Buick turned 50 years old in 1953 and celebrated its birthday in style. The company delayed the release of its new V-8 until this model year, improved the Dynaflow (which some had called “Dyna-slush”), updated its B- and C-body cars for the final time in that styling cycle and released the new Skylark, a sporty-looking, limited-production, factory-customized model.

Buick’s new “Fireball” V-8 displaced 322 cubic inches in its original form, and when installed in the Skylark or Roadmaster, it produced its maximum horsepower of 188 units at 4,000 rpm. For comparison, the V-8 for the Super series, equipped with a two-barrel carburetor and with a compression ratio of 8.0:1, was rated at 170 hp at 4,000 rpm. Performance of the Skylark-Roadmaster engine was better due to a four-barrel carburetor and a higher compression ratio of 8.5:1. The basic engine was used by Buick through 1966. Incidentally, the old 263-cid straight-eight still powered the Special, but it received an improved combustion chamber resulting in slightly higher horsepower.

A “Twin-Turbine Dynaflow” helped deliver 10 percent more torque to the rear wheels. It felt less “slushy” and was also quieter than the original design.

Styling refinements for the 1953 Buick line included a raised front fender and hood line and a taller deck. Oval headlamp bezels, much like those of the 1951 Buick XP-300 concept car, were also included.

The Skylark was inspired by drawings penned by designer Ned Nickles showing a customized 1951 Buick convertible. Buick’s general manager, Ivan Wiles, liked Nickles’ ideas so much he thought a special show car, which was dubbed “Skylark,” should be built for the 1952 auto show circuit. According to the book, “The Buick: A Complete History”, by Terry Dunham and Lawrence Gustin, the prototype was first shown to the public in July of 1952. The Skylark prototype, equipped with Carlo Borrani wire wheels, was claimed to be the “answer to the European sports car,” though how such a big car could be labeled a sports car seems beyond explanation today. However, most of the American public had little familiarity with true sports cars, which handled and performed far differently than any of the heavy “land yachts” of the era. The Skylark had some sporty attributes and evidently that was enough to justify the sports car label. 

A Buick press release said the Skylark would be put into production if there was enough interest shown in it. In reality, though, it was already scheduled for production. The model was announced in October 1952 and production commenced the following January. Deliveries to dealers began some weeks later. Along with the limited-production Oldsmobile Fiesta, Cadillac Eldorado and Chevrolet Corvette convertibles, the Skylark was the focus of its General Motors division’s display at the 1953 GM Motorama. These convertibles were show cars that people could actually take home, unlike the exotic dream cars also on display at the Motorama.

Based on the Roadmaster convertible, the body of the Skylark (Model 76X) received a “chopped” windshield instead of the wraparound type as found on the Fiesta and Eldorado, a lowered and notched beltline and radiused rear wheel openings. A “bomb sight” hood ornament was recessed into the hood and the now-traditional Buick “Ventiports” were deleted from the front fenders. The top of the front seat was lowered to align exactly with the beltline, resulting in a car that appeared dramatically lower as compared to other 1953 Buick models. Indeed, it was about 3 inches lower. Just as GM’s dream cars were predictive of future styling characteristics, the Skylark was, too, since Buick’s 1954 models would get radiused wheel openings and the sweepspear trim. The 1953 Skylark’s special body sat on a Roadmaster chassis with a wheelbase of 127 inches.

Enhancing the sporty look of the production version of the Skylark was a set of 40-spoke, chrome-plated Kelsey-Hayes wire wheels. (These wheels were an extra-cost option for other Buick models.) Its radiused rear wheel openings helped to show off the glittering wheels. Sweeping over the wheel openings was what advertising described as a “rapier styled sweepspear” molding unique to this model. The sweepspear would soon become a calling card appearing in one form or another on Buick’s cars into the 1970s. Its shape helped to highlight the fender line that flowed into the door and the hopped-up quarters.

