Chevrolet Master DeLuxe, Pontiac and Oldsmobile sported new, all-steel bodies for 1935, including this 4-window coupe. Steel pressing technology at the time required the rounded passenger greenhouse seen here. Probably stylists drew rounded window profiles as a continuation of the shaping theme.
However, many coupes with those bodies were two-window affairs such as this.
GM introduced new bodies for 1937. Chevrolet had its own body set, some cars from other brands sharing them.
This is a coupe using the longer-wheelbase 1937 B-body. Window framing is less rounded, but the curve transitioning the greenhouse to the trunk is similar.
Small Olds Six coupes looked like this with their 1937-1938 bodies.
This new body was shared with 1939 Chevrolet and Pontiac's Quality Six series coupes, all with wheelbases in the 111 to 115 inch range. The front door is similar to that in the previous photo.
Coupes with longer wheelbase B-bodies such as this Pontiac got a passenger greenhouse with a horizontal beltline and other crisper, less rounded, details.
Now for a closer look at LaSalle. Tis coupe has the same basic body as the Pontiac in the previous image.
That body was carried over to Series 50 LaSalles for 1940.
But LaSalle was also given GM's new C-series bodies for 1940 on the brand's new Series 52. These were very attractive cars -- an interesting combination of massive and lean features. Especially the passenger compartment greenhouse is larger, better-proportioned than previous GM four-window coupes.
