1953 Buick Skylark Convertible Review and Buyer's Guide

If a “normal” restoration takes 2,000 hours, this one will need 2,500. At $70 an hour, the new owner is upside down before he pulls a fender

by Carl Bomstead

This 1953 Buick Skylark Convertible sold for $20,900 at Christie’s August 16, 2007, auction at the Monterey Jet Center in Monterey, California.

An interesting but questionable tale suggests that the inspiration for the Skylark resulted from Buick General Manager Ivan Wiles glancing over the shoulder of Chief Stylist Ned Nickles as he doodled some ideas for customizing his ’51 Roadmaster. Wiles was impressed by his sketch and proclaimed it the car Buick should build. A more plausible explanation places the genesis for the Skylark with the Buick XP-300 Motorama show car of 1951.

The XP-300 was the inspiration of Charles Chayne, Buick’s Chief Engineer, who, in the legacy of Harley Earl, wanted to design a dream car that would still be fresh after 15 years. The car was well received and continued Buick’s tradition as a styling leader. Placing the XP-300 in production was, however, unrealistic for any number of reasons, not the least of which was cost. The public’s interest in the dream car did get the Powers That Be at Buick thinking about a more realistic “sporty” offering. The resulting prototype was based on the 1952 Roadmaster convertible with the traditional “portholes” removed to clean up the lines of the car.

Manufactured in limited quantities

The tops of the doors were cut down three inches and dipped to match the fender line. The tops of the seats were also shortened to match the lowered beltline. An added sweepspear followed the fender line and gave the illusion of length. The wheel openings were cut out to create the appearance of a lower car. The springs were also cut an inch and a half, which did lower the car but did not enhance the ride of the prototype. Borrani wire wheels completed the package, and the Buick Skylark quickly moved from 3/8-scale clay to reality.

The prototype Skylark Convertible was presented to the public in July 1952, and in a statement dated October 6, 1952, Ivan Wiles proclaimed: “Public interest has been so great that we have decided to manufacture the Skylark in limited quantities.” The production 1953 Skylark was also based on the Roadmaster convertible and carried over most of the styling changes. XP-300-style headlights were added, but the springs were restored to their specified height to retain the traditional Buick ride. The top was chopped three inches to lower the silhouette of the car and, due to cost, American-made Kelsey-Hayes 40-spoke wire wheels replaced the Borranis.

The interior was finished with narrow pleated leather that was offered in four two-toned combinations. Roxpoint nylon carpeting complemented the leather, and the new foot-controlled Selectronic radio was standard equipment. The dash was covered with Di-Noc, a diamond-patterned material, and a unique horn button in the center of the steering wheel—with the owner’s signature—celebrated the 50th anniversary of Buick. There is little argument that they were and still are striking cars.

Flies in the face of financial logic

This 1953 Skylark sold by Christie’s was a “needs everything barn find” that will cost an inordinate amount of money to bring back to life. No question that 1953 Skylarks have been coming into their own of late, but this is an ambitious project that flies in the face of financial logic. Restoring a decent example is a daunting and expensive undertaking, as the cars are extremely complicated. They offered power seats, windows, top, and aerial, which are operated hydraulically. A friend recently restored his Skylark to high standard and stated getting these to function properly was the most time-consuming and frustrating aspect of the restoration.

The “Nailhead” V8 that was first installed in the ’53 Skylark should be a routine rebuild, but this one has been exposed to the ravages of time and neglect for an extended period. The $64 question—or in this case, the $20,000 question—is what surprises are in store for the engine guy when the valve covers and heads come off. The Twin-Turbine Dynaflow transmission is a hassle under normal circumstances, but like everything else on this 1953 Skylark Convertible, it will require an expensive rebuild.

If a “normal” restoration consumes 2,000 hours, this one will take at least 2,500. At $70 an hour, the new owner is upside down before he pulls a fender. Yes, RM sold one for $495,000 at its Lapeer, Michigan, auction on June 9, 2007, but most will say the number for a well-restored example is about $225,000, and the example that preceded this sale at Christie’s auction failed even to reach six figures.

The only glimmer of hope is that the new owner is incredibly talented and can devote every waking hour to the project for the next year or so. Even so, it will be a labor of love with any number of restoration gremlins lurking with every turn of the wrench.