In addition to the wire wheels, standard equipment for the Skylark included tinted glass, whitewall tires, leather upholstery with narrow pleats, special carpeting, foot-controlled signal-seeking “Selectronic” radio, tinted glass, heater, power brakes, power steering, power seat, power windows, power antenna, power top (which was of synthetic Orlon) and Skylark-scripted door sill plates along with the 188-hp 322 four-barrel V-8 and the Twin-Turbine Dynaflow transmission. Furthermore, the owner’s signature was sealed into the gold-colored emblem placed on the steering wheel hub. With a price tag of $5,000, the special model was priced nearly $1,500 more than a Roadmaster convertible and about $700 more than a Cadillac Series Sixty Special.

One prototype 1953 Skylark hardtop was built (though two have been claimed to have been built) by Buick Engineering in Flint. However, the roofline combined with the dipped beltline appeared awkward, and no production versions were forthcoming.

Sales for the 1953 Buicks were exceptionally strong. A total of 488,805 were sold, the second best output in Buick’s history and over 50 percent more than the number produced for 1952. Of those nearly half-million Buicks, only 1,690 were Skylarks. 

One of those, the car shown here, is owned by Rick Smith, of Longview, Texas. Rick is well-known among restorers of 1950s Cadillacs, though he recently retired from his parts supplying business and sold off most of his parts, parts cars and some of his collection of cars (including another 1953 Skylark) at an auction held in 2018.

Smith has owned this Skylark for more than 20 years, although the opportunity to finally restore the car occurred only about eight years ago. The car came from a Buick dealer in Alabama who drove the car in the 1970s.

The Skylark returned for 1954, but was based on a production body which helped to lower its price. The car’s rear styling was unique to the model, making it a standout. Only 798 were built and the proposed 1955 Skylark never went beyond the drawing board.

Love Buicks? Here are a few more articles for your reading enjoyment.

https://www.oldcarsweekly.com/features/car-of-the-week-1958-buick-caballero

https://www.oldcarsweekly.com/features/car-of-the-week-1964-buick-lesabre-2-dr

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John Olson thought a couple of his late father-in-law’s Cadillacs might be worth a little more than a salvage yard’s scrap price, but he and his family assumed most of the 30 rusty and dirty cars in the dank barn were junk. Had Olson not taken a chance and called Yvette VanDerBrink of VanDerBrink Auctions earlier this summer, he admitted that he would have junked most of the cars, including a rare 1953 Buick Skylark and an incomplete 1959 Cadillac Eldorado convertible. Instead, Yvette told Olson all the cars had some value and she’d prove it with an auction.

When VanDerBrink Auctions’ online-only sale of that car collection closed on Aug. 26, it became clear that junking that Hartford, Wis., collection would have been a $242,000 mistake.

The two nicest cars in the collection — a 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz convertible and a 1963 Eldorado Biarritz convertible — fetched $83,000 and $7,250, respectively, and the prospect that they might be valuable saved the other cars from certain doom. Notable cars in the sale that would probably have been lost to the scrapper included a 1959 Eldorado Biarritz missing its deck lid and driver’s rear quarter panel (sold for $60,000); a very rusty 1959 Eldorado Seville coupe (sold for $16,500); a rusty but buildable 1953 Buick Skylark (a deal at $9,000); 1961 Cadillac Series 62 convertibles ($3,600 and $3,100); 1959 Cadillac Sedans deVille ($4,200 and $3,200); and a 1959 Fleetwood Sixty Special ($5,500).

Only two of the 30 cars in the collection didn’t receive bids (a 1965 Jaguar sedan and an incomplete 1941 Cadillac Sixty Special), and not all of the cars sold for thousands of dollars. A 1947 Packard sedan, a 1948 Packard sedan and a 1969 Rover sold each for hundreds of dollars. Many more sold for around a $1000 or more.

