Joe Brienza's 1935 LaSalle

The LaSalle as it appeared before the fire. According to Joe, the car was first restyled in the early 1940s. Photo courtesy of Joe Brienza.

Photo courtesy of Joe Brienza.

The LaSalle as it sat advertised for sale outside Starfish Marine. Photo courtesy of Joe Brienza.

Photo courtesy of Joe Brienza.

Photo courtesy of Joe Brienza.

The LaSalle as it appeared after the fire. Photo courtesy of Joe Brienza.

Photo courtesy of Joe Brienza.

The burnt out interior. Photo courtesy of Joe Brienza.

Photo courtesy of Joe Brienza.

The LaSalle as it sat after Joe had restored and street rodded it. Photo courtesy of Joe Brienza.

Photo courtesy of Joe Brienza.

Photo courtesy of Joe Brienza.

Photo courtesy of Joe Brienza.

Photo courtesy of Joe Brienza.

Photo courtesy of Joe Brienza.

Photo courtesy of Joe Brienza.

Photo courtesy of Joe Brienza.

Photo courtesy of Joe Brienza.

Photo courtesy of Joe Brienza.

When Joe bought the car, it was powered by a 1941 Cadillac V8 engine. During the rebuild, Joe's son rebuilt a Chevrolet 350 with a turbo 400 transmission that Joe installed in the LaSalle. Photo courtesy of Joe Brienza.

Photo courtesy of Joe Brienza.

Photo courtesy of Joe Brienza.

Photo courtesy of Joe Brienza.

Being an upholsterer by trade, Joe upholstered the car himself. Photo courtesy of Joe Brienza.

Photo courtesy of Joe Brienza.

Photo courtesy of Joe Brienza.

Photo courtesy of Joe Brienza.

Photo courtesy of Joe Brienza.

Photo courtesy of Joe Brienza.

Photo courtesy of Joe Brienza.

Photo courtesy of Joe Brienza.

The LaSalle next to a 1934 LaSalle that Joe later bought and restored. Photo courtesy of Joe Brienza.

Photo courtesy of Joe Brienza.

Photo courtesy of Joe Brienza.

1935 LaSalle convertible owned, restored and street rodded by Joe Brienza of Bay Shore, New York. Joe's LaSalle was originally restyled in the early 1940s. This version featured a huge fin on the deck lid of the car. It sat in a museum in Brooklyn for about 20 years before it ended up for sale at the Starfish Marine. The asking price was $1,600. Joe thought it was very ugly, but he could see trough the uglyness, and told the seller he would be back the next day to pick it up. The next day, when Joe returned, he found a burned out mess. The fin was burnt off, and the whole inside of the car was gone. After looking over the car he decided to walk away from the deal. He walked for a while before he turned around for a last glimpse of the old LaSalle. With the ugly fin burnt off Joe could really see the nice lines of the car, and he offered the seller 600 dollars for the burnt out remains. The seller agreed on the price, and Joe took the LaSalle home. The year was 1975, and Joe remembers that everyone told him that he had bitten of more than he could chew. This really motivated him to take on the project. It was a nightmare project as it had many many casted parts that had melted in the fire. Joe had these casted for the restoration. It came with a 1941 Cadillac V8 engine that Joe scrapped in favor of a Chevrolet 350 with a turbo 400 transmission. The rear end was from a 1948 Cadillac. Being an upholsterer by trade, Joe upholstered the car himself in genuine camel colored leather. During the fire, many of the body panels had warped, and Joe had to shrink em all. The build took 2 years to complete, and he did all of the work himself, except for the engine work, that he son performed. Once completed in 1977, The restored version of the car took several awards at many shows. Joe kept the car for many years before he eventually sold it.