GM’s first intermediates –the 1964-67 Chevelle, Tempest/LeMans, F85/Cutlass, and Special/Skylark–were well-proportioned and appealing automobiles. The hardtop coupes shared an elegant roof that pushed the A-body’s appeal right over the top. No A-body wore it better than Buick’s Skylark. Flickr user mistergreen (who has commented here as chrisgreencar) recently came upon this 1965 Skylark and shared it on the Curbside Classic Cohort.
What makes this Skylark even more appealing to me is that it’s an unrestored original. Just look at that gloriously eroded paint.
Maybe such things are more common in Southern California where this car was found. But out here in frigid Siberia the Midwest, cars that stay on the road rust from the bottom up and turn to powder long before they reach their 48th birthday. So seeing an old Skylark with such signs of continued use makes this Indiana boy swoon.
Wall to wall tail lights were a Buick styling cue that really made them stand out. I’d prefer this to the distorted “port hole” vents on today’s Buicks.
Or the “Ventiports” on a Neon; or a Corolla; or an Accord; or a Chrysler 300; I’ve seen them all. I didn’t know Buick had branched out like that. Why do those idiots do that?
I actually saw those stupid aftermarket ventiports on a 300 SRT-8 a few weeks ago. Yes, let’s put those tacky things on a 60K performance sedan!
I always thought the wall-to-wall tail lights on this looked like a bird stretching its wings.
Great find of a cool car. I think I still have to vote for the Cutlass – I never liked all of the chrome trim on the roof edges. They detract from the clean lines of the car.
If I had to guess, the failing paint on this car looks more like the car was refinished with a modern base/clearcoat at some point. This looks more like the failure mode on modern finishes. Those old GM lacquers would get dull and then thin and then surface rust would start to bleed through, like in this picture. Those metallic beige colors on GM cars that saw much weather would seldom hold a shine for longer than 4 or 5 years. The Fords and Mopars that used enamel would do better, but all of the metallics with a lot of clear in the formula would weather poorly no matter who made it.
Yup, that is a base coat/clear coat paint system and one likely from the early days of the water borne clear coats,
Yes, classic CC failure on a BC/CC paint job.
Original paint would be a lacquer that’ll just dull out and turn chalky.
Another excellent car,Buicks are often overlooked because of their white bread and blue rinse image.Not all cool cars are big block bruisers,the cooking variety are just as tasty
So true. It’s kind of funny that Buick built some of the fastest cars in the MuscleCar era but will probably always be known as Grampa cars. You’ll frequently hear Buick guys say that they “go fast with class!” and they usually do.
Ever since I was a child, I’ve had a “thing” for taillights. I suppose if cars were women it would be called a fetish. A car could suck in nearly all facets but if it had full width, louvered, hooked, or multi-bulb taillights 🙂 I will like it.
I’m not much into the pre-’67 GM intermediates much but this car appeals to me because of that gorgeous rear end.
And Jim, I’m with you 100% on unrestored original cars. In my eyes, patina is the only true indicator of a car’s perseverance. I can’t agree much with people looking at a completely restored show car and call it a “survivor”. This Buick is what I’d call a survivor.
I’m with you on the “survivor” label. I like a restored car as much as the next guy but am increasingly appreciating the real survivor.
You haven’t been following Buick lately, have you. The “Grandpa cars” moniker started to die with the LeSabre’s death, and definitely accelerated with the death of the Lucerne. Average age of Buick owners has been dropping, big time.
Man, how about NOT using that as a daily driver. It would be so easy to restore that, just slap a new coat of that copper color and buy the missing hubcaps on eBay, it would be a stunner.
Who says it is a daily driver, maybe they do “abuse” it by just take it out when going out for dinner or other “special occasions”. Cars were made to be driven and restoring this one, again, would cost more than it is worth and maybe they would rather not abuse it by letting it sit.
By restoration I don’t mean a $100k+ rotisserie restoration. How about just a nice paint job and hubcaps? The car looks well preserved otherwise and there are so few of these left, so why wouldn’t someone want to take care of it?
Fix it nice and inexpensively, and keep it as a great weekends car.
Like I said maybe it is just a weekend car now and he doesn’t want to pay another OK paint job that didn’t last that long. An Earl Schieb job might only cost a couple hundred but then you’ve ruined all the trim and rubber that got over spray on it at it will look worse than this in a year or two. A decent paint job that doesn’t detract from the car worse than it already is will cost an easy $5K or more, likely more in CA with their air quality regulations. I agree a hub cap would be a good idea though.
About 15 years ago my brother and I painted my wife’s car. I spent about $400 wholesale on the materials to do it and between the two of us there was about 40 hours of labor in it. So at the time I figured it would have cost at least $3000 at retail. We did do it right removing everything but the windshield and rear window and did not do the jambs as I did it in the factory color.
You could also do all the prep work yourself and then take it to one of the cheapo places to have them spray it. I’ve known quite a few people who have done that and were happy with the results.
Such a pretty car but I think I prefer the 66 roofline on the A-body coupes. That shape went all the way up from Corvair to the Rivs. Classic GM.
Whoa–that’s in my neighborhood! And I will vouch for the Southern California Longevity Tonic; not only is the weather great for avoiding rust, but the culture seems to value keeping cars like this on the road–and many with a beautiful patina. I grew up in Pittsburgh, where road salt and safety inspections banish ten-year-old rust buckets across the state line into Ohio. When my dad visits, he goes nuts shouting out old cars as we drive through the San Gabriel Valley. My wife would say the same about me, every day.
Nice find! It makes my day finding an old car like this in everyday use, rather than being a garage queen. Hopefully the owner keeps this car going for a good time more.
I still avidly await the conveyance sporting curb feelers.
Ahhh…one delicious car! A real beauty.
When I was in high school somebody had one of these in light blue metallic. I believe it had a matching blue interior. Either a coupe or hardtop, in about the same shape as our copper example here. I never found out whose car it was but vividly remember walking past it every morning between 1994-1998. It was a really nice looking car.
I’d love to have one of these… ’65 hardtop coupe with the 300 V8 and a 4-speed, Pacific Coast Highway at dusk, pack of Marlboro Lights, Vince Guaraldi Trio’s first album – that would be heaven!
A co-worker who was pretty much a GM guy had a very similar car, a 1964 2-door hardtop, daffodil yellow with black vinyl top.
I bought one of these from a gentleman in Tehachapi, California for $800 sans drivetrain, and with a dead top motor. The body is solid, though. I’m treating that car to a full frame-off resto, powdercoated frame, the whole nine yards.
Keep us posted on progress please
I’ll donate the missing wheelcover since I have at least one “in stock”.
I’m guessing they did a pillared hardtop version too? This one has showed up for sale here in NZ on trademe, and it appears to be identical except for full window frames and pillars. Or am I mistaken? http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/specialist-cars/hot-rods/auction-561952217.htm
All of the 64-65 GM A body coupes came as both a hardtop and as a 2 door sedan.