A few 1959 Cadillac parts were included in the online-only sale. A set of four 1959 Eldorado and Sixty Special wheel covers sold for $2200 — about twice what they usually sell for on eBay — and some miscellaneous 1959 Eldorado trim sold for $2100.

It’s also worth noting that none of the cars were made to run before the sale and a few of the vehicles didn’t have titles. Nearly all of the cars were in complete condition. For safety and security reasons, there was no pre-sale inspection.

Complete results will appear in an upcoming issue of Old Cars, so stay tuned to the pages for additional information.

How much is it worth?
Find out in the 2019 Collector Car Price Guide.
Get your copy today!

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Two 1959 Eldorado Biarritz convertibles, a 1959 Eldorado Seville coupe, a 1953 Buick Skylark, a 1963 Eldorado Biarritz and fin after fin of 1959 Cadillac sedans. It’s not an assembly of rare cars on a concours field, it’s a barn burner of a barn find stash that is currently being auctioned online by Yvette VanDerBrink of VanDerBrink Auctions.

This recently discovered trove of incredibly desirable cars in Wisconsin is now available through an online-only auction ending Aug. 26, 2018, on www.vanderbrinkauctions.com. The collection contains a total of 30 cars with additional rarities such as a 1924 Elcar coupe; a 1932 Chrysler sedan; 1941 Cadillac sedans; two 1961 Cadillac Series 62 convertibles; a 1940 Buick Series 50 convertible sedan; and four additional 1959 Cadillacs (Fleetwood Sixty Special, Fleetwood Seventy-Five and two Sedan deVilles).

The family of the deceased owner, a longtime Old Cars Weekly subscriber, didn’t realize the value of the cars due to their condition and almost crushed the cars. Luckily, they contacted a nearby collector car facility with an OCW issue in hand and were referred to Yvette VanDerBrink, who specializes in selling project and parts cars.

I had a chance to tour the cars and will be sharing this incredible experience on the pages of the next print issue of Old Cars Weekly (Aug. 16, 2018).

All of the vehicles in the sale have been stored for decades and are project or parts cars. For safety reasons, there will be no auction preview in this online-only sale. For additional images and auction details, including links to bid, go to www.vanderbrinkauctions.com.

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1953 Buick Skylarks have had a pretty wild time on the auction block in the last six months. On Nov. 4, 2017, we reported that a blue 1953 Skylark deep into No. 5 territory and loaded with raccoon excrement, rust and potential sold for $25,500 in eastern Wisconsin. One month later, in Los Angeles, singer-songwriter Neil Young sold his red 1953 Buick Skylark, reportedly the first one off the line, for an astounding $400,000 on Dec. 9. Both of these sales were off the charts.

Old Cars Report Price Guide shows a No. 5 Buick Skylark typically sells in the $18,000 range, if you can find one. Even if Young’s Skylark is in No. 1 condition (pictures show it’s at least a No. 3 driver-quality car, if not better), $400K is a record price ($150,000 is more on the money for a No. 1 Skylark). So why the big bucks?

Any Skylark is valuable since he cars were part of the trio of General Motors 1953 “Motorama show cars” that were actually built for public consumption, although at a hefty price tag. While a top-of-the-line Roadmaster convertible sold for $3,506 when new, a Skylark sold for an astounding $5,000. For that price, the Skylark was loaded with every Buick option, plus it featured unique body treatments such as radiused and enlarged wheel openings, a Darrin-style beltline dip, thinner side trim, a lowered roof and wire wheels, among other features including the original purchaser’s name in the steering wheel hub. The buyer of Young’s Skylark was paying for the provenance behind the pop culture icon’s ownership, and because the “first” of anything tends to raise the price. Had it been any other restored Skylark — not that there’s many since only 1690 were built for Buick’s 50th anniversary — the car would likely have sold for the typical range of prices.

