Vehicle Description
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 blase
'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.
