1954 Buick Skylark ConvertibleWhat does a $200,000 Buick look like? See it at our Showplace today. Our seller paid a bit over $200,000 in December of 2008 for this magnificent...
1954 Buick Skylark Convertible
What does a $200,000 Buick look like? See it at our Showplace today. Our seller paid a bit over $200,000 in December of 2008 for this magnificent Buick Skylark convertible to add to his collection of interesting vehicles. It scored 398 of 400 possible points at 2008 Buick Club of America National meet and has traveled only 311 Miles since his purchase. The original “Gull Gray” may be a “one of” color and it's red leather with matching red fender wells is truly beautiful. Please check the following informative summaries from Keith Martin's Collector Market Magazine following the sale of this Skylark, and RM's '54 Skylark information.
#62-1954 BUICK SKYLARK convertible. S/N 7A1079804. Gull Gray/white vinyl/red leather. Odo: 54,339 miles. Restored in 1998 with factory-correct and thought to be one-off Gull Gray paint, wheelwell coves and red wheel center trim color-matched to leather interior during restoration. Scored 398 of 400 points at the 1998 BCA national meet, since then rarely driven. Superb body prep and paint, dead-on panel fit and door actuation with no rattles, near concours engine bay and undercarriage. No interior wear aside from door panel edges. Runs out as quiet as one would expect from a 1954 Buick. Cond: 1. SOLD AT $200,200. I'm used to seeing these in blasé '50s colors like sea- foam green, pastel blue, and the ever popular refrigerator white. Photos don't show how nice this color combination looked on the car, both
inside the tent and outside in the sunlight. One of the best quality '54 Skylarks I've seen cross the block, and sold for commensurate money.
HIGHLIGHTS
1 of 836 produced in 1954
322/200 HP Fireball V-8 engine
Twin-turbine Dynaflow automatic transmission
Independent front suspension with unequal-length A-arms and coil springs
Live rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs
Power steering
4-wheel power-assisted hydraulic drum brakes
Chrome wire wheels with spinners
Wide Whitewall tires
Both the 1953 and 1954 Buick Skylark have earned a place in automotive history as some of the most dramatically styled production cars of their time. Unlike the previous Skylark, the 1954 Skylark convertible was based on the Series 60 Century platform rather than the Roadmaster. The 1954 Century and Skylark both used the same 122-inch wheelbase chassis as well. The professionally restored chassis of this Skylark is finished in gloss black. What separated the Skylark from the Special was the 322 CI Nailhead OHV V-8 engine producing 200 HP at 4,100 RPM. This Skylark has a detailed engine compartment. A Dynaflow automatic transmission puts power to the rear wheels. The body of the 1954 Skylark was based on the Century, but a new radically tapered rear deck was grafted to it. The new rear deck features large chrome-plated fins with straight horizontal lines at their top edges. The rear quarters have wide arched wheel openings that include the iconic red-painted inner wells. Although the top body line is straighter than in 1953, the bright lower-body molding drops down dramatically toward the lower front of the wheel opening. The front fenders are specific to the Skylark and have wide arched wheel openings like the rear, also with red-painted inner wells. This Skylark has all standard features, including chrome wire wheels with wide whitewall tires and power brakes, steering, seat, top, antenna and windows. This Skylark is one of only 836 produced for 1954.