The rough Skylark fetched a pretty penny because the buyer was getting the chance to be the first to monkey with the unrestored and unmolested car. Skylarks have been treasured for a long time, and there aren’t many survivors left awaiting the restorer’s touch. Yet another will be crossing the block in April during the VanDerBrink Auctions sale of the Rick Smith Collection in Longview, Texas.

On April 21, VanDerBrink will offer a buildable 1953 Skylark convertible at no reserve. The high bidder will take home a Skylark project that appears to be largely straight and with its rare Skylark components intact. The Skylark is currently painted flat black but was originally white. It’s body number 1534 indicates it was built toward the end of production. While it appears to be cosmetically complete, the upper end of the engine is missing its heads, intake and carburetor. However, these components are shared with other Buick models fitted with the first-year V-8 engine.

So, what will this third Skylark sell for? With its great potential and strong, buildable condition, and the rare opportunity this example presents to the restorer, we’re sure it will far exceed the $30,000+ book value. In this no-reserve VanDerBrink Auctions sale, we think the Skylark is truly the limit.

More info: 1953-1954 Buick Skylark Club

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There aren’t many good, complete project cars out there if you’re looking to build a fairly rare car, such as a 1940 Lincoln Continental convertible, 1941 Cadillac convertible sedan, 1953 Buick Skylark convertible or 1940 Packard convertible sedan. That’s why the next collector vehicle auction by W. Yoder Auction, LLC is sure to be a barn burner.

The Wisconsin-based auctioneer is set to sell these and 37 other interesting collector cars at the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, Wisconsin, on Nov. 3-4, 2017.

The cars come from the collection of Jack Slattery and the auction run list includes many luxury convertibles, most from the 1940s, as well as a smattering of other interesting cars with an emphasis on General Motors products. Photos on the auction company’s website show most of the cars stored indoors with typical amounts of Wisconsin corrosion including rusty floors. Many cars are being sold for parts only because they lack a title, but most look worthy of restoration, especially the rare ones. (Here’s how to get a title in Wisconsin with minimal difficulty.)

W. Yoder Auction, LLC has already opened the sale to online bidding and there’s been considerable early interest. The blue 1953 Buick Skylark, one of 1690 built, is already up to $21,500 and counting. A 1948 Buick Super convertible in similar condition has been bid up to $2,400 thus far. Meanwhile, the collection’s lone true muscle car — a rough but complete 1968 Charger R/T that will be sold with a title — is already up to $9,000 in bidding. However, there may still be deals to be had.

So far, the 1941 Cadillac convertible sedan has only been bid up to a few hundred dollars. Ditto for a 1950 Ford convertible and most of the others.

In addition to the 41 cars on offer, W. Yoder Auction, LLC will also be auctioning car parts and some antiques and collectibles, but only during the live sale; there will not be online bidding for these items.

I’ll be there to cover the live sale at 10 a.m. on Nov. 4. If you want to get a jump on the live action, the sale’s preview will be held at the fairgrounds on Nov. 3 starting at 10 a.m. Bidders may register in person the day of the sale on Nov. 4.

Here’s a complete list of cars currently listed on wyoderauction.com:

– 1946 Lincoln Continental coupe;

– 1949 Cadillac Series 62 sedan;

– 1953 Buick Skylark convertible;

– 1954 Cadillac Series 60 Special;

– 1958 Cadillac Coupe deVille;

– 1962 Cadillac Series 62 coupe;

– 1965 Pontiac Grand Prix;

– 1940 Dodge Luxury Liner Special four-door sedan;

– 1941 Buick Century Sedanette;

– 1941 Cadillac Series 62 coupe;

– 1946 Cadillac Series 62 four-door sedan;

– 1947 Ford DeLuxe two-door sedan;

– 1948 Buick Super convertible;

– 1950 Ford Custom Deluxe convertible;

– 1950 Oldsmobile 88 four door sedan;

– 1968 Buick Electra 225 Custom convertible;

– 1968 Dodge Charger R/T two-door hardtop;

– 1936 Oldsmobile F-36 four-door trunk-back sedan;

