By the mid-1920s, Cadillac had more than justified its worldwide reputation for luxurious, high-quality automobiles.

Its cars were powerful, well-built, and available in a wide range of designs to meet the needs of its discriminating clientele.

These Cadillacs were fine cars, to be sure; one thing they often lacked, however, was style .

That would change in 1927, when General Motors recruited a certain Harley J.

Earl to style the new LaSalle, intended to be a more affordable “companion car” to the higher-end Cadillac.

These LaSalles—often considered the first offerings truly “designed” by an automaker in the modern sense—caused a sensation, arguably outshining that year’s Cadillacs.

This state of affairs obviously could not stand, and Earl’s styling revolution soon spread upmarket, to tremendous effect.

This rakish 1928 Cadillac Sport Phaeton by Fisher demonstrates the immediate and dramatic impact Earl’s vision had on the marque; it is, simply, one of most striking designs of t...