– 1940 Lincoln Continental convertible;

– 1940 Oldsmobile Series 60 two-door business coupe;

– 1940 Packard 120 four-door convertible;

– 1941 Cadillac Series 62 four-door convertible;

– 1957 Oldsmobile 98 coupe;

– 1947 Cadillac Series 60 Special four door sedan;

– 1954 Pontiac Star Chief Custom Catalina two-door hardtop;

– 1961 Cadillac Series 62 four-door six-window sedan;

– 1964 Chevrolet Corvette convertible;

– 1965 Pontiac Catalina two-door hardtop;

– 1966 Cadillac Coupe deVille;

– 1968 Buick Electra 225 Custom convertible;

– 1968 Buick LeSabre Custom two-door hardtop;

– 1969 Buick Riviera;

– 1970 Pontiac Executive four-door three-seat station wagon;

– 1971 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser four-door station wagon;

– 1971 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme convertible;

– 1975 Cadillac Coupe deVille;

– 1976 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Brougham coupe;

– 1976 Pontiac Grand Safari four-door three-seat station wagon;

– 1976 Pontiac LeMans coupe;

– 1978 Pontiac Bonneville Brougham two-door coupe;

– 1982 Pontiac Grand Prix.

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CARLISLE, PA – After a successful three-day offering as part of Spring Carlisle earlier in 2017, the Carlisle Auctions team returns to action for its second three-day event of the year; this time at Fall Carlisle. The weekend auction excitement commences September 28 at the Carlisle Expo Center and includes 450+ lots, including rare muscle, elegant classics, a unique motorcycle and more. The auction runs concurrent with Fall Carlisle (September 27-October 1), taking place at the neighboring Carlisle PA Fairgrounds. All told, nearly 100,000 guests will converge on central Pennsylvania to buy, sell and trade all things automotive!

Two of the top options for this year’s auction couldn’t be more different, yet equally desirable. With the new Ford GT coming onto the market very soon, a piece of GT history is available via a low mileage 2006 Ford GT. In addition, available at NO RESERVE, Carlisle Auctions is excited to announce the inclusion of a 2012 Confederate x132 Hellcat Motorcycle. This particular bike is actually prototype #1, making it ultra-rare.

Along with those two, Carlisle Auctions features a variety of high quality consignments, with auctions getting better each time around. Additional consignments include a 2003 Shelby CSX Cobra, 1956 Austin Healy 100-4, 1939 Ford Restomod, 1969 Dodge Charger R/T, 1953 Buick Skylark and more! Plus, ALL NEW for Fall 2017, specialty hours. These hours Chevrolet on Thursday (5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.), Ford on Friday (5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.) and all things truck on Saturday (12 p.m. to 1 p.m.) as the auction wraps up!

Combine all that with its success FREE UNLESS SOLD guarantee (for vehicles 25 years or older) and everything is lining up nicely for what promises to be another successful weekend.

Complete details on Carlisle Auctions can be found at www.CarlisleAuctions.com or by calling 717-960-6400. On the web are links and information for becoming a bidder, a link to buy spectator tickets, consigning a vehicle to a future auction and a photo gallery of most of the vehicles that are consigned to the auction.

Carlisle Events is a partner or producer of 12 annual collector car and truck events. Events are held at the Carlisle PA Fairgrounds (Carlisle, PA), Allentown Fairgrounds (Allentown, PA) and the SUN ‘n FUN Campus (Lakeland, FL). The season schedule includes five automotive swap meets of varying size, four auctions, as well as individual specialty shows featuring Hurst branded machines, Corvettes, Fords, GMs, Chryslers, trucks, imports, tuners and performance sport compacts. Founded in 1974 by friends Bill Miller and Chip Miller, events hosted at Carlisle attract more than a half a million enthusiasts annually from all corners of the globe. More information is available via www.CarlisleEvents.com or www.CarlisleAuctions.com.

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